In Book II; Chapter 9 of The Lord of the Rings after a small assault from orcs along the riverbank, the fellowship discovers a large dark winged figure following them from the skies(p. 387). Legolas lets loose an arrow making the figure fall from the sky and the orcs stop following them for the night because the dark figure was informing the orcs about their location. The fellowship finds itself being watched and followed too often. Frodo continuously sees a shadowy figure watching him. It is discovered that the figure watching him is Gollum. Gollum possessed the ring for many years before Bilbo stole it from him. Tolkien’s use of the black figure is a great allusion to Zuboff’s Age of Surveillance Capitalism.
In chapter 14 of Zuboff’s Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Zuboff touches on how many pictures people take, how often they search for things on the internet, and how all of this is recorded somewhere (p.377). Zuboff’s usage of the ideas of lack of privacy through surveillance on the internet can be interpreted as an allusion to Sauron’s all-seeing eye. In book II chapter 10 of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo puts of the ring in order to escape Boromir who has been blinded by the temptation of the ring. While Frodo runs he finds himself atop Amon Hen, where due to the enhanced sight given to him through the ring, he could see the eye of Sauron searching for him(p.397).
Frodo never seems to be able to escape the surveillance of others. Whether it is for his betterment or not, he is always being watched. Frodo understands that it is possible that if he were to destroy the ring, then perhaps this “age of surveillance” that middle earth is under will end. Similarly, Zuboff uses her book to inform how dangerous the invasive nature of technology can be and she instills the belief that people would be better off without constant surveillance. Others may believe that they could use technology against those who want to surveil them. Boromir believes that he should take the ring and use its power against Sauron because he does not think it would be able to corrupt him. This is a perfect example of how people use technology against others in order to gain a strategic advantage of sorts because they do not believe it will be turned and used on their own people, but eventually, it always is.