D4TC: Cybernetics

"The Internet Means the Death of Privacy" - Charlie Stross

Reading this quote, I immediately agreed with it, but then looking at technology as a whole i've decided that the internet will not lead to the death of privacy... data will. Knowledge is a privilege. After reading 'How Low Power Can Go' by Stross and the New Yorker Article, "The Planning Machine" by Morozov, it's obvious that the more we know the more we feel the need to monitor and surveil.

During Allende's rule in Chile during the 1970's , they attempted to use Cybernetics to help ease the country into socialism. A real-time happiness tracker was in the works to see how well these 'management cybernetics' were being implemented and experienced by the people. This idea of cybernetics was huge because scholars discovered that the social, natural, and mechanical systems exhibited similar patterns of self-regulation. If we use these computer systems to monitor the patterns of a businesses then we are leading a path to using algorithmic regulations. Would these regulations be better than the human made regulations? How? Why?

Such regulations can be seen in the price changes during inclement weather for Uber, fluctuation of flight, bus, and train tickets. All of these regulations are made through big data collection. The placement of tiny sensors everywhere to collect a larger amount of data. Luckily, these days, when it comes to surveillance, we can see these sensors but down the road these sensors will be invisible. Leading to the death of privacy.

Stross points out some solid/positive outcomes from Moore's Law and Koomey's Law. With the improvement of battery (nanotech) life, energy efficiency and integrated circuits, we can do a more accurate job of monitoring microscopic and macroscopic organisms that live all around us. We are surrounded by bad air quality and pollutants, the sooner we detect such pollutants the sooner we can address it. Another one of Stross's positive outlooks is the idea of having a self-monitored streets. Imagine a world with no street signs, or lanes. Due to the big data collected on traffic control/ patterns, and with wearable tech, bikers can be notified of pedestrian free areas while self driving cars can change their route patterns because the street signaled it to. WIIILLDDD THOUGHTS!!!!