Disruptive Technology and Opting Out of Privacy
How much privacy are you prepared to surrender?
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ There are a host of new technologies that are on the cusp of breaking out. These include the Internet of Things, genomics and autonomous vehicles. There are also existing technologies, that might originally have been considered ’new’ a decade ago, but that are experiencing step-changes thanks to the combination of increased miniaturization, the cloud and access to faster processing power. These latter technologies include the smartphone (+5G), energy storage, big data analytics and, of course, artificial intelligence. At the periphery and/or on the horizon there are plenty of other technologies, not least of which is quantum computing.
Privacy is under attack and it’s hard to control the inexorable onslaught, whether it’s through the cover of fine print legalese, disingenuous opt-out clauses, inexplicable algorithmic machinations or uninhibited third-party vendors.
+ …if the government is unable to stay up to par, the oversight and ethical backbone will fall to the major corporations that are responsible for and benefitting from the new sources of data and the removal of privacy barriers. But can we rely on corporate governance, especially of publicly traded companies constantly under pressure for greater short-term profits? If history is any indicator, the answer is less than promising.
Source: M. Minter Dial, How much privacy are you prepared to surrender?
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