Big tech companies like Google owning data and having no rivals or regulations to check them
Tech Monopolies (27)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. In this clip, Meredith must seek help from the leader of a developing country without the Feed network, because the Feed has become hacked and is bringing down infrastructure with it.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Technological Superhighways and Monopolistic Control
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. In this clip, Meredith must seek help from the leader of a developing country without the Feed network, because the Feed has become hacked and is bringing down infrastructure with it.
Discussion Prompts:
How integrated should our advanced technology be into our daily lives and basic amenities? Does it pose risks if the tech is hacked? What risks exist with technology monopolization, besides economic inequality? Should nearly all service be reliant on a small number of platforms with highly centralized control? Is the developing country of COM better off now because it never had the technology to begin with, and is therefore uncorrupted now?
Movie Title:
The Feed: Asylum-
- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Lawrence, the CEO of the tech monopoly which created the Feed, explains to his son Tom that the newest model of the Feed is a quasi-organic implant which automatically appears in the makeup of an infant’s brain; they are born with it, having no say in whether or not it should be there and being unable to remove it. Lawrence and Tom then debate the pros and cons of this approach.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Genetic Implants and Choice
In an imagined future of London, citizens all across the globe are connected to the Feed, a device and network accessed constantly through a brain-computer interface. Lawrence, the CEO of the tech monopoly which created the Feed, explains to his son Tom that the newest model of the Feed is a quasi-organic implant which automatically appears in the makeup of an infant’s brain; they are born with it, having no say in whether or not it should be there and being unable to remove it. Lawrence and Tom then debate the pros and cons of this approach.
Discussion Prompts:
Which side presented here do you tend to agree with more? Does Lawrence have a point in stating that the opportunity for anyone to innately have this implant might solve problems such as inequity and chaos? Does Tom have a point in stating that agency and autonomy of all people are at risk in this new imagination of society? Does one of these viewpoints outweigh the other? Should tech monopolies be able to determine what “societal progress” means, even if they have the means to achieve their specific vision? Can tech monopolies alone be trusted to make progress in trying to make the world a more equitable place?
Movie Title:
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- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Chris is a ride-share driver who has taken passenger Jaden hostage, with the conditions of release being that he is connected with Billy Bauer, the CEO of social media company Smithereen, for a conversation. While the London police attempt to deal with the situation through negotiation, the management team at Smithereen uses several data mining techniques, including analysis of Chris’s various social media pages and audio data streaming from his device, to provide the police with a valuable and complete profile on Chris.
- Kinolab
- 2019
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- 8 min
- Kinolab
- 2019
Social Media Data and Cooperation with Law Enforcement
Chris is a ride-share driver who has taken passenger Jaden hostage, with the conditions of release being that he is connected with Billy Bauer, the CEO of social media company Smithereen, for a conversation. While the London police attempt to deal with the situation through negotiation, the management team at Smithereen uses several data mining techniques, including analysis of Chris’s various social media pages and audio data streaming from his device, to provide the police with a valuable and complete profile on Chris.
Discussion Prompts:
Are things said on social media fair game for law enforcement to use against a person? Does this include data that a user might not even know a company has gathered on them? How might “abstractions” of a user formed by a social media company be misused to make a bad judgement about a person? Should social media information and profiles of users made by companies be used in attempts to stop crime or criminals before any wrongdoings are committed? What are the dangers of big data companies having a close relationship with law enforcement?
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2014
Nathan, the creator of the advanced humanoid robot Ava, explains to his employee Caleb that big data collected through smartphone cameras and microphones aided his attempts to make Ava’s features more human.
- Kinolab
- 2014
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- 2 min
- Kinolab
- 2014
Big Data and its Reflection of Humanity
Nathan, the creator of the advanced humanoid robot Ava, explains to his employee Caleb that big data collected through smartphone cameras and microphones aided his attempts to make Ava’s features more human.
Discussion Prompts:
How can our digital consumer and search data be mined by tech companies for research? Does such a wide data net capture everything necessary about humanity? How does Google search mirror the human seeking of knowledge in digital form?
Movie Title:
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- 20 min
- Cory Doctorow
- 2014
Short Story outlining the breakdown of economic systems and the invasion of privacy when a private company becomes an arm of the state.
- Cory Doctorow
- 2014
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- 20 min
- Cory Doctorow
- 2014
Scroogled
Short Story outlining the breakdown of economic systems and the invasion of privacy when a private company becomes an arm of the state.
Discussion Prompts:
How realistic does this story seem to you? Who gains the most power from digital information? What incentives do corporations have to protect user privacy? What incentives do users have to protect their own privacy?
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- 5 min
- BBC News
- 2019
A Google affiliated urban development project in Toronto has raised concerns about the data privacy of its citizens. Specifically, the collection of large amounts of data within this “smart city” and the potential private direction of public services like transportation cause citizen pushback.
- BBC News
- 2019
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- 5 min
- BBC News
- 2019
The Google city that has angered Toronto
A Google affiliated urban development project in Toronto has raised concerns about the data privacy of its citizens. Specifically, the collection of large amounts of data within this “smart city” and the potential private direction of public services like transportation cause citizen pushback.
Discussion Prompts:
Can data be used as any sort of definitive solution to urban planning? What voices or considerations seem to be left out of the smart city vision? To whom do cities belong, and to whom should they belong?