There is great debate these days about privacy, data, and surveillance. Proponents of each all make legitimate claims although none seem to be winning the debate. The only thing we know for sure is that the world is changing and much of what we held true is being brought into question.
It is no secret that privacy is basically shot. Many try to get it back believing that it is possible. Some mention that blockchain is a threat because it puts everything out there in the open. I just marvel at this viewpoint. The truth of the matter is the NSA knows everything we do. They have for years. This provided access to all the other alphabet organizations like the FBI, CIA, and IRS.
The challenge is that having data is one thing, Being able to process is another matter. Even as the leader in the data race, the U.S. Government managed to botch most everything it got involved in over the last decade. You would think with analytics, algorithms and an enormous amount of data, these people would know which end is up. Yet they are always caught off guard.
Which brings up the second wave of data gatherers, the private surveillance companies. Facebook, Google, and Apple are just a few of the algorithm giants. In fact, they also serve to feed the government which makes their ineptitude even more stunning. Nevertheless, these private entities do know what to do with the data which is cause for concern. Their ability (and desire) to manipulate is becoming well known. Their purposes do not mirror that of society at large. While they do some good things by making people's lives easier, it does not compensate for the damage they do. These are ruthless institutions that you will have a hard time convincing me have anything other than nefarious intentions.
I write about the Age of Abundance because I see the technological capabilities that are before us. This is extremely power to the masses. One thing that needs to occur is that we cannot allow these corporate entities (or governments ) control what is emerging. This will only further the enslavement of the masses and drive a larger separation between the haves (the few) and the have nots (the rest of us).
For this to happen, we need freedom of information. This is different from freedom of expression which is a right given to the individuals. We need the data to be open. One of the biggest components to AI is large amounts of data. That is why an entity like Google is one of the leading AI companies with their Deep Learning division. They have massive amounts of data compiled over two decades to feed into the machines. This is going to result in more accurate algorithms.
We see the major corporations trying to stage a repeat of the existing internet. Their desire is to build silos with each controlling their own information. This blocks us, the users, off from the rest of the internet. If they can keep us locked in, they control us. Hence why Facebook is so powerful.
Fortunately, we have blockchain. It is crucial that we drive home the idea of decentralization to the masses. Putting something on the blockchain makes it transparent. Some will complain about the lack of privacy. That is true, it is lost to a degree. However, it was probably shot anyway. If you have a mobile phone. not only do Google or Apple know you every move, so does yourISP, many of the apps on your phone, and an entire range of advertisers. They are all collecting data on each of us.
Here is the crux of the issue. We, the population, have no privacy. Our data is out there for all the world to see. Yet the entities like these corporations and governments get to operate behind closed doors. They do not reveal the data they collect. Suddenly, it becomes their property. They feel no need to share it with us, other companies, or even researchers trying to cure diseases. The information is controlled and centralized.
Each of us are part of a larger data flow. On a daily basis, there are around 50K of us posting on the STEEM blockchain. Every post that goes up is part of the global data stream. The difference between STEEM and Facebook is that all the data on the blockchain is available to anyone. All algorithms can take that data and process it. As our blockchain grows, we provide the global community with more information. The information we provide is actually training the AI that will be used in the future.
Over time, we are going to have discussions about more of our data being on the internet. Once again, the debate about security and privacy will come up. Many will argue that having the personal information out there is not private. Posting information publicly makes no sense. That is, until you realize, that information on a private server is not private either. Centralized systems get hacked. Odds are most of what is compiled about us is out there anyway, for a price.
There was a time when censorship took the form of hiding someone's opinion or viewpoint. This was done by not letting that person be quoted or published. The person was basically cut off.
Do you know how censorship is done today? Not by shutting one viewpoint up but, rather, by flooding the masses with the opposing position. No need to stop something from being posted when it is possible to throw so much data at people that they can decipher what is true versus false. Spread enough fake news around and it overwhelms that which is trying to be hid.
Hence we have a digital world where the explosion of data changed how many people are censored.
We could see the same thing take place with regard to privacy. Many politicians talk about transparency but we know that is nothing more than lip service. The only transparency is on the side of the population. Governments and major corporations operate under the cover of darkness. If is only after a data breach (ala wikileaks) that things come to light. They use terms like "national security" to condone their behavior. This is not going to be the case much longer.
Proprietary systems are going to break down. We already see intellectual property violated left and right. Corporations steal from each other as do countries. The surveillance network is everywhere. Of course, blockchain is already starting to solve the intellectual property problem by implementing tokenization. We are going to see this extend to most things.
The decentralization of money is the first step in this process. When Bitcoin was introduced to the world, it changed the way money was created and distributed for thousands of years. The same needs to happen with information. With the amount of data we are generating, many of the world's problems can be addressed by using the enormous computing power that is available to us today. The most exciting field is in medical research. We are finally moving out of hunt and peck era, instead transitioning into one where software can uncover things that would take researchers years. To do this, requires only a vast amount of data.
And in this era, we have plenty of it.
We just have to make sure that we have freedom of information and things do not get locked behind close doors by those who seek to do humanity harm.
If you found this article informative, please give it an upvote and resteem.
Pictures by Google Images.
I like it....it's so unfortunate that there's not more freedom. I was just talking with some friends about how the government is involved in way too many things.
Incorrect, the most important thing in the future is getting filthy rich. Buy crypto, dump it fora nice profit. Freedom and decentralization are nice and all but they can't buy me a Lambo
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:D lol, so damn true.
It would be great to have true freedom of information, but to do so requires understanding the difference between data, information, and knowledge--terms that are often used interchangeably. I believe that the best current view of the differences comes from the philosopher Luciano Floridi, who defines data as just a difference, semantic information as well formed data that has meaning that is true, and knowledge as information that a person believes and has a justification for believing.
The marks you are seeing on your screen as you read this are data, but because they are well-formed, and if we assume they are true, then they are also information. For this comment to be knowledge, you must believe it and also have some justification for believing it.
It is easy for our computers to manipulate data, but much harder for them to manipulate information, because to do so the manipulation must preserve the semantics of the data and the operations we wish to apply to them.
Knowledge is even harder because it has a personal psychological component.
Now imagine having true information freedom. For example, "Obama is a Muslim" is well-formed data with meaning, but that meaning is not true, so it is not information. True information freedom means that an information system would not contain such statements or would at least flag them as misinformation. Floridi points out that just as counterfeit money is not money, misinformation is likewise not information. That's hard to do, of course with our present technology. Such a system could also still contain valid information such as "Trump says that he believes that Obama is a Muslim" as long as Trump really said that and really believes it.
Finally, the definition of knowledge points out why it is hard to disseminate knowledge. Knowledge requires a person to believe and logically justify that belief. That is often difficult to do, since it must be done person by person.
By understanding these distinctions it is fairly clear that having lots of data is not enough. Instead we need to get better at making machines that help us manipulate information and also find social and cultural means to disseminate knowledge.
Note the current boom in deep learning has very little to do with information. Most of the deep nets are end to end systems, meaning data in and data out. Google Translate does a good job translating from one language to another, but it knows absolutely nothing about the meanings of either the input or the output.
Well it seems that Google is now punishing Steem content with their new ranking algorithm in an attempt to keep their walled in gardens from accruing weeds. But weeds are good for you.
This world is so upside down, that it rewards those who've declared bankruptcy by making it unnecessary for such to have services like LifeLock. This is what centralized IT produces...
Maybe everyone should just rack up massive credit card debt and buy Steem then declare bankruptcy with a multisig smart contract that makes it impossible to power down for 10 years. At least data thieves wouldn't be able to use your identity to apply for credit in your name.
Yes you are definitely right. It's time to take responsibility for humanity.
"We just have to make sure that we have freedom of information and things do not get locked behind close doors by those who seek to do humanity harm."
Well written and inspiring post! The freedom to access info is huge, and I feel the blockchain has amazing potential for shifting the power dynamics of society. I see what you're writing about as a process of fusion, as opposed to division. It's time the corporate structure and govt control is usurped by open source info and vast amounts of shared data through the blockchain and decentralized participation. Blockchain technology has big revolutionary potential and I'm excited to see how the world evolves!
I see the potential in getting rich
Sad but true, our privacy is already forfeit. If we can force that same transparency on the elite it will be good for everyone.
What is hidden is cause for curiosity, what is exposed to the eyes of everything calls less attention. People will get used to the fact that the data is visible to everyone. It is a new paradigm and there is resistance, as always, but in the long run the advantages are greater and we will get used to it and we will lose the fear of exposure.
being have a freedom of choosing transparency and privacy is win win to me
Very good writting!
(PD: Though... 'pictures by google images' seriously? :P )
Did you read @dan's radical transparency post a few months back?
Very similar position.
The more they censor, the faster people will flock to blockchain technology.
As always, very wise words. Good luck to you and love.