Data in the pandemic: The Hero or the Villain?
This unfurling crisis in humanity's history looks akin to any scene from a dystopian movie. The streets are empty, the supermarket shelves are ransacked, and your isolated outdoor walks are spent anxiously feeling an unseeable enemy might attack. While life has imitated art, modern storytelling got one thing wrong: It isn’t the machines that have risen to power, it is Mother Nature. Ironically, as the world watches governments scramble to varying degrees to slow the rate of infections, technology and data have seemingly donned their cape and tights to help prevent and report on this virus. However, as we enter another Houseparty or Zoom into another meeting, are we inadvertently fast-tracking a Big Brother-esque sequel we didn't green-light?
Over the past decade, big tech companies have spent plenty of time defending their data collection policies. Their rhetoric seemed manipulative and their solutions seemed morally ambiguous, however today's pandemic has allowed a retelling of their arguments. From defensive to offensive, companies are now actively promoting how they are using our data to help. Consider Google, the all-knowing giant. Early in this pandemic, they announced that those who had opted into location sharing were providing accurate information about the effectiveness of self-isolation. A downloadable PDF that aggregated data from 131 countries indicated which businesses and public spaces were dangerously still being frequented in large numbers.
The government can and assumedly did access this open-source of information, which influenced decision making (which businesses and public areas should close for the safety of their citizens.) Further, it also would have shown that earlier preventative measures were not strict or swift enough. And yes, while this still sounds a bit icky, remember we are talking about saving thousands of lives.
Similar to Google, Facebook has been reskinning its 2017 "Data for Good" platform features for those fighting the pandemic. Using multiple data points, Facebook is sharing users' movements and prompting them to anonymously participate in a survey by Carnegie Mellon University to self-report virus symptoms. This will help researchers understand where outbreaks are happening and where the disease is retreating. Carnegie Melon University and Facebook have explicitly stated that information gleaned from the survey will not be provided to Facebook in any way. What's most interesting is their "social connectedness index," which shows how likely two people are to become Facebook friends based on their location. This data is measuring the strength of social ties in a community and can predict areas that may be hit harder by the virus because community members value relationship building rituals.
China, the origin of this outbreak, provides a more vivid and localized example of data use by a government. While China has a complicated tech industry run by their communist government (see An intro to China’s social media,) their ability to access personal data in more aggressive ways is actively slowing population movement and has created a triage-like system for exposure. Users of the government-run Alipay app are assigned a color of red, yellow, or green, depending on their interaction with other users. Red results in two-weeks of self-isolation, yellow is one-week isolation, and green means you can move freely as you are at a no to low risk of exposure or transmission. Anytime you enter public spaces, you are required to present your color to officials.
South Korea, a recipient of universal praise for their handling of the outbreak, also used government apps to help manage the outbreak. They created an entirely new app where those affected by the virus can keep in direct contact with their caseworker and continually report their progress. This, coupled with personal data, is establishing who and how COVID-19 is affecting people based on multiple factors like age, gender, and location.
Our shared data has allowed our smartphones to become a caped crusader, springing into action and providing incredibly useful information that is undoubtedly saving lives. It's the hero, and we are its sidekick – willingly or otherwise. And that's where the tension arises: We don't get to feel like the hero because we don't get to feel any control over our pocket-sized vigilante. Big tech is driving the Batmobile in this crisis while we are watching it drive off without us. Aren't we always told we're the hero? So, does that mean big tech is using its powers for good only to convert us to the dark-side once this is all over?
This tension isn't new, something exemplified by the fiery debate that Facebook was ruthlessly burned in during one of the biggest scandals of modern history – Cambridge Analytica. That defining moment brought privacy and data collection to the front pages of every media outlet and pulled the mask off of Silicon Valley and its tech entourage – they were public enemy number one. As the debate raged on, one thing became apparent; slowly, but surely, our data was being used in unclear terms.
Fast-forward to 2020, and a new way of life has been thrust upon us. The western world is now facing an accelerated reliance on technology, with everyday people being compelled to use unique apps and programs for schooling, work, and socializing. As a result, many have had to sign up for things they aren't quite sure what they are signing up for; Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout, and Zoom require a new account for anyone wishing to use their products, which comes with a long list of terms and conditions. Presented as unsexy, uninviting jargon that hasn't changed its presentation in decades, we are backed into a corner. Begrudgingly, we click agree to access our education, income, or relationships.
The Coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated the data we’re giving up when we click accept and it’s the first time we are palpably seeing how it can be used for collective good. However, while acknowledging the good, big tech needs to do some acknowledging itself. We are being rapidly forced much sooner into a digital dependent life and with this greater power, comes greater responsibility. These tech brands will need to respond with strategies that show how customers can be in control once this is over: We want our Batmobile back. Let us willingly share this information in exchange for revaluating it's worth as something to use for good, not just sales and services. If we know we can enlist our zeros and ones to save a life, we would arguably be more open to sharing them.
There's a saying in Silicon Valley that "if the product is free, you are the product." Tech companies have already shown that they are the villains of the past, happy to confuse us and then abuse our digital footprint. This is their chance to prove they've changed. This is their redemption arc. Once the battle is over, and the greater evil is defeated, only then can we see if this was a sincere attempt at switching sides. This is the endgame.
Author: Ryan Graf
Resources:
https://www.google.com/covid19/#page-top
https://www.ft.com/content/7cfad020-78c4-11ea-9840-1b8019d9a987