There are nexus points in history when the emergence of a new technology or method, coupled with supporting elements, changes everything we know about life and living. We are currently experiencing an issue with Internet data collection, which encompasses nearly all online activities. If, as Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge itself is power”, the current state of data collection has given its possessors (not all possessors are owners, e.g., hackers: private, or government) considerable power over the information in the data set. For individuals, the loss of personal freedom can be significant due to the data’s potential for exploitation in numerous nefarious ways, depending on the goals of the data possessor.
While you can reasonably protect yourself from private parties and criminals, when it comes to the government, the level of protection depends on how badly they want the information. If you become a central focus, it is almost impossible to protect your online information, no matter where it resides, from compromise. It is all about ROI (return on investment). That means if they want it bad enough to invest in the really big guns, you are an open book for everything you have done online. The interesting thing about AI is that the most advanced systems are becoming significantly less expensive to use, especially as operations become increasingly automated. The technology curve is bringing evolution to all your data, being fully real-time and fully accessible, closer every day. Examining the lessons of history, it is not a matter of if it will be abused, but when.
The only true limitation to what lies ahead is the power demands that these data tools place on the infrastructure. As access to cheaper power grows, as our power technology advances, the expansion of who is included also grows. Scenarios like the Matrix, the Terminator universe, and what we face in the future are completely power-dependent.
Something to put into your decision set as you plan for you life in the future.
