BIG ASS DATA
Or –
Facebook probably knows EXACTLY how big my ass is.
So, this is just a “let me think this through” kind of Journal entry. Because sometimes you’re not quite sure WHAT you think, but writing it out helps…
I saw a couple of little arcs of paranoia over the recent “10 year challenge” (where you’re asked to post your current profile pic next to your profile pic from 10 years ago) – which frankly seemed absolutely idiotic to me. The idea that WTOP’s security consultant actually voiced some level of concern over this – far from making me take the “threat” seriously, really undermined my faith in his other advice.
Roughly speaking, the idea is that Facebook and the various nefarious (that should be a band name) corporations that suckle at their data teat would find this to be a goldmine for their facial recognition technology – if they can see how you’ve aged in the past 10 years, it helps gain datapoints that help their AIs understand visual aging, perhaps helping it understand how you WILL age, etc. Which, sure – that IS totally valuable information, but even though Facebook has doubled AND grown an order of magnitude since 2008, they’ve already got 10 years of aggregate data on close to 100 million users, uploading BILLIONS of pictures – the idea that the drop in the ocean that is this one more pic is absurd… especially since that’s just a repeat of two previously posted pictures.
Now – after the WTOP security person said “well, I’m not going to do it, and this is why” he followed up with the idea that it really doesn’t matter, and he’s not about to make a big deal out of it – it was a personal choice, not really a reason for concern – but it DID get me thinking.
I mean, I already think about big data. A LOT. I assuage myself by thinking of what #fascistrob would do with all that data – creative evils (maybe goods) based on what social media “knows” about me…. And the fact that a lot of that isn’t being done… yet.
- Based on that 10 year pic thing alone, I’m surprised I’m not seeing hair colour ads
- Though it knows to try to sell me coffee, musical instruments, video games and action figures, it generally only knows to try to sell me the very specific things I’ve just been browsing (cookie-based, probably not machine-learning based) – if my credit card was talking to Facebook, was talking to Amazon, was talking to whatever else – it’d know that I bought the baritone guitar I’d been looking at and would be trying to sell me baritone strings, or it would know when my last oil change was and be trying to sell me that – I’d expect it to piece together what kind of car I’m rolling with and to get specific to that (or, since it’s a twenty year-old Saturn) NEW cars.
- Health insurance is one of the things that really scares me. I think there are rules that keep FB from advertising alcohol to me even though my data would suggest I go to a LOT of bars – but what would a health insurer make of that information? Or about where and what I eat? (let’s add in my Safeway, CVS and Walgreens club cards)… Or how much time I spend sedentary? it surely can clue into how much (or really how little) I sleep – and that’s got health implications… how much coffee do I consume?
- At the moment car insurers allow you to opt-in driver data, but betwixt knowing how many phones are moving at what speed, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to figure out who texts while driving, or even takes photographs or checks their Facebook page while moving at 70mph without any other phone-owning humans in the car…
- Through format and size and metadata, Facebook knows exactly what kind of camera and phone I use – accessories to this, upgrades to that?
- It knows who my friends and wife are, no recommendations of the “perfect gift for Kristen Jones, Amy Law, Heather Lloyd, Rowan Corbett” based on their histories – etc…
- Based on like audiences, even though I don’t think I broadcast (on social media) a lot of my specific political leanings, I’m sure Monolithic Big Data can take a pretty good guess.
- Extra points for various nefarious hackers who would go beyond trying to figure me out to either sell or NOT sell something to me : neighbourhood graph of income levels, recent purchases and usual times of habitation / sleep patterns. Who gets dog food (has a scary dog) vs cat food (cats don’t care about breakins). Who is a member of the NRA and might have a hand gun? (we might not trust the federal government with the information of what weapons we’re buying, but I bet the information’s available in some way unless you’re really good at being a black hole)… the world could be your oyster if you were REALLY an evil genius – level this up if you want to apply it to employees of corporations, federal workers (underpaid and underappreciated, and recently completely UNpaid and unappreciated) that you want to take advantage of, blackmail, bribe, abuse or rob…
In any case, there’s lots of ways that big data can be used in much more aggressive fashion. Big data drill downs are fascinating things to read about, and are probably the murky petri dishes from which REAL AI will eventually evolve – and when the Singularity comes, it’ll know EXACTLY what to do with us because it’ll know everything ABOUT us…
But – all of the above – I’VE opted IN to all of the above, right? What about all the people I photograph – specifically in regards to my open mic. We have a whole new generation, many of which are NOT on Facebook, we have people who are pretty privacy conscious who are concerned about where things get posted – is it time for me to create my own infrastructure, controlled by me, that doesn’t have any of these concerns? My own tiny piece of the big data pie being that I’m definitely incentivized to take photographs, tag them and maintain them – as that definitely increases clicks to rob’s open mics – and the more clicks and shares the page gets, the further my reach, the more attractive my brand is to performers looking for where to make their mark, etc.
Like I said, I haven’t reached a decision on anything yet – but maybe, just maybe, it’s time to make a small move for the good of my community. Hrm.
Theoretical way of dealing with Open Mic galleries in the future…. http://www.ilyaimy.com/wordpress/2019/01/21/january-21st-2019-at-teavolve-w-chuck-the-madd-ox/
