Digital Privacy at Risk: Lorena Nessi and Facundo Lisoto on Data, Power and Control.
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As digital life expands, the line between a connected society and a surveillance society grows thinner. Every action online, from a simple purchase to a social media post, feeds into systems of control and influence.
To address these challenges, CCN’s Dr. Lorena Nessi joined César Miguel Rondón, veteran Venezuelan journalist and host of En Conexión on Éxitos FM Miami, along with Facundo Lisotto, cybersecurity and blockchain researcher at the Center for Cybersecurity and Data Protection Studies in Buenos Aires.
The discussion, broadcast live on 28 September 2025, examined who controls our data, how algorithms shape our realities, and whether privacy can still be preserved in a digital-first world.
The interview was conducted in Spanish. Viewers can turn on English subtitles in the YouTube settings to follow along. Here is the full video:
Who Holds the Power in the Digital World?
Dr. Lorena Nessi stressed that the same tools that connect people also exert power over them. “In the digital world, what connects us also controls us, and unfortunately, not all of us are aware of that,” she said. Once information is uploaded, it stays there forever.
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According to her, in Western societies corporations hold this power. “Corporations manage our data and have total access to our digital footprint,” she explained, while what happens with that data “is basically a secret.”
Facundo Lisotto added that even skilled cybercriminals leave traces that governments can use to track them.
“So if some of the people most skilled in cybersecurity can be caught by governments, even in international operations, what happens with us, regular people who enjoy the benefits of technology but don’t take the precautions that privacy requires?” he asked. For him, the dilemma today resembles Orwell’s 1984: “Who is Big Brother?”
The Rise of Multiple Big Brothers
Dr. Nessi pointed out that surveillance is not exclusive to authoritarian regimes.
“China is often criticized, but control is exercised everywhere,” she said. She highlighted the ubiquity of cameras in cities like London, many with facial recognition, noting that corporations often hold the first layer of control, with governments accessing information afterward. This, she warned, can lead to manipulation and political influence.
Lisotto echoed this view with a concrete example. He recalled how Elon Musk obtained access to the U.S. Social Security data, which covers more than 300 million people.
“Just as Musk might have gotten access, other companies through third parties, agreements, or by buying ads, can obtain certain data,” he said. For him, there is not just one Big Brother, but many.
“Each of these different Big Brothers has a specific mission. Some want to know our health status, others our financial health, others our tastes and preferences,” Lisotto noted.
Privacy in the Digital Ocean
Rondón pressed the guests on whether it is still possible to maintain privacy. Dr. Nessi answered with skepticism.
“Maybe a bit pessimistically, I don’t think so,” she said. Still, she listed protective measures such as reading terms and conditions before accepting contracts, turning off unnecessary notifications, controlling cookies, and demanding transparency.
“Many times we simply accept cookies because it’s easy,” she explained, warning that this could mean sharing data with “hundreds or even thousands of companies.”
Algorithms, Identity, and the Risk of Radicalization
Rondón raised another pressing issue: whether individuals remain true to themselves in an algorithm-driven world.
He gave an example of liking one image online and then being bombarded with similar content, asking: “To what extent am I really myself, or what this system has made of me?”
Dr. Nessi replied that algorithms amplify tendencies by feeding polarizing or emotional content. “We are permanently exposed to algorithmic manipulation,” she said.
She emphasized that algorithms lack human understanding of consequences and can “lead us to consume radicalized information.”
When asked to define radicalizing content, she explained: “Information that takes us to an extreme point of view… when it crosses into violence, into the capacity to generate violence in defense of that point of view, that is radicalizing information.”
How to Protect Information in the Digital Age
On protection, Lisotto highlighted the role of conscious behavior. “Our behavior is always involved,” he said. Healthy habits, such as regulating the time and ways people use networks, can reduce exposure to manipulation. But he admitted some level of influence is unavoidable: “That’s the cost of participating in apps or events.”
When sked what not to do online, Lisotto advised against sharing data with third parties or posting sensitive content. “We must protect our information: not share data with third parties, not share information or photos of children, not share publicly our credit card photos,” he stressed.
Dr. Nessi recommended balancing perspectives to counter algorithmic bias. “If I follow someone with very strong or extreme views, I try also to find the opposing voice,” she said.
Technology, Trust, and Responsibility: An Ongoing Dialogue
The conversation closed with gratitude from all sides. For Rondón, the central question remained whether society can balance the benefits of technology with the risks of manipulation and data exposure.
For Dr. Nessi and Lisotto, the key lies in awareness, transparency, and responsibility from both individuals and institutions.
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