Balancing AI Data and Consumer Rights: The Colombian Context

Abstract

Surveillance capitalism has emerged as a critical ethical challenge in Colombia, where corporations increasingly exploit artificial intelligence (AI) to collect, analyze, and monetize consumer data. While these practices drive economic growth and innovation, they often come at the expense of privacy, autonomy, and consumer rights. This article examines the ethical implications of surveillance capitalism in Colombia, focusing on data privacy risks and regulatory gaps within key sectors such as telecommunications, retail, finance, and digital platforms. Through computational simulations and real-world case studies, we quantify the risks posed by AI-driven data practices, including opaque consent mechanisms, algorithmic bias, and data breach vulnerabilities. The study evaluates Colombia's current AI governance policies as concerns CONPES 4144 de 2025, revealing significant ethical implementation and enforcement shortcomings. Our findings highlight the urgent need for stronger regulatory frameworks to safeguard consumer rights while fostering technological progress. This article adds to the conversation on digital governance and corporate ethics by fusing policy analysis with empirical findings. It provides practical suggestions to improve data privacy and ethical AI practices in Colombia's developing digital economy.