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Protect Tomorrow
How high is your digital life score?
What if governments would use your private data
In human culture it is not unusual to put people into imaginary ranks, be it because of the way they dress, their education, their career, or kindness. Depending on one's social background the criteria for rating people can be extremely individual. Just like one person can have more best friends and another only one. Does it mean that one person is more popular and therefore has more friends? Maybe. But it could also mean, that one person can have a very different system to subconsciously rate individuals around them.
Nowadays we do not just get scored by humans around us, but also by computers. Social media, online shops, or search engines are collecting our data everyday creating an online persona of us, to show us personalized content or ads. This data can also be bought by organizations or governments, which may help you get a better credit score or maybe even deny you access to certain public places.
Digital Persona
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57468d1075c91f9fdc7853b0d06ba8d7"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R32qWdOWrTo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> If you open up a new bank account or need a loan, the bank will check your credit score to make sure you are trustworthy and can pay the loan back. Also, each time you rate a restaurant on yelp, visit a place with your location turned on, buy something online, like a video on YouTube or comment on a friend's post on social media your data is being collected and an online persona of you is being automatically created and put in relation with people behaving similar to you online. </p><p>Usually, your online persona is being used to personalize your digital experience. This data about you can be bought so that organizations and governments could create a scoring system. Let's say you play online poker from time to time: Algorithms could then detect the start of a possible gambling addiction, hence lowering your credit score. One of the most prominent social credit scoring systems is issued by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhima_Credit" target="_blank">Zhima Credit</a> in China, which is sometimes translated to Sesame Credit.</p>The Zhima Credit
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4Njk2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDI0MDU0Nn0.ht7bRc5DoHyYmOf2SMTFV7HWKd10yZn6ZPCwfJA--4w/img.jpg?width=980" id="397d1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3b32bcaa49e88ca6f27d4b8273f5db1d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Zhima Credit is a subsidiary of the Chinese online retailer Alibaba. Users can voluntarily choose being scored by the system <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/world/asia/2018/04/no-china-isn-t-black-mirror-social-credit-scores-are-more-complex-and-sinister" target="_blank">based on credit history and behavior</a>. Li Yinguin, Zhima's technology director, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34592186" target="_blank">explained how the system works</a>: "Someone who plays video games for 10 hours a day, for example, would be considered an idle person, and someone who frequently buys diapers would be considered as probably a parent, who on balance is more likely to have a sense of responsibility."</p><p>If participating in this social scoring system is voluntarily, why do people do it? In China a huge number of citizens does not own a traditional credit history. The Zhima system allows them to be measured and gives banks the opportunity to score their credit risk. If your score is high enough you may even book hotel rooms or rent a car without having to pay a deposit. The Zhima Credit can be understood as a bonus program, where you gain benefits, if you behave a certain way. </p>Good Versus Bad
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4Njk0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NjcxODQ4N30.CarQcdrRwrx3bWrEV3M8WUyP5whKKGjaGIhahFOv8K0/img.jpg?width=980" id="3b825" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f5be9de24bedafe9c1f1994241f7fffc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>What is considered good by one person may not be for the other based on subjective, social or cultural aspects. Let's just take a look about sleeping patterns in different cultures: In Germany sleeping in too long at the weekends is usually considered lazy, because you are not seizing the day. Especially when the sun is shining you should wake up early and go on a hiking trip. For Egyptians on the other hand it is not frowned upon sleeping till noon on the weekends, as a long working week and stressful commute can drain a lot of your energy. Also, as it can get very hot in the summer time, the seizing the day part may come a bit later than in a Central European country which eventually leads to people staying up late and needing to compensate on sleep over the weekend. </p><p>"Given the variation in each country's context, a global system may not be feasible. It will fall on each country, at least in the near term, to make their own decision. For individuals, it is important to make informed decisions on your own data: who can store and use them, who can share them, who they are shared with, and what are the impacts on you. It is also important to get prepared and consider whether and how to participate in a social score system should it be implemented in your country," says <a href="https://www.insead.edu/faculty-research/faculty/chengyi-lin" target="_blank">Prof. Chengyi Lin</a>, Affiliate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD and a leading expert on digital transformation.</p>Can A Social Scoring System Be Trusted?
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4Njk1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODc2NTU2NH0.gH10HGAK1hqzFF5G7Rjnaroa3XW0QXpG8hRgEPFOIP4/img.jpg?width=980" id="b32d3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1e18c6dba75f1215fa4c72651e51d64f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p> A digital scoring system would be developed by humans adopting artificial intelligence and machine learning. In order for the algorithms to know what is right and wrong they would need to feed it with our data and different behavior has to be connected with a positive, negative or neutral score. But how reliable can such a system really be today? </p><p>First of all, the algorithm would be programmed by people so there is always the possibility of human error and the subjective definition of right and wrong. Second, the system would probably be regimented by the government. In Germany, for example, they have their issues with suppressive systems burned into their cultural minds with the last one just ending 30 years ago. This does not mean that Germans do not trust their government –in the face of the Corona pandemic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/world/europe/germany-coronavirus-death-rate.html" target="_blank">Germans nowadays trust their government more than ever</a> – but rather being aware of the democratic need to split power and interest in order to protect freedom and privacy. </p><p>Just imagine if such a scoring system would have been implemented a few decades ago. Would we still have the same rights we have now? How could such a system affect individuality and how much of our freedom and privacy would we lose? Such a scoring system would need to have access to the most private aspects of our lives. We cannot just shut the door and make it wait outside.</p>Dangers of Discrimination in An Automated Scoring System
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI4Njk2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMjU3NjY5MH0.17AJzRWfxB4cnQ6RT86U_2_XyXJhmYpx-ArL2lQpwHk/img.jpg?width=980" id="973ab" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dc37ba97a4a6938b556b4942c60db6b1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>In order for a scoring system to work it has to access our everyday life, to understand our sleep patterns, how often we go to the gym, take a walk, or what we eat. Let's say you have a sweet tooth and buy and eat sweets on a regular basis. Even though you may be healthy the system could negatively score you on it: your health insurance could cost more, because the system puts you in a risk group for diabetes, and you may have to pay more for dental treatments, even though you take good care of your teeth. A system will score you via numbers: If statistics say you are more likely to be a criminal because you grew up in a certain area with a lot of gang violence or are more likely to succeed when your parents have well-paying careers, will this have any consequences on which colleges or scholarships you can apply to? </p><p>Transparency in how a system like this works is very important. Only then, can we be sure its purpose is really to make our lives safer and more convenient. Also, how do we make sure people not in the system can still participate in everyday life. A recent headline in China was about a <a href="https://www.abacusnews.com/tech/murderer-run-china-turns-himself-because-he-doesnt-have-health-code/article/3082905" target="_blank">man who had to turn himself in after 16 years on the run for murder</a>, as he didn't have a smartphone and therefore no health code, which Chinese authorities use to fight the spread of the corona virus, and thus could not access public transport or even find a place to live. I am sure we can all agree that one less criminal on the street is very positive, but what about elderly who do not use smartphones, like your grandparents? Would they be excluded from society, because they are not part of a digital scoring system?</p><p>In order for a digital scoring system to work there are a lot of issues which still need to be discussed, tested or understood, like transparency, privacy, and discrimination issues. And we still have a long way to go, before an AI can grant someone the opportunity to get an apartment or take the bus.</p>
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Remember when you were a kid, running around with your friends, imagining having superpowers and fighting the bad guys? Eventually you outgrew it and are now having a regular human job, but a lot of scientists are driven by their imaginations and are working on technologies to augment ourselves into superhumans.
Human augmentation can aid produce better prosthetics or reduce genetic disorders, and could create a better life for a lot of people – but it also raises the question of where to draw the line: Where does a human stop being human and start becoming a machine?
<p><br/></p>
Creating Joy
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cad22aeb8c6d5fdbc333783646ec3988"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HKXnkeCVSiw?start=27&list=PLCIzhnLJonIa__uxPttEvWHqVYCVhJc79&rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> We humans have been augmenting our bodies for thousands of years. And we have come a long way from wooden legs to <a href="https://www.hortonsoandp.com/microprocessor-controlled-prosthetic-work/" target="_blank">microprocessor prosthetics</a>. It is not just about giving people the opportunity to be independent, after losing an arm or a leg – it is giving back the quality of life everybody deserves. In the future robotic limbs could be integrated into the human body, boosting our biological capabilities. Similar to an upgrade: Human 2.0.</p>Technology Has its Price
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM1OTgxMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzI3OTc2NH0.3aUj5SKwsK6NUXQ2_cID4qnf5PxMEtYus-ig-cIUGQ4/img.jpg?width=980" id="1ec45" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d28ea286b13a3caaaa321c7e4e6ec2e0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p> State-of-the-art technology and design have their price. You get what you can pay for. If you cannot afford it you are not getting it. Nowadays it may be that you cannot afford to get a modern and perfectly fitted microprocessor prosthetics. In the future it may lead to parallel universes in one world. An example of this dystopian view is the Netflix series <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Carbon_(TV_series)" target="_blank">Altered Carbon</a>: The wealthiest people can afford to choose every type of body they want or what kind of augmentation they want to integrate in those bodies, while the rest of humanity has to take what is given to them – like the 8 year old girl which was "resleeved" into the body of a middle aged woman.</p>When Does Humanity Stop?
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzM1OTgxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5ODg5NDc0N30.jL_nkrVVDI4OcdmvqJ1aqCFgWKUQJRoYdalQtbAao4U/img.jpg?width=980" id="f76b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="55b29aaf3dc91f555ae1965446bbce1c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Humanity may had millions of years to evolve, but can we still stay human, if we are filled with technology? Imagine if you could preserve yourself, the way you think, the way you talk, what you like or dislike and be able to live forever in different synthetic bodies. Would it still be you, or just a copy of who you used to be– an artificial intelligence which got fed with the data of you and how you process information? If someone has his genetics transformed so that they could process information faster and remember things better than anyone around him, are they still the same person they were before? Will genetically engineered people be a normality, and regular born humans discriminated, like in the movie <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca" target="_blank">Gattaca</a>? </p><p>For now, we cannot say if our future will be more a utopia or dystopia. For all we know scientists are creating technology to improve our lives day by day, which makes me optimistic about how our society will be tomorrow.</p>
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With lockdown policies in place in most countries due to the Corona pandemic our impact on the environment becomes more apparent each day. With people isolating at home, not travelling, and planes staying on the ground nature seems to recover from pollution: clear canals in Venice, reduced air pollution in China and major cities all over the world, and a fallen global carbon emission. Still, climate change has not stopped, with a record heatwave in Antarctica, which has impacts on all of our planet's climate, and countries like Germany, which are usually blessed with a lot of rain, facing droughts. Realizing how our own actions can positively or negatively affect our environment is a wakeup call for everyone, as we cannot deny the positive impacts of the lockdown on our environment. So, as the official motto of Earth Day 2020 is climate action, we want to discover what technologies may help us in stopping climate change and creating a better future.
Saving Earth with Blockchain
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="59c9590c7f2dbfd83ea82b8a07f9e24b"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKZJD1Zz4kU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> An important aspect of saving our future is to rebuild what we have already lost. <a href="https://www.regen.network/" target="_blank">Regan Network</a> is a blockchain technology, which tracks, verifies and rewards ecological system improvement. Roland Harwood, founder of the <a href="https://www.weareliminal.co/" target="_blank">Liminal Collective Intelligence Community</a>, is very excited about this project: "They [Regan Network] gather data with satellites, sensors and observation, and upload it to a data marketplace. Governments, institutions and businesses can pay for accurate ecological data, and the results they want, from farmers anywhere in the world. It makes it possible [for governments and organizations] to financially reward ecological progress, like improved soil, cleaner rivers and replanted forest."</p>Clean Energy
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="817e226812bf60b01daf42ffd9dec570"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfz52w7znEw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> Sun, water, wind or even biowaste: Earth has a lot of natural resources we could harvest for energy without them running out or polluting nature like fossil fuels do. Green energy is one of the most efficient actions for cities and whole countries towards becoming carbon neutral and thus should be a priority moving forward, says Andrew Winton, Vice President of Marketing at Kaspersky. "The possibilities around <a href="https://www.tomorrowunlocked.com/kinetic-energy-future-power-source" target="_self">kinetic energy</a> are almost limitless, beyond the hybrid cars we're most familiar with. Devices can <a href="https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/fitness/power-music-player-with-running-shoes.htm" target="_blank">charge your phone by the movement of your running shoes</a> as you jog. <a href="http://www.kps.energy/" target="_blank">Kites can use more powerful wind speeds high in the sky to produce more energy</a> than ground-based wind turbines."</p>We Create Change
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="73e2696dc10a2abad43a159da3cdb187"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7KXGZAEWzn0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p> A lot of us preach change, but sometimes we tend to forget that change starts within us. If we want to save the world, and stop climate change, we are the ones who have to take action. "The best way to protect the earth isn't technology. It's us. If we change the way we think and act, we will change the future. We're only just getting started. Technology is more of an amplifier of thoughts and actions," says Irina Bock, eCommerce Director at Kaspersky. To want to change we have to understand the value of earth. Tomorrow Unlocked author Marco Preuss is certain, that sending people in power to space to have a look at Earth, could help in driving green policies: "I had the chance to talk to astronauts, and they all agreed, once you see Earth from space, you realize how wonderful and fragile it is, and you think differently. You value it more."</p>From Your Site Articles
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