Facebook Trains Its AI on Your Data. Opting Out May Be Futile
A Glimpse into the Past: Life Log and the Vision of Complete Digital Memories by Tommy Truthful 9-8-2023.
Back in 2003, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) embarked on a groundbreaking endeavor called the LifeLog initiative. Its mission? To craft a perpetual, searchable, digital diary of an individual’s entire existence. This might sound eerily familiar, like an early prototype of modern smartphones or social media platforms, and you wouldn’t be wrong.
But despite its forward-thinking concept, LifeLog was short-lived. Just a year into its existence, an amalgamation of media criticism and concerns from privacy advocates led to its abrupt termination.
Ironically, the essence of LifeLog’s objective began materializing in the subsequent decade. Devices and platforms started to emerge, accumulating data and blurring the lines between personal privacy and public space. From Apple’s iPhone to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, we were witnessing the commercial realization of DARPA’s vision.
Old Ideas, Modern Realities
The roots of LifeLog trace back to 1945 when government scientist, Vannevar Bush, shared an idea he called “Memex.” Bush envisioned a device that could store an individual’s entire collection of communications, records, and books, making them easily accessible. Fast forward several decades, and we see the seeds of this concept in Microsoft’s MyLifeBits, where for 17 years, Gordon Bell documented practically every detail of his life.
But why the eagerness to log our lives?
It wasn’t purely about personal nostalgia. DARPA viewed this extensive personal data as a treasure trove for developing advanced artificial intelligence. Imagine an AI assistant understanding human decisions based on a comprehensive history of human behaviors.
Yet, as LifeLog was making headway, its potential ramifications for privacy were causing alarm. Critics saw it as a tool that could become a massive surveillance apparatus, overshadowing its initial intent of being a personal, customizable record of one’s life.
Today’s Reality: Voluntary Surveillance?
While LifeLog was disbanded, its spirit lives on, particularly in the vast digital realms of Facebook and other social platforms. Most of us willingly share details of our lives, practically inviting corporations to become silent observers.
But here’s the kicker: As META, the entity behind Facebook, evolves its AI technology, they now offer a semblance of control back to the users. You can now request to view (and potentially delete) the third-party data they use for AI training. It’s a step, albeit a small one, toward regaining data sovereignty.
However, don’t celebrate just yet. This control is limited, and the term “request” is quite telling. The tech giant doesn’t guarantee that it will relinquish the data or even share what they have on you.
In Conclusion
The balance between technological advancement and personal privacy has always been a delicate one. As we witness the reincarnation of ideas like LifeLog in our daily digital interactions, it’s crucial to remain vigilant about where our data goes and how it’s being used. After all, in this age of digital revelations, perhaps the most significant knowledge is knowing where your data resides.
