Capitalism can exploit any number of data sources. Any computer, any device with an embedded computer, or any entity readable by a sensor with computing power can generate data for this purpose. Data sources may be processes, things, or people as well as the interactions between any of these sources. The extraction of value from data is equally indifferent to its origin. Capitalism as the systematic organization of value extraction has only one goal in relation to data—to maximize the production of value through data extraction—and so in principle cares little about the sources and types of data exploited.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 72