Big Data, Big Issues

We also play important clips from the hearing in their full context, compressing the key moments of the 6 hour hearing into about 45 minutes.

There is a corresponding YouTube video with slides, if you would like more detail.

Big data technologies have the power to facilitate widespread surveillance across entire populations. Detailed personal information is collected, stored, and analyzed by corporations in an effort to create profitable products and expand corporate power. The government can also use these tools for intelligence gathering efforts - either to catch criminals or to gain insight into the activity of rivals internationally.FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) was introduced after the Supreme Court ruled that congress could create a different set of legal standards when spying on foreign targets, as opposed to US citizens. Although domestic law enforcement agencies are required to establish probable cause and apply for warrants when investigating crimes, the authorities established in FISA give the US intelligence community a different set of standards when opening investigations.US citizens today worry that the authorities established under FISA are too broad, and that its court system, intelligence officials, and agents are not subject to proper scrutiny. Officials in the intelligence community argue that secrecy is critical to the effectiveness of the programs, and that internal regulations are followed and respected throughout the process. They also point out that these systems are used only on foreign targets of value - not against US citizens.By leveraging big data technologies, FISA could - and may well be - used to establish widespread surveillance efforts. However, the public is largely left with more questions than answers about the scale, scope, and intention of intelligence efforts in the United States.  

How has the concentration of power changed in the last 20 years? Zuboff argues that surveillance capitalism has given rise to a new form of power called 'instrumentarianism.' This power and its related ideology is driven by the idea that, because humans are irrational and make many bad decisions, powerful organizations are ethically obligated to apply behavioral control techniques which encourage collective well-being. By predicting bad behavior and stopping it, or by encouraging good behavior, big data technologies could transform the world as we know it. This comes at the price of individual agency and privacy. Zuboff outlines this worldview and offers a scathing criticism.

Welcome to the fifth episode of Big Data, Big Issues. Today we will be talking about the Russian Internet Research Agency(IRA). The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований, also known as Glavset and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino) is a Russian company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It is linked to Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and based in Saint Petersburg. The January 2017 report issued by the United States Intelligence Community – Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections – described the Agency as a troll farm writing: "The likely financier of the so-called Internet Research Agency of professional trolls located in Saint Petersburg is a close Putin ally with ties to Russian intelligence," noted that "they previously were devoted to supporting Russian actions in Ukraine—[and] started to advocate for President-elect Trump as early as December 2015." The agency has employed fake accounts registered on major social networking sites, discussion boards, online newspaper sites, and video hosting services to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic and foreign policy including Ukraine and the Middle East as well as attempting to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. More than 1,000 employees reportedly worked in a single building of the agency in 2015. The extent to which a Russian agency has tried to influence public opinion using social media became better known after a June 2014 BuzzFeed article greatly expanded on government documents published by hackers earlier that year. The Internet Research Agency gained more attention by June 2015, when one of its offices was reported as having data from fake accounts used for biased Internet trolling. Subsequently, there were news reports of individuals receiving monetary compensation for performing these tasks. On 16 February 2018, a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and 3 Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency, on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere "with U.S. elections and political processes", according to the Justice Department. Here is the content I am talking about in this video:► 0:26 - The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research agency ► 1:34 - The Data Set of the Russian Internet Research AgencyThere's over 10.4 million tweets, 1100 youtube videos, 116k Instagram posts and 61500 Facebook posts related to the US Elections ► 2:11 - Internet Research Agency (IRA) Background and OperationsThe company was founded in mid-2013. In 2013, Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported that Internet Research Agency Ltd's office was in Olgino, a historic district of Saint Petersburg. It had about 1000 employees, ukrainians, russians and americans with a budget of $25 million.The terms "Trolls from Olgino" and "Olgino's trolls" (Russian: "Тролли из Ольгино", "Ольгинские тролли") have become general terms denoting trolls who spread pro-Russian propaganda, not only necessarily those based at the office in Olgino.In 2016 the IRA conducted a set of attacks to disrupt the election process in the USA using cyberattacks on DNC, attempts to hack several online voting systems and conducted a massive social media influence operation. ► 5:20 - Goals of the Internet Research Agency (IRA) in 2016The goals of the Internet Research Agency (IRA) in 2016 were to create political division targetting both left and right parties. Means to achieve that are explained in the video. ► 12:28 - Ongoing EffortsAfter the 2016 elections scandal, everyone targetted by the IRA are making efforts to stop this kind of activities from happening again in the future. The social media companies voluntarily took down accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA), researchers discovered more information while reviewing the data sets. The truth is that it is hard to know what is going on currently ► 15:36 - Combating CybercrimeThe intellinge community and the tech companies are working together to build up a defense system to combat cybercrime To learn more visit our website:► https://bigdatabigissues.com/ Follow Sheldon Kreger on LinkedIn:► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-kreger-16054430/"The Tactics and Tropes of the Internet Research Agency"http://www.reneediresta.com/ira-report-4e8d0ff684.pdf 

By collecting and analyzing personal data, corporations are able to make predictions about how a person is likely to behave in the future. They use this data to create seemingly harmless targeted ads - but what else can they do with it?Zuboff argues that this capability actually reflects the birth of a new form of power called "instrumentarianism." Corporations are unbounded in their desire for profits, so too are they unbounded in their conquest for behavioral data. This is imporant to them because it allows them to create better personal models, and predict your behavior with a higher level of certainty. Using these behavioral futures, they can not only nudge you to buy certain products, but they can also make inferences on your private life - details like your political beliefs, your intelligence, and even if your parents were divorced in your childhood. Advanced data science combined with cutting-edge psychology has created a marketplace of personal profiling unlike anything we have ever seen.Furthermore,  these corporations have a unique level of influence in politics. They can affect the outcomes of elections, invest in lobbying, or even encourage specific people to go vote.All of this paints a picture of unprecedented powers, which only through Zuboff's insight do we see from a clear perspective.To learn more visit our website:  ► https://bigdatabigissues.com/Follow Sheldon Kreger on LinkedIn:► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-kreger-16054430/

"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power" is a 2019 masterpiece. It has had a tremendous influence on my beliefs regarding big data technologies.  You can find it on Audible, from your local library, or book store. In this book, Zuboff details the rise of a new form of power which will forever change our lives. By collecting behavioral data from their users, corporations have amassed an incomprehensibly large and detailed picture of our personal lives. They use this data to expand their corporate power and profitability. This, of course, has tremendous consequences for our privacy, but also for our political system.

Welcome to the third episode of Big Data, Big Issues. Today we will continue talking about the Washington Privacy Act (WPA) [hypothetical] 2020. We will be discussing the shortcomings and solutions. This is a follow-up episode of Episode 2, where I discussed the Washington Privacy Act (WPA). You can find episode two of Big Data, Big Issues at this link:► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K-xxZ2dcPU The Washington Privacy Act (WPA) is a large privacy bill in Washington state that had been expected to pass this session has failed to do so.   The Washington Privacy Act (WPA) would have been the second of its kind in the nation, a regulatory framework designed to tackle big tech and consumer issues like facial recognition software and consumer data.     A fraught legislative process saw it heralded as a bill made in the image of other major privacy bills — the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation or the California Consumer Privacy Act — while its detractors consistently argued it lacked proper consumer protections and was too influenced by lobbying efforts from tech companies. Even as Washington failed to pass the WPA, it seems clear that comprehensive privacy legislation is on the rise. Texas, Massachusetts, New York and other states have seen bills introduced this year that would seek to accomplish similar ends.   The context of this video:► Exponential growth in data collection and usage of big data technologies► Growing Consumker awareness► Approved legislation in EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and california Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Here is the content I am talking about in this video:  ► 3:49 - Behavioral Data and Consumer ProfilingProfiling is the recording and classification of behaviors (Electronic Privacy Information Center)Profiles are often created from multiple data sets and apply to targeted advertising, political profiling, informed decision making(like a loan approval) and automated decision making. ► 7:56 - Legal Liability (The problem)The Legal Liability really falls to the Data controller. Basically, the Controllers must ensure data modification/deletion requests from consumers are carried out by all of their processors, as well as any data brokers they have sold to. ► 9:05 - Legal Liability (The solution)Data processors should have some responsability when working for foreign controllers. Interstate commerce is regulated by US Federal Government. ► 11:08 - Corporate Facial Recognition Software ProblemIn the bill it is stated that the Controllers must gain consent from consumers prior to deploying facial recognition services in physical premises open to the public. The placement of conspicuous notice in physical premises that clearly conveys that facial recognition services are being used constitute a consumer's consent. ► 17:55 - Corporate Facial Recognition Software SolutionIn my opinion the consumer consent ought to be substantiated; a full ban should be enforced in public spaces, as data could be incidentally collected without oversight. Facial recognition should be expanded to biometric recognition that would allow voice analysis to be processed. ► 20:46 - Personal Profiling and Automated DecisionsCorporations and government agencies make automated decisions based on analysis of behavioral data, like targeted advertising, political profiling, informed decision making(like a loan approval) and automated decision making. We'll discuss posible solutions ► 24:17 - Law Enforcement and Facial recognition Technologies: Legislation, Shortcomings and solution ► 34:13 - Political Profiling: Issues and Solutions ► 42:22 - Does privacy regulation restrain innovation? To learn more visit our website:  ► https://bigdatabigissues.com/ Follow Sheldon Kreger on LinkedIn:► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-kreger-16054430/ 

Welcome to the second episode of Big Data, Big Issues. Today we will be talking about the Washington Privacy Act (WPA) [hypothetical] 2020. We will be discussing on what the Washington Privacy Act really is and what it means to the residents of Washington State and the companies that are doing business here. The Washington Privacy Act (WPA) is a large privacy bill in Washington state that had been expected to pass this session has failed to do so.   The Washington Privacy Act (WPA) would have been the second of its kind in the nation, a regulatory framework designed to tackle big tech and consumer issues like facial recognition software and consumer data.     A fraught legislative process saw it heralded as a bill made in the image of other major privacy bills — the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation or the California Consumer Privacy Act — while its detractors consistently argued it lacked proper consumer protections and was too influenced by lobbying efforts from tech companies. Even as Washington failed to pass the WPA, it seems clear that comprehensive privacy legislation is on the rise. Texas, Massachusetts, New York and other states have seen bills introduced this year that would seek to accomplish similar ends.   Here is the content I am talking about in this video:  ► 0:45 - Where Does Data Come From? The context of this video:► Exponential growth in data collection and usage of big data technologies► Growing Consumker awareness► Approved legislation in EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and california Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ► 2:12 - Behavioral Data and Consumer ProfilingProfiling is the recording and classification of behaviors (Electronic Privacy Information Center)Profiles are often created from multiple data sets and apply to targeted advertising, political profiling, informed decision making(like a loan approval) and automated decision making. ► 4:55 - Primary Goals of Washington Privacy Act (WPA)The bill would have been the second of its kind in the nation, but the gap between the version supported by the tech industry, and the more stringent version favored by privacy groups, proved too big to close. The latest draft of the WPA is 21 pages and the bill would give consumers the ability to view, edit and delete data collected by corporations and would define a clear chain of responsability for who is liable for ensuring these requests are completed. It would also restrict the usage of facial recognition technology in the public space and create exceptions for researchers ► 6:20 - Data controller and processorsWhat is a controller and processor of private data? ► 9:18 - Legal LiabilityWe are looking into potential solutions, like restricting technological development, ensuring that there does not exist a large population of actors representing a wide and recognizably human distribution of motives; establishing extremely effective preventative policing and estrablishing effective global governance. ► 9:35 - Facial recognition Software ► 11:49 - Law Enforcement and Facial Recognition Technologies ► 13:55 - A short preview on Shortcoming, which we will discuss in the next episode, which you can find on my Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snrW_sP8WeY To learn more visit our website:  ► https://bigdatabigissues.com/ Follow Sheldon Kreger on LinkedIn:► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-kreger-16054430/ 

Welcome to the first episode of Big Data, Big Issues. Today we will be talking about Existential Risks Surveillance and Big Data, taking a look at a series of sensitive topics, and I will provide my thoughts on each and every one of them. Here is the content I am talking about in this video:  ► 1:38 - An overview of the topics ► 3:00 - The Vulnerable World HypothesisNick Bostrom has put up a new working paper to his personal site (for the first time in two years?), called The Vulnerable World Hypothesis. Scientific and technological progress might change people's capabilities or incentives in ways that would destabilize civilization. For example, advances in DIY biohacking tools might make it easy for anybody with basic training in biology to kill millions; novel military technologies could trigger arms races in which whoever strikes first has a decisive advantage; or some economically advantageous process may be invented that produces disastrous negative global externalities that are hard to regulate. This paper introduces the concept of a vulnerable world: roughly, one in which there is some level of technological development at which civilization almost certainly gets devastated by default, i.e. unless it has exited the ‘semi‐anarchic default condition’. Several counterfactual historical and speculative future vulnerabilities are analyzed and arranged into a typology. A general ability to stabilize a vulnerable world would require greatly amplified capacities for preventive policing and global governance. The vulnerable world hypothesis thus offers a new perspective from which to evaluate the risk‐benefit balance of developments towards ubiquitous surveillance or a unipolar world order. ► 7:00 - Rapidly Emerging Gray OrbsWe are talking about Future Weapons and Emerging Threats, based on papers by by Wittes and Blum. From drone warfare in the Middle East to digital spying by the National Security Agency, the U.S. government has harnessed the power of cutting-edge technology to awesome effect. But what happens when ordinary people have the same tools at their fingertips? Advances in cybertechnology, biotechnology, and robotics mean that more people than ever before have access to potentially dangerous technologies-from drones to computer networks and biological agents-which could be used to attack states and private citizens alike. ► 12:26 - Surveillance CapitalismWe are talking about Surveillance Capitalism and Instrumentalism. The challenges to humanity posed by the digital future, the first detailed examination of the unprecedented form of power called "surveillance capitalism," and the quest by powerful corporations to predict and control our behavior. ► 28:48 - Achieving StabilizationWe are looking into potential solutions, like restricting technological development, ensuring that there does not exist a large population of actors representing a wide and recognizably human distribution of motives; establishing extremely effective preventative policing and estrablishing effective global governance. ► 34:16 - Legal Standards, or The State of Exception To learn more visit our website:  ► https://bigdatabigissues.com/ Follow Sheldon Kreger on LinkedIn:► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-kreger-16054430/