Big Brother is Alive and Well

“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it”. ~ 1984 by George Orwell

As a child growing up in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s I witnessed first-hand the birth of the internet and it felt like a sci-fi novel come true. Most people born in the Internet age don’t appreciate what it means to send a message from a laptop in West Palm Beach Florida to someone over 3,000 miles away in Sacramento California. With the click of a few keys and the press of a button and whoosh, your innermost thoughts are broadcast into a sea of thirsty minds and hungry hearts. It was this mechanism that had given the free thinkers hope. Finally, we were able to connect, share information, and build a community that could not be policed or disrupted due to the nature of the early internet. It was a mesh network of individuals, as soon as one computer or website went down, ten more popped up in its place.

It was what some called the collective consciousness, a web of thoughts and ideas that allowed both bad and good thoughts to meet the eyes of millions. It was a place where the free exchange of idea’s meant only the best ideas could flourish and the terrible ones went off to die in the eternal ethers of the boundless internet. This kind of reach was what made the internet so wonderful, so powerful, and yet, so dangerous. 

Then came the money.

As the internet grew in popularity, progressive companies like Jeff Besos’s Amazon began to recognize the virtually infinite money that could be made from the internet with very little work required. Although not yet disruptive, the initial tech boom on the internet would forever carve out the inner workings of today’s omnipresent surveillance system.

Once Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Twitter and others began to reap the benefits, it was soon found out that the internet had more than just money to offer. No, the internet was becoming the prevailing force of the world. The very thing that not only tied us together but also the thing that kept our daily lives running smoothly. Rapidly, the internet morphed from a fun hobby to a thing of necessity. So much so that your life cannot exist as you know it without the internet and the many side effects that come with it. 

Want to pay a bill? You need the internet for that. Want to get a job? You need the internet for that, no one takes walk-in applications, no one wants a handwritten resume. Want to keep up in the marketplace of careers? You need the internet for that. Want to drive your new Tesla, or turn on the tv? You guessed it; you need the internet for those things too. Lost your job and want to apply for unemployment or send a message to a loved one? You need the internet. The internet has now become almost something like an extension of the self in that regard. Not having the internet in modern society is almost akin to cutting a piece of yourself off and feeding it to the wolves, without it, you are nothing (at least in mainstream society). 

That notion wasn’t just an unfortunate truth however, the powerful companies also quickly realized that the internet was what kept people alive, it was what kept goods moving, what got food to your grocery store or even to your front door. The internet was the thing keeping hospitals running, police systems working, and most insidious of all, the internet was the thing that could influence the thoughts of entire generations without them even realizing it. 

Big Brother, Big Tech

Whether you’ve read 1984 or not, you likely already know the quality of Big Brother in the world of 1984. An omnipresent machine, something which records, recognizes, and spits out the will of whoever controls it. In several scenes, the main character, Winston Smith, sits at home before his prescribed job, he sits before a large screen in the middle of his home. This screen spits out the daily propaganda and records his reactions and behavior to said propaganda. Much like George Orwell’s vision of the “screen” so too does the internet of today act similarly. Yet, what most do not realize is the Big Brother of today is more hidden, more secretive, more “in the shadows” about its surveillance operations. 

Your Online Footprint

It first began with your computer browser. As Big Tech grew in power, they also sought ways to record, analyze, and influence your online behavior. The invention of online tracking tools like “cookies” and browser data was silently introduced to watch your behavior online. If you visit a webpage, how often do you visit? What parts of the website do you look at the most? How long do you spend there, do you tell anyone about what you saw there? These kinds of questions are all captured within this online system under the guise of selling you more products. Yet, of course, the government was watching. The opportunity to monitor the most interactive of behaviors was capitalized upon and deals quickly made where companies could track your behavior on the internet, hand it over to the government, all the while facing no oversight, no regulations, and certainly no consent from the public. Because the Google’s and Microsoft’s of the world are private corporations, and because they hold more power than entire nations themselves, this meant you, the internet user had no say in how this data is collected or used.

The Online Privacy Information Center (epic.org) notes “There is a significant disconnect between the type of tracking that companies are engaged in on the web and what people know or think is occurring.” (EPIC). Even beyond your internet behavior, the devices collecting data began to creep ever more into the real-world behavior of the public. 

The American Bar Association says, “a cell phone may send data regarding its location thousands of times a day.” (ABA). Even worse, for those who are privacy-minded, some companies like Google have been caught monitoring your location even if you turn that function off. “Google services on Android devices and iPhones track and store your location data even if you turn location history off in your privacy settings, according to an Associated Press investigation.” (CNET). In essence, any Big Tech company, an app developer, any private company can and will track your every movement and be subject to providing that information to the government in secret without you ever knowing about it. 

Much in the same way Big Brother would monitor behavior and weed out dissidents, secret courts in the United States have been hard at work monitoring the internet behavior of the U.S. citizens and issuing arrest warrants for those it deems “a threat to national security”. Although it sounds like a good idea to track and monitor potential threats, it begs the question, to what extent is someone considered a threat? What if someone publicly opposes a new policy or politician. What if a reporter finds out damaging information about a new candidate or rival? Welcome to the secret world of FISA courts (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court). But, don’t be fooled by the “foreign” part of the name. NPR reports that a FISA court cannot be petitioned to disclose who or why an American citizen is being “wiretapped”. Or in other words, if an agency with an agenda doesn’t like what you’re doing or how you’re talking, they can petition a court to legally set up a wiretap on you, your internet behavior, your speech at home, who you associate with, where you are at certain times of the day and more.

Even in the case of powerful people, like when Trump was running for office in the 2016 presidential elections (regardless of how you feel about him), a secret FISA court granted the FBI access to track, monitor, and record ALL information about Trump, his campaign, and more. “What they found were serious errors with the FBI’s surveillance on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. They documented 17 significant inaccuracies and omissions in the bureau’s applications to wiretap Page.” (NPR). All of this without the monitored parties knowing about it, or being able to petition against it. Even worse, was that the Trump campaign and others like it were monitored because they posed a political threat to the establishment. Now imagine the average joe who posts information about crimes of the currently in charge administration. Imagine a journalist is getting close to spilling the beans about something a powerful person did. A secretive FISA court can and will issue a complete, pervasive, and undetectable wiretap on that individual all because they committed a thought crime. Even more frustrating, the means of that monitoring is not carried out by the government, but rather Big Tech, the modern-day Big Brother.

It’s not just your behavior

Your internet behavior and location are not the only things subject to Big Brother, but so too is your speech. Back in June of 2015, Amazon released a new product, something we’ve all come to know and most of us have in our homes, “Alexa”. Similarly, Google released Google Assistant and many other companies have followed suit. These types of “always-on” devices have fortunately caught a lot of attention with privacy advocates who filed suit with the FTC alleging these devices violate federal wiretapping laws. However, the power of Big Brother has meant that these devices continue to always record all conversations and speech within your home, and those recordings are accessible to the employees of those companies without any need for warrants, because users have accepted the terms of use agreement that accompanies those devices, most likely with out even reading the agreement.

What Big Brother Says Goes

Aside from monitoring your speech/behavior/location, Big Brother has also taken to censoring and even punishing people who do not commit crimes or speak out against the status quo. Perhaps most noteworthy of the bunch is Twitter and Facebook, who over the past four years have continuously sought out and silenced or banned people who speak out against the Main Stream Media, CIA-backed narratives or whatever political candidate those company’s support.

**Side Note – Yes, the U.S government and CIA have admitted to planting CIA operatives within all mainstream media organizations. To learn more about the CIA influencing mass media, simply visit https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c567c020.html.**

In many instances, speech on Twitter is not only banned, but police actively show up to people’s places of work or their homes. In one case a man in England was visited by police at his place of work. The police admitted that no crime was committed, but that the individual’s particular tweet had offended someone and was reported as a “hate incident” (The Guardian). This leaves open the slippery slope of allowing Big Brother to punish those who do not partake in the mainstream narratives. At the same time, companies like Twitter and Facebook claim they have no obligation to protect individuals’ rights to free speech/expression because they are privately held companies. Yet, in a world where your voice is mostly only heard on public utilities like Twitter, it begs the question, do monopolies who hold platforms based on speech have the right to police speech protected under the 1st amendment. For now, their fancy lawyers and those easily offended on the internet cry yes. Even if it means effectively silencing millions of otherwise honest, fair, and decent human beings. 

2+2=5

Yet, Big Brother has not stopped with policing free speech online, Big Tech has even gone so far as to implement “The Ministry of Truth”. Just like in George Orwell’s 1984 novel, modern-day tech companies seem more eager than ever to re-write history and “set the record straight” according to what they want people to think and feel. Take for instance the notion of a “fact check”. In many cases, these “fact checks” are done by individuals with clear biases, with very one-sided narratives, and often blatant disregard for reality, all in the name of preserving Big Brothers Ministry of Truth. 

Even more “unseen” is Big Brother’s use of algorithms to hide and censor certain information they deem damaging to their cause. This is most evident when performing a Google search versus a “Duck Duck Go” search. The two companies use the same initial information to pull up search results. Yet, Google “curates” their search results so that each user is given Big Brother-approved propaganda instead of the cold hard truth. 

Light at the end of the tunnel

All of this may seem like the fight is already lost. Much like the end of 1984 when Winston finally gives in and says 2+2=5, you may feel helpless in the sea of insanity and censorship. Yet, not all is lost. In the fight for freedom, new platforms which evade Big Brother’s grasp are becoming ever more popular and prevalent. Odds are if you enjoy using one of Big Brother’s platforms, there is an alternative that prides itself on free speech and common sense. With all the modern-day similarities to Big Brother, one thing couldn’t be further from the truth. There is still fight left in those who value free thought and who detest thought crimes. The core tenets of the internet mean that free speech and the thought marketplace continue to flourish on alternative platforms with developers working around the clock to protect your privacy, your rights, and the foundation of a free society.

About the Author

Jay LaBonte is the award-winning author of the bestselling book, Your Guiding Genius: Building A World Class Team. Jay holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems and is a Certified Employment Law Specialist. With over thirty years’ experience managing teams of all sizes in various industries, he is no stranger to team leadership and has raised the bar on team building. Mr. LaBonte currently provides IT consulting services through Paradigm Systems, LLC. and is one of the foremost experts on Multivalue database performance tuning and administration. You may contact him by visiting http://www.paradigm-systems.us.

It Is Time for Businesses to Embrace the Virtual Workforce

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, more people are working from home than ever before. Even prior to the pandemic many people were shifting away from traditional office jobs and looking for ways to work remotely instead because of the work-life balance this provides. Considering many businesses are now requiring employees to work from home, why force yourself to look for local employees when there are plenty of qualified, talented contractors that companies can hire outside of their geographic area? 

In today’s environment, it is time for companies to embrace virtual work-forces and this means contractors instead of employees. With the workforce trending toward relying on freelance contractors, some of the key stats to note include: 

• According to a report that was published in 2017, about a quarter of the workforce telecommuters at least a portion of the time
• The vast majority of trained professionals in the United States would like to work from home at least part-time
• Since 2005, the number of regular remote work arrangements has doubled
• Another report that was published in 2020 forecasted that close to 40 percent of the workforce in the United States will be made up of freelance workers in the near future
• The trend of freelance, remote contractors in the workforce is only going to accelerate, with the survey finding that greater than 80 percent of large corporations are planning on increasing their use of flexible workers in the near future

Clearly, your business can benefit from the creativity and innovative qualities of freelance contractors. When it comes to hiring virtual contractors, there are several benefits that all employers should know. 

What Are the Benefits of Hiring Virtual Contractors?

Companies that place remote contractors in a position to be successful will maximize the benefits they provide, which includes:

• Reduce Overhead Expenses: When you hire permanent employees, you sign a contract and are committed to paying them for a certain period of time, barring extreme circumstances. Particularly if you run a small business, this can lead to financial difficulties without a steady cash flow. When you hire remote contractors, you can tailor your contracts to meet the financial circumstances of your business. You can hire them for individual projects, pay them on an hourly basis, and avoid cash-strapping your business with a full salary. 
• Augment the Existing Knowledge Base: Even if you already have a talented team of bright employees, you can still benefit from an outside perspective. If you hire a contractor, they are going to bring a new set of ideas built on completely different experiences than the ones your employees have enjoyed. They can frequently bring innovative ideas to the table that you can use to grow your business. Particularly during this unprecedented time, it is helpful to get a new perspective from virtual contractors that can help your business remain adaptable.
• A Less Stressful Hiring Process: Even though contractors might cost your business more per hour, they require less hassle to hire. When you are looking for local hires, you have to go through a recruiting process, complete multiple rounds of interviews, train your new hires, find space for them, and provide them with the equipment they need. Furthermore, your business is also required to withhold a portion of their paycheck for income tax purposes and you may need to provide them with health insurance. When you decide to hire freelance contractors, this process is compressed. Contractors are used to moving from job to job, so they will adjust more quickly. You don’t need to go through the hassle of an extended recruiting process and you won’t have as many administrative headaches to deal with. It is easier to hire these contractors than traditional employees. 
• More Flexibility: Contractors also provide you with more flexibility than you would otherwise receive with permanent employees. With permanent employees, you need to find office space for them and train them before they become productive. Contractors are far more flexible. Virtual contractors are often more willing to work odd hours for your company, which is helpful when your permanent employees are unable to do so. Furthermore, contractors are paid by the hour or per project, so they are usually more productive than traditional employees as well.
• Delegate Duties That Are Outside of the Scope of the Company: Finally, you can also rely on remote contractors to help you with needs that might be outside the scope of the company. Perhaps you have a project that doesn’t meet the qualifications of anyone in the company. If this is the case, then you should rely on a virtual contractor for help instead of going through the process of hiring a permanent employee. A consulting service can help you find the perfect contractor for your needs.

These are just a few of the biggest benefits of hiring a workforce with contractors. It is critical for companies to do everything they can to make it easy for their contractors to join their teams. That way, they can maximize the benefits of working with contractors.

It Is Time to Embrace the Virtual Workforce

As the business world continues to change, it is important for companies to consider embracing the virtual workforce. Even though this was a trend that was already taking place during the past few years, the pandemic has simply accelerated it. In order for businesses to remain competitive, it is critical to consider building a workforce of virtual contractors instead of employees. That is where we can help you, as a professional consulting service, we can provide you with experienced guidance that will ensure that you find quality, freelance contractors who can meet your needs. As an experienced consulting service with a proven track record, we will place your company and your contractors in a position to be successful. 

If you are looking for ways to build a flexible, autonomous workforce of remote contractors, reach out to us today for professional, reliable, timely consulting assistance. We would be happy to help you!

Keep Your Team Flourishing: Coronavirus and the Remote Workforce

We are in the midst of unprecedented upheaval in the workforce. As the coronavirus makes its way across the globe, companies, schools, and small businesses are making hard decisions about how to protect staff and customers while preserving profitability.

But leaders have a choice, and should make the decision to opt out of the panic narrative. It is possible to achieve a smooth transition to an online workforce while maintaining camaraderie, efficiency, and productivity.

This pandemic is serious, but provides an opportunity for businesses to consider their workforce model and make enduring changes. The current threat to public safety will pass, but it is time to consider the best way for your business to weather any disruptions that may come, such as snowstorms, hurricanes, or other unforeseen events. Take this chance to make long standing improvements for the sake of the bottom line and staff morale.

Will Staff Stay on Task?

The biggest objection to a remote workforce is the worry that staff away from the office are not motivated to work. Some business leaders believe that staff members require direct supervision to push them to achieve their potential. Life in the panopticon of an open concept work-space may sound good to an over tasked manager who can’t keep an eye on everyone at the same time, but it can be difficult for the employee who performs best when alone and unobserved.

When staff are hired for a position, the selected candidate should have all the qualities required to achieve the role. If she or he exhibits performance issues, they should be addressed quickly, and the staff member should be coached in ways that improve performance. Managers of today create tomorrow’s leaders, and sharing tools with staff to achieve greatness is what makes for exceptional workplace communities. Remote teams are fantastic places for both new and seasoned staff members to grow and build these skillsets.

The transition to a remote work force should involve comprehensive training for both staff members and managers. Staff may have never operated without face-to-face interaction with a supervisor, whereas supervisors may not yet know the best management strategies for remote oversight. Building a flourishing and competent team that functions well in a remote capacity is key to profitability and staff morale.

Staff stay on task when working with exceptional leadership. A quality leader will:

• Select competent staff
• Motivate staff to perform
• Provide resources for staff to grow and achieve greatness

This is true regardless of whether the staff are working remotely, in the office, or out in the field.

Establishing Trust

Humans are a tribal species. We need to feel that we are a part of something larger than ourselves. Show your staff their value by communicating how their contributions matter.

Set a vision for your team. This is a broad statement about what you are trying to achieve together. Bring your team together to help create this vision, so that as it is manifested, your staff will continue to buy into this uniting force. This can be accomplished through remote tools such as SharePoint.

If the vision you have created together is strong, staff will want to work hard to achieve it, and will motivate themselves towards intermediate goals as a way to be part of the tribe. Constant supervision dis-empowers employees and creates an us verses them dynamic, which is the opposite of a healthy, united team dynamic. Trusted staff know their work contributes to the larger whole, and managers see projects come together as each staff member completes his or her part.

As a leader, you bring employees to the table, get them to buy into the vision, and release them to tackle daily challenges as they come. In doing so, you create a successful remote work scenario.

Setting Clear Expectations

Communication is the tool leaders have to set staff along the correct path. Confusion around expectations leads to a lack of trust, and performance can flag as a result.

Leaders must make expectations clear up front. This includes communicating expected deadlines, appropriate delegation of tasks, and opening the door to follow up questions. Communicate changes as soon as you are aware of them; your staff will thank you.

Employees need the ability to ask managers questions freely as they go about their work. Making ourselves available in a remote situation means connecting not just through email but via an online messenger such as Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or another platform. Embrace technological solutions where possible.

Connecting all staff together via periodic video conferences allows staff to learn new developments as a group. These meetings are essential for maintaining camaraderie, setting clear expectations, and helping the remote workforce see themselves a part of the larger whole.

Increased Profits?

There are myriad financial benefits to a remote workforce.

Consider the increase in productivity gained when workers are able to set aside office distractions and focus intently on problem solving. Trusted employees may even work during whichever hours they find their best ideas and employers benefit when brainstormers bring these ideas to the team.

Think about the savings gained by moving away from a traditional brick-and-mortar facility– from the need to maintain heat and electricity, to the costs of a physical office space. In a remote work environment, elevator malfunctions and leaky roofs are a thing of the past.

Remote Work is the Future

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the workforce, but remote work can ensure businesses still flourish.

Whatever our feelings about remote work, the spread of this virus has taught us that there are some things we cannot control. Staff members need to work, and we need them to be productive towards a common vision. Remote work is the solution.

Make sure clear expectations are set, communication tools are engaged, and managers and staff are trained on remote workplace protocols. Staff can flourish in a remote environment, knowing they are trusted to perform. Managers can rest easy knowing that performance issues will be addressed as needed, and that profitability will increase as productivity goes up.

Coronavirus is serious. We are witnessing a historic change in our workforce models. Coronavirus is temporary, but it’s a chance to take a look at our practices and think about how to be adaptable to whatever the future brings. Let’s take on this challenge and manage our remote workforce with confidence in our shared vision.

 

Leave Politics at Home

Politics has never been more polarizing than it is today. People often push their agenda without concern for the business environment. It is especially important that contractors or entrepreneurs remember that they cannot afford to offend anyone who could be potential clients. An impassioned political rant on Facebook could be the cause of losing a contract when the heat of politics burns down chances for a good job.

Politics can sabotage a search for entrepreneurial seed money or private contractor gigs. Prospective employers have absolute control in exercising their hiring options. Entrepreneurs and contractors don’t have the protections of union workers and public employees.

Of course, everyone is entitled to private political views. The voting booth is the ultimate expression of free speech and no one else’s business. However, an angry, snarky note on Twitter or just republishing someone else’s political rant makes those views part of the public domain. It also speaks volumes about the judgment and temperament of the person who publishes those views.

We Americans value free speech, but free speech can come with a steep cost. A comedian who held up a fake severed head of a U.S. president endured a stressful, embarrassing interview with the Secret Service, but was not prosecuted. However, public disapproval, canceled engagements, and a lot of bad press damaged that comic’s career.

So, the best advice is this: keep your political views to yourself and miles away from social media.

But there is a more universal and commonsense reason for keeping your political views private: Even if your beliefs are at the core of who you are, express them in mixed company or among strangers and you are guaranteed to get a negative reaction from about half of your listeners. That is because our society is deeply divided. That division isn’t 50-50, it’s more like 35-30-35. The middle 30 are the independents who straddle the fence between the left and the right.

If express an opinion on law enforcement, for example, no matter what your views, you would get something like the following reaction: The left-leaning 35% would point to charges of police brutality and alleged bias against minorities in our legal system. The independents in the middle would urge holding that judgment until all the facts were in. The right would claim that law and order is the most important consideration.

So, if political expression invariably results in negative feedback, why post controversial opinions on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook?

Networking is about finding common ground and displaying your professional qualifications and experience. Prospective employers frequently check applicants’ social media accounts. A job applicant who shares a Facebook photo while attending a political rally, writes politically charged blogs, or retweets rants is likely to have the application deleted or shredded.

The real value of social media is the heft and credibility it adds to your qualifications and experience. Employers who check social media want to see if your résumé matches up with your social profile. They look for quality of expression and communication skills. Your social media presence must display your technical and professional interests and expertise.

Employers are also looking to get a flavor of your personality and judge how well you fit into the organization’s culture. That culture is the system of shared assumptions, beliefs and values. It governs how people behave. Private contractors are expected to fit in and perform their work accordingly.

Employers also look for obvious red flags. Criticize a former client, or post a photo displaying alcohol or drug use, and you have raised two red flags. Also, remember that humor to one person can be deeply offensive to others.

Part of the problem is that social media relies on written expression without the help of other subtle face-to-face cues people rely on to get their meaning across. It can lead to deep misunderstanding, controversy and resentment. We’ve all seen those unproductive and circular “Twitter wars” that do more to add heat than light to any issue.

Your takeaway is this: your social media profile has to be a good match with your application and résumé. Consistency is the key. If you’re a “political animal” and believe it is who you are, you need to understand that expressing those views openly could narrow your pool of job prospects.

On the other hand, you might not want to work for an organization that’s not a good fit for your temperament and deeply held beliefs. If you want to tailor your social media presence one way or the other, it’s best to make sure that your opinions are based on sound reasoning and thoughtful introspection.

George Orwell’s 2018

George Orwell’s 1984 depicted a population controlled by the government with an all-seeing Big Brother keeping tabs on everyone. He was off by 34 years. His book should have been called 2018, and rather than focusing on the Government, he should have focused on big business.

Big Brother is alive and well today, and it’s not just a popular TV show, its big business. Amazon, Google, and Apple are just a few examples. Even Facebook is collecting personal and sometimes intimate details about its customers.

Technology is Helpful Yet Delicate

Granted, all these devices and services are supposed to make it easier for consumers to use technology. But what people forget is that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies allow these companies to collect enormous amounts of information about their customers, that they can then leverage to make more sales, and even socially engineer your thoughts and feelings towards a product or services, or worse still, for a political candidate of their choice.

While everyone is complaining about security in the cities and the government overreaching its citizens, they are ignoring the fact that big businesses are standing on the sidelines collecting all the information they can about you, and can easily manipulate your thoughts and opinions to further their political agenda.

Right to Privacy

With advancements in AI and big data analytics, people should be aware of how much they are freely waving their rights to privacy by installing numerous apps in their mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, smart watches, computers, and now even on their kitchen appliances like refrigerators. Meaning, these devices are constantly listening or maybe even watching you.

How AI Can Socially Engineer Your Thoughts

The surprisingly deep connection between humans and machines means that even today’s relatively simple apps can exert a significant social influence on the population—for good or ill. Now, if big business wants you to buy more products, they simply engage a guided selling approach to increase sales, and if they want more engagement, they create interactive content that makes visitors go from a few seconds to an hour or more every day.

As much as many multinational corporations are striving to build AI systems that focus on positive behavior, unfortunately, the commercial forces driving technology are not often benevolent. These giant businesses at the forefront of AI technology—e-commerce, social media, and search engines—drive their share value by improving traffic, consumption, and addiction to the technology. Their intention is not ill, but the competitive nature of capital markets may push them towards AI hell-bent to influence your behavior towards their goals, even if that goal is political.

Social media is now a powerful tool in changing human beliefs and behavior. When you focus on building a huge advertising business by entangling politics, half-truths, and trivia, you can bring marvelous changes to the society without pestering or persuading anybody.

Was Your Vote Engineered by AI?

Artificial Intelligence has always raised ethical issues since it can be used to influence an individual’s thoughts and decisions. During the US presidential elections in 2016, AI massively came into play as the Cambridge Analytica Data Science Company rolled out an elaborate advertising campaign targeting persuadable voters by taking advantage of their individual psychology.

They used big data and machine learning to send different messages to voters based on the machine’s predictions about voters’ susceptibility to various arguments. So, those susceptible to paranoia received messages propagating fear while individuals with a conservative inclination received messages based on community and tradition. This could only be made possible by the massive footprints and behavioral patterns people leave behind on the internet regarding their relationships and consumption patterns.

Now, what I find interesting is that if the government was to demand installation of AI devices and begin to listen to your phone calls, most people would view it as an invasion of privacy and call for social activism. However, the same people will return to their homes and share the most intimate details of their lives while a tiny, unobtrusive device such as Alexa or Google Home, which sits quietly listening to every word, waiting for someone to speak its name, all without a warrant.

Bottom Line

With AI, Technology companies have quite a bit of information about you. For instance, Google snuck codes into adverts that would install tracking cookies on your devices without your knowledge. They have access to nearly every Wi-Fi password in the world, thanks to Android technology. Additionally, Google and Apple can track your device’s location with GSM-based technologies. Now, the government is rumored to be spying on technology companies to get their share of the information as well. You can imagine the potential treasure the big businesses could reap by just snooping into your Dropbox, Google drive, Gmail, and every other online platform that you subscribe to. So, it’s your responsibility to minimize the information you freely share with big business through your smart devices and mobile apps and shake off the manipulating hand of big brother.

I’m not against the use of products like Amazon’s Echo or Google Home. I think it is a wonderful technology and has the potential to do real good in this world. But people must take responsibility for their actions when using these AI systems. Whatever you search for online, store on the cloud, or ask Alexa about, just remember, your search is not private. There are people behind the tools you are using, and when people are involved, anything can happen.

As C.S. Lewis once said, “Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way.” Today’s technology is clearly the magic used by big business.