If you feel like your privacy isn't being compromised enough, think again. From user data being shared by Facebook, Instagram, and Google, your information is everywhere and there's nothing you can do about it. The world is changing rapidly with emerging technology every single day. Today we live in a society that has grown with the computer revolution and cannot function without the use of our smartphones and tablets.
In the article “Why we need better ethics for emerging technologies”, James H. Moor discusses what technological revolutions are and how they impact the entire world. He describes this impact with three main stages: introduction, permeation, and the power stage.
- The Introduction Stage is a period where this new technology is only used by or even known by a small percentage of the population. The effects to society are marginal.
- The Permeation Stage is slightly larger. The devices are more conventional and is much more widely used. The overall impact to society is more noticeable.
- The Power Stage is where the technology is widely used by most people in society and changes the way society functions.
Are we in the midst of a technology revolution right now? Here is Clearview AI. Welcome to the future.
Clearview AI is a company that has created software that allows for facial recognition from photos and videos to identify people and reveal their information. Yes, this means strangers can find you with simply a picture or video of you. The main goal of this software is to identify criminals and protect those who are innocent, but we all know this is not the only thing it will be used for. This software is already being used by the FBI and is expected to eventually be released to the public sometime in the near future.
This company has just put our society amongst the Introduction stage of the Privacy Revolution, and is only being used by the FBI. Understandably, this seems like a very strong initiative to help make the world a better place; however, this program takes "online stalking" to a whole new level.
This company has just put our society amongst the Introduction stage of the Privacy Revolution, and is only being used by the FBI. Understandably, this seems like a very strong initiative to help make the world a better place; however, this program takes "online stalking" to a whole new level.
The main problem that Moor describes in his paper, is not that revolutionary technology is bad, but that ethics are not a priority when developing new technology such as this one. Moor says that, "We need to learn about the technology as it is developing and to project and assess possible consequences of its various applications." Although this program may be successful in helping law enforcement catch criminals, it also opens up a whole new realm of consequences that may have not been anticipated.
Within the next fifteen years, Clearview AI’s technology is going to reach the Power Stage of technological revolutions. This app will eventually give strangers the power to know information about you without even knowing your name.
That won't be all. You will be using it too. The Privacy Revolution is coming faster than you can keep up. Get ready.
That won't be all. You will be using it too. The Privacy Revolution is coming faster than you can keep up. Get ready.
I feel like my brain has been tainted by the Internet because I can't look at the phrase "we live in a society" without thinking of Joker memes. But that's okay, because its one of the many things that make this an engaging read. Your narrative voice gives it a suspenseful and urgent tone. Your use of Moor's article seems to have improved from the first draft as well. You explore more of his ideas, such as the three stages and you provide a great segue between the class content and your subject. The font size is a bit small and it causes some eye strain to read. Other than that I think this is a very well written article.
ReplyDeleteYour discussion of the Clearview AI was intriguing. Comparing this version of your blog to the original its clear that you made a lot of good improvements. I like that you added in the quote about the stages of technological revolutions from Moor, as it added a lot to your blog. By including Moor earlier on in your discussion this also helped to tie his ideas into your writing. Furthermore, by breaking up the rather large paragraphs from your original blog into smaller sections in this version you managed to improve the readability significantly. I also prefer the images you chose for this final version of your blog as they seem like they are more relevant to your discussion of Clearview. Great job overall!
ReplyDeleteHi Samarth, your post was very intriguing and terrifying. I think that you did a great job improving this post. You referenced the Moor article early on, and you continued to relate the ethical dilemma of Clearview AI with Moor's concepts throughout the blog post. You also did an excellent job building suspense through the post.
ReplyDeleteHi.
ReplyDeleteYou're post is much improved from the previous version. Incorporating the list breakdown of the technology stage described by Moor was a great addition, breaking up the content and making it more readable. Breaking up the longer paragraphs into shorter chunks was a good move also. Good job overall!