Definition:
Passive extraction is the collection of value, data, labour, or behavioural insight without active participation, awareness, or deliberate action by the person it is taken from.
Usage Context:
Seen in data exhaust capture, background tracking, platform analytics, surveillance technologies, unpaid digital labour, and algorithmic observation systems.
Critical Note:
Passive extraction relies on invisibility. By removing moments of decision or consent, it reframes exploitation as ambient process rather than active taking, making harm harder to recognise, resist, or contest.
Related Terms:
Data Exhaust, Surveillance Capitalism, Behavioural Tracking, Value Extraction, Consent Dilution