Issues related to the ownership of personal data (including online posts, images, videos, audio)
Control of Personal Data/Identity (12)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 7 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
In this film, actress Robin Wright plays a fictionalized version of herself as an actress whose popularity is declining. Her agent Al exposes her to deep fake technology which creates a virtual version of an actor to play a role in any number of scenarios or films. These “actors” are 3D holographs with AI that have been trained to replicate the real person which they imitate. However, Robin is disconcerted with the lack of agency that she would have in deciding how her image and identity appeared in these movies.
- Kinolab
- 2013
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- 7 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
Digital Performers and the Gift of Choice
In this film, actress Robin Wright plays a fictionalized version of herself as an actress whose popularity is declining. Her agent Al exposes her to deep fake technology which creates a virtual version of an actor to play a role in any number of scenarios or films. These “actors” are 3D holographs with AI that have been trained to replicate the real person which they imitate. However, Robin is disconcerted with the lack of agency that she would have in deciding how her image and identity appeared in these movies.
Discussion Prompts:
What sorts of problems are implicated with the ability to manipulate another person’s body and likeness in a piece of media without their consent? Does technology like this actually have the potential to free actors from some of the constraints of the film industry, as Al says? How would acting be valued as an art, and actors paid accordingly and properly, if this technology became the norm?
The Congress: The Gift of Choice-
- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
In the world of this film, Robin Wright plays a fictional version of herself who has allowed herself to be digitized by the film company Miramount Studios in order to be entered into many films without having to actually act in them, becoming digitally immortal in a sense. Once she enters a hallucinogenic mixed reality known as Abrahama City, she agrees to renew the contract with Miramount studios under the panic of her declining mental health and sense of autonomy. This renewed contract will not only allow movies starring her digital likeness to be made, but will also allow people to appear as her.
- Kinolab
- 2013
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
Dangers of Digital Commodification
In the world of this film, Robin Wright plays a fictional version of herself who has allowed herself to be digitized by the film company Miramount Studios in order to be entered into many films without having to actually act in them, becoming digitally immortal in a sense. Once she enters a hallucinogenic mixed reality known as Abrahama City, she agrees to renew the contract with Miramount studios under the panic of her declining mental health and sense of autonomy. This renewed contract will not only allow movies starring her digital likeness to be made, but will also allow people to appear as her.
Discussion Prompts:
When mixed realities make any sort of appearance possible, how do people keep agency over their own likenesses and identities? How can engineers ensure that common human fears, including the fear of aging, do not drive innovations that will ultimately do more harm than good? Should anyone be allowed to give consent for their likeness to be used in any way the new owner sees fit, given how easily people can be coerced, manipulated, or gaslit? How could economic imbalances be further entrenched or established if certain people are allowed to sell their identities or likenesses?
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- 10 min
- Kinolab
- 1998
Truman, the result of an unwanted pregnancy, was the first baby to be legally adopted by a corporation. From this adoption, he grew up on the set of a reality TV show in a massive sound stage, completely unaware that he was constantly being filmed and watched by viewers all across the world. As an adult, he begins to suspect that something about his reality is very wrong, and confronts his wife about this perception. Sylvia, a love interest of Truman, affirms her stance that documenting Truman without his consent is an unethical form of entertainment since he has no agency. Ultimately, he is able to reclaim this agency by leaving the show’s set and joining the real world.
- Kinolab
- 1998
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- 10 min
- Kinolab
- 1998
Celebrity Culture, Streaming Life, and Reality Television
Truman, the result of an unwanted pregnancy, was the first baby to be legally adopted by a corporation. From this adoption, he grew up on the set of a reality TV show in a massive sound stage, completely unaware that he was constantly being filmed and watched by viewers all across the world. As an adult, he begins to suspect that something about his reality is very wrong, and confronts his wife about this perception. Sylvia, a love interest of Truman, affirms her stance that documenting Truman without his consent is an unethical form of entertainment since he has no agency. Ultimately, he is able to reclaim this agency by leaving the show’s set and joining the real world.
Discussion Prompts:
How is Truman’s situation somewhat mirrored in today’s digital society? How have digital technologies, particularly video streaming, perpetuated a culture of filming and sharing everyday activities? Has society passed a point where it is possible for a person to give consent before they are surveilled or filmed for entertainment purposes? How does data streaming, specifically in areas such as reality TV or influencer cultures, change the perception of reality?
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 1995
In this world, a human consciousness (“ghost”) can inhabit an artificial body (“shell”), thus at once becoming edited humans in a somewhat robotic body. Major, a security officer, sees how a garbage man is sad to know that his ghost has been hacked and filled with false memories of a family, and dives to set up her own reflections with self-identity developed later in the film, especially as she starts to believe that she may be entirely a cyborg with no knowledge of such an existence. Essentially, because the human body has become so thoroughly and regularly augmented with cybernetic parts and even computer brains, defining a real “human” becomes harder and harder.
- Kinolab
- 1995
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 1995
Identity Through Memory and Data
In this world, a human consciousness (“ghost”) can inhabit an artificial body (“shell”), thus at once becoming edited humans in a somewhat robotic body. Major, a security officer, sees how a garbage man is sad to know that his ghost has been hacked and filled with false memories of a family, and dives to set up her own reflections with self-identity developed later in the film, especially as she starts to believe that she may be entirely a cyborg with no knowledge of such an existence. Essentially, because the human body has become so thoroughly and regularly augmented with cybernetic parts and even computer brains, defining a real “human” becomes harder and harder.
Discussion Prompts:
If robots develop to the point where they can question their own existence as human, does the line between robot and human truly matter? For what reason? Is questioning human existence a fundamentally human trait? Can fake memories contribute to an identity as much as real ones? Is this a dangerous concept, or might it have positive utility? Do you agree with the assessment that “all data is just fantasy,” or an inaccurate abstraction of real life? What kinds of data, then, make up the human identity?
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2020
As means of preserving deceased loved ones digitally become more and more likely, it is critical to consider the implications of technologies which aim to replicate and capture the personality and traits of those who have passed. Not only might this change the natural process of grieving and healing, it may also have alarming consequences for the agency of the dead. For the corresponding Black Mirror episode discussed in the article, see the narratives “Martha and Ash Parts I and II.”
- Wired
- 2020
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2020
The Ethics of Rebooting the Dead
As means of preserving deceased loved ones digitally become more and more likely, it is critical to consider the implications of technologies which aim to replicate and capture the personality and traits of those who have passed. Not only might this change the natural process of grieving and healing, it may also have alarming consequences for the agency of the dead. For the corresponding Black Mirror episode discussed in the article, see the narratives “Martha and Ash Parts I and II.”
Discussion Prompts:
Should anyone be allowed to use digital resurrection technologies if they feel it may better help them cope? With all the data points that exist for internet users in this day and age, is it easier to create versions of deceased people which are uncannily similar to their real identities? What would be missing from this abstraction? How is a person’s identity kept uniform or recognizable if they are digitally resurrected?
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- 35 min
- Wired
- 2021
In this podcast, interviewees share several narratives which discuss how certain technologies, especially digital photo albums, social media sites, and dating apps, can change the nature of relationships and memories. Once algorithms for certain sites have an idea of what a certain user may want to see, it can be hard for the user to change that idea, as the Pinterest wedding example demonstrates. When it comes to photos, emotional reactions can be hard or nearly impossible for a machine to predict. While dating apps do not necessarily make a profit by mining data, the Match monopoly of creating different types of dating niches through a variety of apps is cause for some concern.
- Wired
- 2021
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- 35 min
- Wired
- 2021
How Tech Transformed How We Hook Up—and Break Up
In this podcast, interviewees share several narratives which discuss how certain technologies, especially digital photo albums, social media sites, and dating apps, can change the nature of relationships and memories. Once algorithms for certain sites have an idea of what a certain user may want to see, it can be hard for the user to change that idea, as the Pinterest wedding example demonstrates. When it comes to photos, emotional reactions can be hard or nearly impossible for a machine to predict. While dating apps do not necessarily make a profit by mining data, the Match monopoly of creating different types of dating niches through a variety of apps is cause for some concern.
Discussion Prompts:
How should algorithms determine what photos a specific user may want to see or be reminded of? Should machines be trusted with this task at all? Should users be able to take a more active role in curating their content in certain albums or sites, and would most users even want to do this? Does the existence of dating apps drastically change the nature of dating? How could creating a new application which introduces a new dating “niche” ultimately serve a tech monopoly?
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