Glenn Greenwald Why Privacy Matters

Tags: Government Surveillance, Privacy, Journalism

Background: Glenn Greenwald is an American lawyer and journalist who writes stories on global
surveillance conducted by USA's National Security Act (NSA and U!'s Government "ommunications
#ead$uarters (G"#%& As one o' the 'irst journalists (rivy to NSA whistleblower )dward Snowden*s
archives+ he has a uni$ue window into the inner workings o' the NSA and Britain's G"#%& A vocal
advocate 'or civil liberties in the 'ace o' growing (ost,-.// authoritarianism+ Greenwald was a natural
outlet 'or Snowden+ who*d admired his combative writing style in Salon and elsewhere&
Since his original Guardian e0(os1s o' Snowden*s revelations+ 2ulit3er winner Greenwald continues to
stoke (ublic debate on surveillance and (rivacy both in the media+ on 4he 5nterce(t+ and with his new
book 6No 2lace to #ide7,, and suggests that the there are more shocking revelations to come&
#e was one o' the 'irst re(orters to see 8 and write about 8 the )dward Snowden 'iles+ with their
revelations about the United States' e0tensive surveillance o' (rivate citi3ens& 5n this searing talk+
Greenwald makes the case 'or why you need to care about (rivacy+ even i' you*re 6not doing anything
you need to hide&9
::// 4here is an entire genre o' ;ou4ube videos devoted to an e0(erience which 5 am certain that
everyone in this room has had& 5t entails an individual who+ thinking they're alone+ engages in some
e0(ressive behavior 8 wild singing+ gyrating dancing+ some mild se0ual activity 8 only to discover that+ in
'act+ they are not alone+ that there is a (erson watching and lurking+ the discovery o' which causes them to
immediately cease what they were doing in horror& 4he sense o' shame and humiliation in their 'ace is
(al(able& 5t's the sense o'+ 94his is something 5'm willing to do only i' no one else is watching&9
::<= 4his is the cru0 o' the work on which 5 have been singularly 'ocused 'or the last /> months+ the
$uestion o' why (rivacy matters+ a $uestion that has arisen in the conte0t o' a global debate+ enabled by the
revelations o' )dward Snowden that the United States and its (artners+ unbeknownst to the entire world+ has
converted the 5nternet+ once heralded as an un(recedented tool o' liberation and democrati3ation+into an
un(recedented 3one o' mass+ indiscriminate surveillance&
/:?@ 4here is a very common sentiment that arises in this debate+ even among (eo(le who are
uncom'ortable with mass surveillance+ which says that there is no real harm that comes 'rom this large,scale
invasion because only (eo(le who are engaged in bad acts have a reason to want to hide and to care about
their (rivacy& 4his worldview is im(licitly grounded in the (ro(osition that there are two kinds o' (eo(le in the
world+ good (eo(le and bad (eo(le& Bad (eo(le are those who (lot terrorist attacks or who engage in violent
criminality and there'ore have reasons to want to hide what they're doing+ have reasons to care about their
(rivacy& But by contrast+ good (eo(le are (eo(le who go to work+ come home+ raise their children+ watch
television& 4hey use the 5nternet not to (lot bombing attacks but to read the news or e0change reci(es or to
(lan their kids' Aittle Aeague games+ and those (eo(le are doing nothing wrong and there'ore have nothing
to hide and no reason to 'ear the government monitoring them&
?:?- 4he (eo(le who are actually saying that are engaged in a very e0treme act o' sel',de(recation& Bhat
they're really saying is+ 95 have agreed to make mysel' such a harmless and unthreatening and uninteresting
(erson that 5 actually don't 'ear having the government know what it is that 5'm doing&9 4his mindset has
'ound what 5 think is its (urest e0(ression in a ?::- interview with the longtime ")C o' Google+ )ric Schmidt+
who+ when asked about all the di''erent ways his com(any is causing invasions o' (rivacy 'or hundreds o'
millions o' (eo(le around the world+ said this: #e said+ 95' you're doing something that you don't want other
(eo(le to know+ maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the 'irst (lace&9
=:/D Now+ there's all kinds o' things to say about that mentality+ the 'irst o' which is that the (eo(le who
say that+ who say that (rivacy isn't really im(ortant+ they don't actually believe it+ and the way you know that
they don't actually believe it is that while they say with their words that (rivacy doesn't matter+ with their
actions+ they take all kinds o' ste(s to sa'eguard their (rivacy& 4hey (ut (asswords on their email and their
social media accounts+ they (ut locks on their bedroom and bathroom doors+ all ste(s designed to (revent
other (eo(le 'rom entering what they consider their (rivate realm and knowing what it is that they don't want
other (eo(le to know& 4he very same )ric Schmidt+ the ")C o' Google+ ordered his em(loyees at Google to
cease s(eaking with the online 5nternet maga3ine "N)4 a'ter "N)4 (ublished an article 'ull o' (ersonal+
(rivate in'ormation about )ric Schmidt+ which it obtained e0clusively through Google searches and using
other Google (roducts& 4his same division can be seen with the ")C o' Eacebook+ Fark Guckerberg+ who in
an in'amous interview in ?:/: (ronounced that (rivacy is no longer a 9social norm&9 Aast year+ Fark
Guckerberg and his new wi'e (urchased not only their own house but also all 'our adjacent houses in 2alo
Alto 'or a total o' =: million dollars in order to ensure that they enjoyed a 3one o' (rivacy that (revented other
(eo(le 'rom monitoring what they do in their (ersonal lives&
D:<: Cver the last /> months+ as 5've debated this issue around the world+ every single time somebody
has said to me+ 95 don't really worry about invasions o' (rivacy because 5 don't have anything to hide&9 5
always say the same thing to them& 5 get out a (en+ 5 write down my email address& 5 say+ 9#ere's my email
address& Bhat 5 want you to do when you get home is email me the (asswords to all o' your email
accounts+ not just the nice+ res(ectable work one in your name+ but all o' them+ because 5 want to be able to
just troll through what it is you're doing online+ read what 5 want to read and (ublish whatever 5 'ind
interesting& A'ter all+ i' you're not a bad (erson+ i' you're doing nothing wrong+ you should have nothing to
hide&9
<:?> Not a single (erson has taken me u( on that o''er& 5 check that email account religiously all the
time& 5t's a very desolate (lace& And there's a reason 'or that+ which is that we as human beings+ even those
o' us who in words disclaim the im(ortance o' our own (rivacy+ instinctively understand the (ro'ound
im(ortance o' it& 5t is true that as human beings+ we're social animals+ which means we have a need 'or other
(eo(le to know what we're doing and saying and thinking+ which is why we voluntarily (ublish in'ormation
about ourselves online& But e$ually essential to what it means to be a 'ree and 'ul'illed human being is to
have a (lace that we can go and be 'ree o' the judgmental eyes o' other (eo(le& 4here's a reason why we
seek that out+ and our reason is that all o' us 8 not just terrorists and criminals+ all o' us 8 have things to
hide& 4here are all sorts o' things that we do and think that we're willing to tell our (hysician or our lawyer or
our (sychologist or our s(ouse or our best 'riend that we would be morti'ied 'or the rest o' the world to
learn& Be make judgments every single day about the kinds o' things that we say and think and do that we're
willing to have other (eo(le know+ and the kinds o' things that we say and think and do that we don't want
anyone else to know about& 2eo(le can very easily in words claim that they don't value their (rivacy+ but their
actions negate the authenticity o' that belie'&
H::/ Now+ there's a reason why (rivacy is so craved universally and instinctively& 5t isn't just a re'le0ive
movement like breathing air or drinking water& 4he reason is that when we're in a state where we can be
monitored+ where we can be watched+ our behavior changes dramatically& 4he range o' behavioral o(tions
that we consider when we think we're being watched severely reduce& 4his is just a 'act o' human nature that
has been recogni3ed in social science and in literature and in religion and in virtually every 'ield o'
disci(line& 4here are do3ens o' (sychological studies that (rove that when somebody knows that they might
be watched+ the behavior they engage in is vastly more con'ormist and com(liant& #uman shame is a very
(ower'ul motivator+ as is the desire to avoid it+ and that's the reason why (eo(le+when they're in a state o'
being watched+ make decisions not that are the by(roduct o' their own agency but that are about the
e0(ectations that others have o' them or the mandates o' societal orthodo0y&
@::@ 4his reali3ation was e0(loited most (ower'ully 'or (ragmatic ends by the /@th,century (hiloso(her
Ieremy Bentham+ who set out to resolve an im(ortant (roblem ushered in by the industrial age+ where+ 'or
the 'irst time+ institutions had become so large and centrali3ed that they were no longer able to monitor and
there'ore control each one o' their individual members+ and the solution that he devised was an architectural
design originally intended to be im(lemented in (risons that he called the (ano(ticon+ the (rimary attribute o'
which was the construction o' an enormous tower in the center o' the institution where whoever controlled
the institution could at any moment watch any o' the inmates+ although they couldn't watch all o' them at all
times& And crucial to this design was that the inmates could not actually see into the (ano(ticon+ into the
tower+ and so they never knew i' they were being watched or even when& And what made him so e0cited
about this discovery was that that would mean that the (risoners would have to assume that they were being
watched at any given moment+ which would be the ultimate en'orcer 'or obedience and com(liance& 4he
?:th,century Erench (hiloso(her Fichel Eoucault reali3ed that that model could be used not just 'or (risons
but 'or every institution that seeks to control human behavior: schools+ hos(itals+ 'actories+ work(laces& And
what he said was that this mindset+ this 'ramework discovered by Bentham+ was the key means o' societal
control 'or modern+ Bestern societies+ which no longer need the overt wea(ons o' tyranny 8 (unishing or
im(risoning or killing dissidents+ or legally com(elling loyalty to a (articular (arty 8 because mass
surveillance creates a (rison in the mind that is a much more subtle though much more e''ective means o'
'ostering com(liance with social norms or with social orthodo0y+ much more e''ective than brute 'orce could
ever be&
/:::H 4he most iconic work o' literature about surveillance and (rivacy is the George Crwell novel 9/-@D9+
which we all learn in school+ and there'ore it's almost become a cliche& 5n 'act+ whenever you bring it u( in a
debate about surveillance+ (eo(le instantaneously dismiss it as ina((licable+ and what they say is+9Ch+ well
in '/-@D'+ there were monitors in (eo(le's homes+ they were being watched at every given moment+ and that
has nothing to do with the surveillance state that we 'ace&9 4hat is an actual 'undamental misa((rehension o'
the warnings that Crwell issued in 9/-@D&9 4he warning that he was issuing was about a surveillance
state not that monitored everybody at all times+ but where (eo(le were aware that they could be monitored at
any given moment& #ere is how Crwell's narrator+ Binston Smith+ described the surveillance system that
they 'aced: 94here was+ o' course+ no way o' knowing whether you were being watched at any given
moment&9 #e went on to say+ 9At any rate+ they could (lug in your wire whenever they wanted to& ;ou had to
live+ did live+ 'rom habit that became instinct+ in the assum(tion that every sound you made was overheard
and e0ce(t in darkness every movement scrutini3ed&9
//:/> 4he Abrahamic religions similarly (osit that there's an invisible+ all,knowing authority who+ because
o' its omniscience+ always watches whatever you're doing+ which means you never have a (rivate
moment+ the ultimate en'orcer 'or obedience to its dictates&
//:== Bhat all o' these seemingly dis(arate works recogni3e+ the conclusion that they all reach+ is that a
society in which (eo(le can be monitored at all times is a society that breeds con'ormity and obedience and
submission+ which is why every tyrant+ the most overt to the most subtle+ craves that system& "onversely+
even more im(ortantly+ it is a realm o' (rivacy+ the ability to go somewhere where we can think and reason
and interact and s(eak without the judgmental eyes o' others being cast u(on us+ in which creativity and
e0(loration and dissent e0clusively reside+ and that is the reason why+ when we allow a society to e0ist in
which we're subject to constant monitoring+ we allow the essence o' human 'reedom to be severely cri((led&
/?:?- 4he last (oint 5 want to observe about this mindset+ the idea that only (eo(le who are doing
something wrong have things to hide and there'ore reasons to care about (rivacy+ is that it entrenches two
very destructive messages+ two destructive lessons+ the 'irst o' which is that the only (eo(le who care about
(rivacy+ the only (eo(le who will seek out (rivacy+ are by de'inition bad (eo(le& 4his is a conclusion that we
should have all kinds o' reasons 'or avoiding+ the most im(ortant o' which is that when you say+9somebody
who is doing bad things+9 you (robably mean things like (lotting a terrorist attack or engaging in violent
criminality+ a much narrower conce(tion o' what (eo(le who wield (ower mean when they say+ 9doing bad
things&9 Eor them+ 9doing bad things9 ty(ically means doing something that (oses meaning'ul challenges to
the e0ercise o' our own (ower&
/=:?D 4he other really destructive and+ 5 think+ even more insidious lesson that comes 'rom acce(ting this
mindset is there's an im(licit bargain that (eo(le who acce(t this mindset have acce(ted+ and that bargain is
this: 5' you're willing to render yoursel' su''iciently harmless+ su''iciently unthreatening to those who wield
(olitical (ower+ then and only then can you be 'ree o' the dangers o' surveillance& 5t's only those who are
dissidents+ who challenge (ower+ who have something to worry about& 4here are all kinds o' reasons why we
should want to avoid that lesson as well& ;ou may be a (erson who+ right now+ doesn't want to engage in that
behavior+ but at some (oint in the 'uture you might& )ven i' you're somebody who decides that you never
want to+ the 'act that there are other (eo(le who are willing to and able to resist and be adversarial to those
in (ower 8 dissidents and journalists and activists and a whole range o' others 8 is something that brings
us all collective good that we should want to (reserve& )$ually critical is that the measure o' how 'ree a
society is is not how it treats its good+ obedient+ com(liant citi3ens+ but how it treats its dissidents and those
who resist orthodo0y& But the most im(ortant reason is that a system o' mass surveillance su((resses our
own 'reedom in all sorts o' ways& 5t renders o'',limits all kinds o' behavioral choices without our even knowing
that it's ha((ened& 4he renowned socialist activist Josa Au0emburg once said+ 9#e who does not move does
not notice his chains&9 Be can try and render the chains o' mass surveillance invisible or undetectable+ but
the constraints that it im(oses on us do not become any less (otent&
Bruno Giussani: Glenn, thank you. The case is rather convincing, I have to say, but I want to bring you
back to the last 1 months an! to "!war! Snow!en #or a #ew $uestions, i# you !on%t min!. The #irst one is
&ersonal to you. 'e have all rea! about the arrest o# your &artner, (avi! )iran!a in *on!on, an! other
!i##iculties, but I assume that in terms o# &ersonal engagement an! risk, that the &ressure on you is not that
easy to take on the biggest sovereign organi+ations in the worl!. Tell us a little bit about that.
Glenn Greenwald: ;ou know+ 5 think one o' the things that ha((ens is that (eo(le's courage in this regard
gets contagious+ and so although 5 and the other journalists with whom 5 was working were certainly aware o'
the risk 8 the United States continues to be the most (ower'ul country in the world and doesn't a((reciate it
when you disclose thousands o' their secrets on the 5nternet at will 8 seeing somebody who is a ?-,year,
old ordinary (erson who grew u( in a very ordinary environment e0ercise the degree o' (rinci(led courage
that )dward Snowden risked+ knowing that he was going to go to (rison 'or the rest o' his li'e or that his li'e
would unravel+ ins(ired me and ins(ired other journalists and ins(ired+ 5 think+ (eo(le around the
world+ including 'uture whistleblowers+ to reali3e that they can engage in that kind o' behavior as well&
BG: I%m curious about your relationshi& with "! Snow!en, because you have s&oken with him a lot, an! you
certainly continue !oing so, but in your book, you never call him "!war!, nor "!, you say ,Snow!en., -ow
come.
GG: ;ou know+ 5'm sure that's something 'or a team o' (sychologists to e0amine& 5 don't really know& 4he
reason 5 think that+ one o' the im(ortant objectives that he actually had+ one o' his+ 5 think+ most im(ortant
tactics+ was that he knew that one o' the ways to distract attention 'rom the substance o' the
revelations would be to try and (ersonali3e the 'ocus on him+ and 'or that reason+ he stayed out o' the
media& #e tried not to ever have his (ersonal li'e subject to e0amination+ and so 5 think calling him
Snowden is a way o' just identi'ying him as this im(ortant historical actor rather than trying to (ersonali3e
him in a way that might distract attention 'rom the substance&
)o!erator: So his revelations, your analysis, the work o# other /ournalists, have really !evelo&e! the
!ebate, an! many governments, #or e0am&le, have reacte!, inclu!ing in Bra+il, with &ro/ects an!
&rograms to resha&e a little bit the !esign o# the Internet, etc. There are a lot o# things going on in that
sense. But I%m won!ering, #or you &ersonally, what is the en!game. 1t what &oint will you think, well,
actually, we%ve succee!e! in moving the !ial.
GG: Bell+ 5 mean+ the endgame 'or me as a journalist is very sim(le+ which is to make sure that every single
document that's newsworthy and that ought to be disclosed ends u( being disclosed+ and that secrets that
should never have been ke(t in the 'irst (lace end u( uncovered& 4o me+ that's the essence o' journalism and
that's what 5'm committed to doing& As somebody who 'inds mass surveillance odious 'or all the reasons 5
just talked about and a lot more+ 5 mean+ 5 look at this as work that will never end until governments around
the world are no longer able to subject entire (o(ulations to monitoring and surveillance unless they
convince some court or some entity that the (erson they've targeted has actually done something wrong& 4o
me+ that's the way that (rivacy can be rejuvenated&
BG: So Snow!en is very, as we%ve seen at T"(, is very articulate in &resenting an! &ortraying himsel# as a
!e#en!er o# !emocratic values an! !emocratic &rinci&les. But then, many &eo&le really #in! it !i##icult to
believe that those are his only motivations. They #in! it !i##icult to believe that there was no money
involve!, that he !i!n%t sell some o# those secrets, even to 2hina an! to 3ussia, which are clearly not the
best #rien!s o# the 4nite! States right now. 1n! I%m sure many &eo&le in the room are won!ering the same
$uestion. (o you consi!er it &ossible there is that &art o# Snow!en we%ve not seen yet.
GG: No+ 5 consider that absurd and idiotic& 5' you wanted to+ and 5 know you're just (laying devil's
advocate+ but i' you wanted to sell secrets to another country+ which he could have done and
become e0tremely rich doing so+ the last thing you would do is take those secrets and give them to
journalists and ask journalists to (ublish them+ because it makes those secrets worthless& 2eo(le who want
to enrich themselves do it secretly by selling secrets to the government+ but 5 think there's one im(ortant
(oint worth making+ which is+ that accusation comes 'rom (eo(le in the U&S& government+ 'rom (eo(le in the
media who are loyalists to these various governments+ and 5 think a lot o' times when (eo(le make
accusations like that about other (eo(le 8 9Ch+ he can't really be doing this 'or (rinci(led reasons+ he must
have some corru(t+ ne'arious reason9 8 they're saying a lot more about themselves than they are the target
o' their accusations+ because those (eo(le+ the ones who make that accusation+ they themselves never
act 'or any reason other than corru(t reasons+ so they assume that everybody else is (lagued by the same
disease o' soullessness as they are+ and so that's the assum(tion&
Christopher Soghoian Government Surveillance This is Just the Beginning
Tags: Government Surveillance, Privacy, Technology
Background: "hristo(her Soghoian is a cham(ion o' digital (rivacy rights+ with a (articular 'ocus on the
role that third,(arty service (roviders (lay in enabling governments to monitor its citi3ens& As the
(rinci(al technologist at the American "ivil Aiberties Union (A"AU+ he monitors the intersection o'
'ederal surveillance and citi3en's rights& Be'ore joining the A"AU+ he was the 'irst,ever technologist 'or
the Eederal 4rade "ommision's Kivision o' 2rivacy and 5dentity 2rotection+ where he worked on
investigations o' Eacebook+ 4witter+ FyS(ace and Net'li0& Soghoian is also the creator o' Ko Not 4rack+
an anti,tracking device that all major web browers now use&
::// 4he ?:// Arab S(ring ca(tured the attention o' the world& 5t also ca(tured the attention o'
authoritarian governments in other countries+ who were worried that revolution would s(read& 4o res(ond+
they ram(ed u( surveillance o' activists+ journalists and dissidents who they 'eared would ins(ire
revolution in their own countries& Cne (rominent Bahraini activist+ who was arrested and tortured by his
government+ has said that the interrogators showed him transcri(ts o' his tele(hone calls and te0t messages&
::D/ C' course+ it's no secret that governments are able to interce(t tele(hone calls and te0t
messages& 5t's 'or that reason that many activists s(eci'ically avoid using the tele(hone& 5nstead+ they use
tools like Sky(e+ which they think are immune to interce(tion& 4hey're wrong& 4here have now been over the
last 'ew years an industry o' com(anies who (rovide surveillance technology to governments+ s(eci'ically
technology that allows those governments to hack into the com(uters o' surveillance targets& Jather than
interce(ting the communications as they go over the wire+ instead they now hack into your com(uter+ enable
your webcam+ enable your micro(hone+ and steal documents 'rom your com(uter&
/:/- Bhen the government o' )gy(t 'ell in ?://+ activists raided the o''ice o' the secret (olice+ and among
the many documents they 'ound was this document by the Gamma "or(oration+ by Gamma 5nternational&
Gamma is a German com(any that manu'actures surveillance so'tware and sells it only to governments& 5t's
im(ortant to note that most governments don't really have the in,house ca(abilities to develo( this
so'tware& Smaller ones don't have the resources or the e0(ertise+ and so there's this market o' Bestern
com(anies who are ha((y to su((ly them with the tools and techni$ues 'or a (rice& Gamma is just one o'
these com(anies& 5 should note also that Gamma never actually sold their so'tware to the )gy(tian
government& 4hey'd sent them an invoice 'or a sale+ but the )gy(tians never bought it& 5nstead+ a((arently+
the )gy(tian government used a 'ree demo version o' Gamma's so'tware&
?:/? So this screenshot is 'rom a sales video that Gamma (roduced& Jeally+ they're just em(hasi3ing in a
relatively slick (resentation the 'act that the (olice can sort o' sit in an air,conditioned o''ice and remotely
monitor someone without them having any idea that it's going on& ;ou know+ your webcam light won't turn
on& 4here's nothing to indicate that the micro(hone is enabled&
?:== 4his is the managing director o' Gamma 5nternational& #is name is Fartin Fuench& 4here are many
(hotos o' Fr& Fuench that e0ist& 4his is (erha(s my 'avorite& 5'm just going to 3oom in a little bit onto his
webcam& ;ou can see there's a little sticker that's (laced over his camera& #e knows what kind o'
surveillance is (ossible+ and so clearly he doesn't want it to be used against him& Fuench has said that he
intends 'or his so'tware to be used to ca(ture terrorists and locate (edo(hiles& C' course+ he's also
acknowledged that once the so'tware has been sold to governments+ he has no way o' knowing how it can
be used& Gamma's so'tware has been located on servers in countries around the world+ many with really
atrocious track records and human rights violations& 4hey really are selling their so'tware around the world&
=:?: Gamma is not the only com(any in the business& As 5 said+ it's a L< billion industry& Cne o' the other
big guys in the industry is an 5talian com(any called #acking 4eam& Now+ #acking 4eam has what is
(robably the slickest (resentation& 4he video they've (roduced is very se0y+ and so 5'm going to (lay you a
cli( just so you can get a 'eel both 'or the ca(abilities o' the so'tware but also how it's marketed to their
government clients&
D:=- "hristo(her Soghoian: So+ it would be 'unny i' it wasn't true+ but+ in 'act+ #acking 4eam's so'tware is
being sold to governments around the world& Aast year we learned+ 'or e0am(le+ that it's been used to target
Foroccan journalists by the Foroccan government& Fany+ many countries it's been 'ound in& So+ #acking
4eam has also been actively courting the U&S& law en'orcement market& 5n the last year or so+ the
com(any has o(ened a sales o''ice in Faryland& 4he com(any has also hired a s(okes(erson& 4hey've been
attending surveillance industry con'erences where law en'orcement o''icials show u(& 4hey've s(oken at the
con'erences& Bhat 5 thought was most 'ascinating was they've actually (aid 'or the co''ee break at one o' the
law en'orcement con'erences earlier this year& 5 can't tell you 'or sure that #acking 4eam has sold their
technology in the United States+ but what 5 can tell you that i' they haven't sold it+ it isn't because they haven't
been trying hard&
<:== So as 5 said be'ore+ governments that don't really have the resources to build their own tools will
buy o'',the,shel' surveillance so'tware+ and so 'or that reason+ you see that the government o'+ say+ 4unisia+
might use the same so'tware as the government o' Germany& 4hey're all buying o'',the,shel' stu''& 4he
Eederal Bureau o' 5nvestigation in the United States does have the budget to build their own surveillance
technology+ and so 'or several years+ 5've been trying to 'igure out i' and how the EB5 is hacking into the
com(uters o' surveillance targets&
>::/ Fy 'riends at an organi3ation called the )lectronic Erontier Eoundation ,, they're a civil society grou(
8obtained hundreds o' documents 'rom the EB5 detailing their ne0t generation o' surveillance
technologies& Fost o' these documents were heavily redacted+ but what you can see 'rom the slides+ i' 5
3oom in+ is this term: Jemote C(erations Unit& Now+ when 5 'irst looked into this+ 5'd never heard o' this unit
be'ore& 5've been studying surveillance 'or more than si0 years& 5'd never heard o' it& And so 5 went online and
5 did some research+ and ultimately 5 hit the mother lode when 5 went to Ainked5n+ the social networking site
'or job seekers& 4here were lots o' 'ormer U&S& government contractors who had at one (oint worked 'or the
Jemote C(erating Unit+ and were describing in sur(rising detail on their "Ms what they had done in their
'ormer job& So 5 took this in'ormation and 5 gave it to a journalist that 5 know and trust at the Ball Street
Iournal+ and she was able to contact several other 'ormer law en'orcement o''icials who s(oke on
background and con'irmed that yes+ in 'act+ the EB5 has a dedicated team that does nothing but hack into the
com(uters o' surveillance targets& Aike Gamma and #acking 4eam+ the EB5 also has the ca(ability to
remotely activate webcams+ micro(hones+ steal documents+ get web browsing in'ormation+ the works&
H:?: 4here's sort o' a big (roblem with governments going into hacking+ and that's that terrorists+
(edo(hiles+ drug dealers+ journalists and human rights activists all use the same kinds o' com(uters& 4here's
no drug dealer (hone and there's no journalist la(to(& Be all use the same technology+ and what that means
then is that 'or governments to have the ca(ability to hack into the com(uters o' the real bad guys+ they also
have to have the ca(ability to hack into our devices too&
H:DH So governments around the world have been embracing this technology& 4hey've been embracing
hacking as a law en'orcement techni$ue+ but without any real debate& 5n the United States+ where 5 live+there
have been no congressional hearings& 4here's no law that's been (assed s(eci'ically authori3ing this
techni$ue+ and because o' its (ower and (otential 'or abuse+ it's vital that we have an in'ormed (ublic
debate&
Huertus !nae The "ar# Secrets o$ a Surveillance State
Tags: 1uthoritarian 3egime, Government Surveillance, -istory, Privacy
Background: #ubertus !nabe is a historian and the scienti'ic director o' Berlin,#ohenschNnhausen
Femorial+ where he studies the inner workings o' the )ast German Finistry o' State Security (F'S ,, or
Stasi ,, between /-D< and /-@-& #e studies the history o' torture+ o((ression and surveillance in 'ormer
)ast Germany& 4he memorial+ once the main torture (rison used by the Stasi+ is devoted to raising
awareness o' the brutal o((ression that once stemmed 'rom the agency& Be'ore the 'all o' the Berlin
Ball+ !nabe was under surveillance himsel'+ 'or smuggling banned books 'rom the )ast into Best
Germany& #e is the author o' over a do3en books on German history+ including 15. Juni 1678 9 "in
!eutscher 1u#stan!&
Uni$uely (ower'ul at s(ying on its citi3ens+ until the 'all o' the Berlin Ball in /-@-+ the Stasi
masterminded a system o' surveillance and (sychological (ressure that ke(t the country under control
'or decades& #ubertus !nabe shares stunning details 'rom the 'all o' a surveillance state+ and shows
how easy it was 'or neighbor to turn on neighbor&
::// 4his year+ Germany is celebrating the ?<th anniversary o' the (eace'ul revolution in )ast
Germany& 5n /-@-+ the "ommunist regime was moved away+ the Berlin Ball came down+ and one year
later+ the German Kemocratic Je(ublic+ the GKJ+ in the )ast was uni'ied with the Eederal Je(ublic o'
Germany in the Best to 'ound today's Germany& Among many other things+ Germany inherited the archives
o' the )ast German secret (olice+ known as the Stasi& Cnly two years a'ter its dissolution+ its documents
were o(ened to the (ublic+ and historians such as me started to study these documents to learn more about
how the GKJ surveillance state 'unctioned&
/::> 2erha(s you have watched the movie 94he Aives o' Cthers&9 4his movie made the Stasi known
worldwide+ and as we live in an age where words such as 9surveillance9 or 9wireta((ing9 are on the 'ront
(ages o' news(a(ers+ 5 would like to s(eak about how the Stasi really worked&
/:=: At the beginning+ let's have a short look at the history o' the Stasi+ because it's really im(ortant 'or
understanding its sel',conce(tion& 5ts origins are located in Jussia& 5n /-/H+ the Jussian "ommunists
'ounded the )mergency "ommission 'or "ombating "ounter,Jevolution and Sabotage+ shortly "heka& 5t
was led by Eeli0 K3er3hinsky& 4he "heka was an instrument o' the "ommunists to establish their regime by
terrori3ing the (o(ulation and e0ecuting their enemies& 5t evolved later into the well,known !GB& 4he "heka
was the idol o' the Stasi o''icers& 4hey called themselves "hekists+ and even the emblem was very
similar+ as you can see here& 5n 'act+ the secret (olice o' Jussia was the creator and instructor o' the
Stasi& Bhen the Jed Army occu(ied )ast Germany in /-D<+ it immediately e0(anded there+ and soon it
started to train the German "ommunists to build u( their own secret (olice& By the way+ in this hall where we
are now+ the ruling (arty o' the GKJ was 'ounded in /-D>&
?:<? Eive years later+ the Stasi was established+ and ste( by ste(+ the dirty job o' o((ression was handed
over to it& Eor instance+ the central jail 'or (olitical (risoners+ which was established by the Jussians+ was
taken over by the Stasi and used until the end o' "ommunism& ;ou see it here& At the beginning+ every
im(ortant ste( took (lace under the attendance o' the Jussians& But the Germans are known to be very
e''ective+ so the Stasi grew very $uickly+ and already in /-<=+ it had more em(loyees than the Gesta(o
had+ the secret (olice o' Na3i Germany& 4he number doubled in each decade& 5n /-@-+ more than -:+:::
em(loyees worked 'or the Stasi& 4his meant that one em(loyee was res(onsible 'or /@: inhabitants+which
was really uni$ue in the world&
=:<= At the to( o' this tremendous a((aratus+ there was one man+ )rich Fielke& #e ruled the Finistry o'
State Security 'or more than =: years& #e was a scru(ulous 'unctionary 8 in his (ast+ he killed two
(olicemen not 'ar away 'rom here 8 who in 'act (ersonali3ed the Stasi&
D:/> But what was so e0ce(tional about the StasiO Eoremost+ it was its enormous (ower+ because it
united di''erent 'unctions in one organi3ation& Eirst o' all+ the Stasi was an intelligence service& 5t used all the
imaginable instruments 'or getting in'ormation secretly+ such as in'ormers+ or ta((ing (hones+ as you can see
it on the (icture here& And it was not only active in )ast Germany+ but all over the world& Secondly+ the Stasi
was a secret (olice& 5t could sto( (eo(le on the street and arrest them in its own (risons&4hirdly+ the Stasi
worked as a kind o' (ublic (rosecutor& 5t had the right to o(en (reliminary investigations and to interrogate
(eo(le o''icially& Aast but not least+ the Stasi had its own armed 'orces& Fore than //+::: soldiers were
serving in its so,called Guards Jegiment& 5t was 'ounded to crash down (rotests and u(risings& Kue to this
concentration o' (ower+ the Stasi was called a state in the state&
<:=> But let's look in more and more detail at the tools o' the Stasi& 2lease kee( in mind that at that
time the web and smart(hones were not yet invented& C' course+ the Stasi used all kinds o' technical
instruments to survey (eo(le& 4ele(hones were wireta((ed+ including the (hone o' the German chancellor in
the Best+ and o'ten also the a(artments& )very day+ -:+::: letters were being o(ened by these machines&
4he Stasi also shadowed tens o' thousands o' (eo(le using s(ecially trained agents and secret cameras to
document every ste( one took& 5n this (icture+ you can see me as a young man just in 'ront o' this
building where we are now+ (hotogra(hed by a Stasi agent& 4he Stasi even collected the smell o' (eo(le& 5t
stored sam(les o' it in closed jars which were 'ound a'ter the (eace'ul revolution& Eor all these tasks+ highly
s(eciali3ed de(artments were res(onsible& 4he one which was ta((ing (hone calls was com(letely
se(arated 'rom the one which controlled the letters+ 'or good reasons+ because i' one agent $uit the
Stasi+ his knowledge was very small& "ontrast that with Snowden+ 'or e0am(le& But the vertical s(eciali3ation
was also im(ortant to (revent all kinds o' em(athy with the object o' observation& 4he agent who shadowed
me didn't know who 5 was or why 5 was surveyed& 5n 'act+ 5 smuggled 'orbidden books 'rom Best to )ast
Germany&
H:?> But what was even more ty(ical 'or the Stasi was the use o' human intelligence+ (eo(le who
re(orted secretly to the Stasi& Eor the Finister o' State Security+ these so,called uno''icial em(loyees were
the most im(ortant tools& Erom /-H< on+ nearly ?::+::: (eo(le collaborated constantly with the Stasi+ more
than one (ercent o' the (o(ulation& And in a way+ the minister was right+ because technical instruments can
only register what (eo(le are doing+ but agents and s(ies can also re(ort what (eo(le are (lanning to do and
what they are thinking& 4here'ore+ the Stasi recruited so many in'ormants& 4he system o' how to get
them and how to educate them+ as it was called+ was very so(histicated& 4he Stasi had its own university+ not
'ar away 'rom here+ where the methods were e0(lored and taught to the o''icers& 4his guideline gave a
detailed descri(tion o' every ste( you have to take i' you want to convince human beings to betray their
'ellow citi3ens& Sometimes it's said that in'ormants were (ressured to becoming one+ but that's mostly not
true+ because a 'orced in'ormant is a bad in'ormant& Cnly someone who wants to give you the in'ormation
you need is an e''ective whistleblower& 4he main reasons why (eo(le coo(erated with the Stasi were (olitical
conviction and material bene'its& 4he o''icers also tried to create a (ersonal bond between themselves and
the in'ormant+ and to be honest+ the e0am(le o' the Stasi shows that it's not so di''icult to win someone in
order to betray others& )ven some o' the to( dissidents in )ast Germany collaborated with the Stasi+ as 'or
instance 5brahim BNhme& 5n /-@-+ he was the leader o' the (eace'ul revolution and he nearly became the
'irst 'reely elected 2rime Finister o' the GKJ until it came out that he was an in'ormant&
-:<< 4he net o' s(ies was really broad& 5n nearly every institution+ even in the churches or in Best
Germany+ there were many o' them& 5 remember telling a leading Stasi o''icer+ 95' you had sent an in'ormant
to me+ 5 would surely have recogni3ed him&9 #is answer was+ 9Be didn't send anyone& Be took those who
were around you&9 And in 'act+ two o' my best 'riends re(orted about me to the Stasi& Not only in my case+
in'ormers were very close& Eor e0am(le+ Mera Aengs'eld+ another leading dissident+ in her case it was her
husband who s(ied on her& A 'amous writer was betrayed by his brother& 4his reminds me o' the novel
9/-@D9 by George Crwell+ where the only a((arently trustable (erson was an in'ormer&
/::<= But why did the Stasi collect all this in'ormation in its archivesO 4he main (ur(ose was to control the
society& 5n nearly every s(eech+ the Stasi minister gave the order to 'ind out who is who+ which meant who
thinks what& #e didn't want to wait until somebody tried to act against the regime& #e wanted to know in
advance what (eo(le were thinking and (lanning& 4he )ast Germans knew+ o' course+ that they were
surrounded by in'ormers+ in a totalitarian regime that created mistrust and a state o' wides(read 'ear+ the
most im(ortant tools to o((ress (eo(le in any dictatorshi(&
//:=@ 4hat's why not many )ast Germans tried to 'ight against the "ommunist regime& 5' yes+ the Stasi
o'ten used a method which was really diabolic& 5t was called Gerset3ung+ and it's described in another
guideline& 4he word is di''icult to translate because it means originally 9biodegradation&9 But actually+ it's a
$uite accurate descri(tion& 4he goal was to destroy secretly the sel',con'idence o' (eo(le+ 'or e0am(le by
damaging their re(utation+ by organi3ing 'ailures in their work+ and by destroying their (ersonal
relationshi(s& "onsidering this+ )ast Germany was a very modern dictatorshi(& 4he Stasi didn't try to arrest
every dissident& 5t (re'erred to (araly3e them+ and it could do so because it had access to so much (ersonal
in'ormation and to so many institutions& Ketaining someone was used only as a last resort& Eor this+ the Stasi
owned /H remand (risons+ one in every district& #ere+ the Stasi also develo(ed $uite modern methods o'
detention& Normally+ the interrogation o''icer didn't torture the (risoner& 5nstead+ he used a so(histicated
system o' (sychological (ressure in which strict isolation was central& Nearly no (risoner resisted without
giving a testimony& 5' you have the occasion+ do visit the 'ormer Stasi (rison in Berlin and attend a guided
tour with a 'ormer (olitical (risoner who will e0(lain to you how this worked&
/=:=@ Cne more $uestion needs to be answered: 5' the Stasi were so well organi3ed+ why did the
"ommunist regime colla(seO Eirst+ in /-@-+ the leadershi( in )ast Germany was uncertain what to do
against the growing (rotest o' (eo(le& 5t was es(ecially con'used because in the mother country o'
socialism+ the Soviet Union+ a more liberal (olicy took (lace& 5n addition+ the regime was de(endent on the
loans 'rom the Best& 4here'ore+ no order to crash down the u(rising was given to the Stasi& Secondly+ in the
"ommunist ideology+ there's no (lace 'or criticism& 5nstead+ the leadershi( stuck to the belie' that socialism is
a (er'ect system+ and the Stasi had to con'irm that+ o' course& 4he conse$uence was that des(ite all the
in'ormation+ the regime couldn't analy3e its real (roblems+ and there'ore it couldn't solve them& 5n the end+
the Stasi died because o' the structures that it was charged with (rotecting&
/D:<D 4he ending o' the Stasi was something tragic+ because these o''icers were ke(t busy during the
(eace'ul revolution with only one thing: to destroy the documents they had (roduced during
decades& Eortunately+ they had been sto((ed by human rights activists& 4hat's why today we can use the
'iles to get a better understanding o' how a surveillance state 'unctions&
Bruno Giussani: Thank you. Thank you very much. So -ubertus, I want to ask you a cou&le o# $uestions
because I have here (er S&iegel #rom last week. ,)ein :achbar :S1., )y neighbor, the :S1. 1n! you /ust
tol! us about my neighbor, the s&ies an! the in#ormant #rom "ast Germany. So there is a !irect link between
these two stories or there isn%t. 'hat%s your reaction as a historian when you see this.
#ubertus !nabe: 5 think there are several as(ects to mention& At 'irst+ 5 think there's a di''erence o' why you
are collecting this data& Are you doing that 'or (rotecting your (eo(le against terrorist attacks+ or are you
doing that 'or o((ressing your (eo(leO So that makes a 'undamental di''erence& But on the other hand+ also
in a democracy+ these instruments can be abused+ and that is something where we really have to be aware
to sto( that+ and that also the intelligence services are res(ecting the rules we have& 4he third (oint+
(robably+ we really can be ha((y that we live in a democracy+ because you can be sure that Jussia and
"hina are doing the same+ but nobody s(eaks about that because nobody could do that&
BG: 'hen the story came out #irst, last July, last year, you #ile! a criminal com&laint with a German tribunal.
'hy.
#!: ;eah+ 5 did so because o' the second (oint 5 mentioned+ that 5 think es(ecially in a democracy+ the rules
are 'or everybody& 4hey are made 'or everybody+ so it's not allowed that any institution doesn't res(ect the
rules& 5n the criminal code o' Germany+ it's written that it's not allowed to ta( somebody without the
(ermission o' the judge& Eortunately+ it's written in the criminal code o' Germany+ so i' it's not res(ected+ then
5 think an investigation is necessary+ and it took a very long time that the (ublic (rosecutor o' Germany
started this+ and he started it only in the case o' Angela Ferkel+ and not in the case o' all the other (eo(le
living in Germany&
BG: That !oesn%t sur&rise me because o# the story you tol!. Seen #rom the outsi!e, I live outsi!e o#
Germany, an! I e0&ecte! the Germans to react much more strongly, imme!iately. 1n! instea!, the reaction
really came only when 2hancellor )erkel was reveale! as being wireta&&e!. 'hy so.
#!: 5 take it as a good sign+ because (eo(le 'eel secure in this democracy& 4hey aren't a'raid that they will be
arrested+ and i' you leave this hall a'ter the con'erence+ nobody has to be a'raid that the secret (olice is
standing out and is arresting you& So that's a good sign+ 5 think& 2eo(le are not really scared+ as they could
be& But o' course+ 5 think+ the institutions are res(onsible to sto( illegal actions in Germany or wherever they
ha((en&
BG: 1 &ersonal $uestion, an! this is the last one. There has been a !ebate in Germany about granting
asylum to "!war! Snow!en. 'oul! you be in #avor or against.
#!: Ch+ that's a di''icult $uestion+ but i' you ask me+ and i' 5 answer honestly+ 5 would give him the
asylum+ because 5 think it was really brave what he did+ and he destroyed his whole li'e and his 'amily and
everything& So 5 think+ 'or these (eo(le+ we should do something+ and es(ecially i' you see the German
history+ where so many (eo(le had to esca(e and they asked 'or asylum in other countries and they didn't
get it+ so it would be a good sign to give him asylum&
%lessandro %c&uisiti What will a 'uture without Secrets loo# li#e(
4ags: Authoritarian Jegime+ Government Surveillance+ #istory+ 2rivacy
Background: Cnline+ we humans are (arado0ical: Be cherish (rivacy+ but 'reely disclose our (ersonal
in'ormation in certain conte0ts& 2rivacy economics o''ers a (ower'ul lens to understand this (arado0+
and the 'ield has been s(earheaded by Alessandro Ac$uisti and his colleagues' analyses o' how we
decide what to share online and what we get in return&
#is team's sur(rising studies on 'acial recognition so'tware showed that it can connect an anonymous
human 'ace to an online name ,, and then to a Eacebook account ,, in about = seconds& Cther work
shows how easy it can be to 'ind a US citi3en's Social Security number using basic (attern matching on
(ublic data& Bork like this earned him an invitation to testi'y be'ore a US Senate committee on the
im(act technology has on civil liberties&
4he line between (ublic and (rivate has blurred in the (ast decade+ both online and in real li'e+ and
Alessandro Ac$uisti is here to e0(lain what this means and why it matters& 5n this thought,(rovoking+
slightly chilling talk+ he shares details o' recent and ongoing research 8 including a (roject that shows
how easy it is to match a (hotogra(h o' a stranger with their sensitive (ersonal in'ormation&
::// 5 would like to tell you a story connecting the notorious (rivacy incident involving Adam and )ve+ and
the remarkable shi't in the boundaries between (ublic and (rivate which has occurred in the (ast /: years&
::?H ;ou know the incident& Adam and )ve one day in the Garden o' )den reali3e they are naked& 4hey
'reak out& And the rest is history&
::=@ Nowadays+ Adam and )ve would (robably act di''erently&
::D= PQAdam Aast nite was a blastR loved dat a((le ACAS
::D< PQ)ve ye(&& babe+ know what ha((ened to my (ants thoOS
::DH Be do reveal so much more in'ormation about ourselves online than ever be'ore+ and so much
in'ormation about us is being collected by organi3ations& Now there is much to gain and bene'it 'rom this
massive analysis o' (ersonal in'ormation+ or big data+ but there are also com(le0 trade,o''s that come 'rom
giving away our (rivacy& And my story is about these tradeo''s&
/:/D Be start with an observation which+ in my mind+ has become clearer and clearer in the (ast 'ew
years+ that any (ersonal in'ormation can become sensitive in'ormation& Back in the year ?:::+ about /::
billion (hotos were shot worldwide+ but only a minuscule (ro(ortion o' them were actually u(loaded online& 5n
?:/:+ only on Eacebook+ in a single month+ ?&< billion (hotos were u(loaded+ most o' them identi'ied& 5n the
same s(an o' time+ com(uters' ability to recogni3e (eo(le in (hotos im(roved by three orders o'
magnitude& Bhat ha((ens when you combine these technologies together: increasing availability o' 'acial
dataT im(roving 'acial recogni3ing ability by com(utersT but also cloud com(uting+ which gives anyone in this
theater the kind o' com(utational (ower which a 'ew years ago was only the domain o' three,letter
agenciesT and ubi$uitous com(uting+ which allows my (hone+ which is not a su(ercom(uter+ to connect to
the 5nternet and do there hundreds o' thousands o' 'ace metrics in a 'ew secondsO Bell+ we conjecture that
the result o' this combination o' technologies will be a radical change in our very notions o' (rivacy and
anonymity&
?:=D 4o test that+ we did an e0(eriment on "arnegie Fellon University cam(us& Be asked students who
were walking by to (artici(ate in a study+ and we took a shot with a webcam+ and we asked them to 'ill out a
survey on a la(to(& Bhile they were 'illing out the survey+ we u(loaded their shot to a cloud,com(uting
cluster+ and we started using a 'acial recogni3er to match that shot to a database o' some hundreds o'
thousands o' images which we had downloaded 'rom Eacebook (ro'iles& By the time the subject reached the
last (age on the survey+ the (age had been dynamically u(dated with the /: best matching (hotoswhich the
recogni3er had 'ound+ and we asked the subjects to indicate whether he or she 'ound themselves in the
(hoto&
=:/- Ko you see the subjectO Bell+ the com(uter did+ and in 'act did so 'or one out o' three subjects&
=:?@ So essentially+ we can start 'rom an anonymous 'ace+ o''line or online+ and we can use 'acial
recognition to give a name to that anonymous 'ace thanks to social media data& But a 'ew years back+ we did
something else& Be started 'rom social media data+ we combined it statistically with data 'rom U&S&
government social security+ and we ended u( (redicting social security numbers+ which in the United
States are e0tremely sensitive in'ormation&
=:<< Ko you see where 5'm going with thisO So i' you combine the two studies together+ then the $uestion
becomes+ can you start 'rom a 'ace and+ using 'acial recognition+ 'ind a name and (ublicly available
in'ormation about that name and that (erson+ and 'rom that (ublicly available in'ormation in'er non,(ublicly
available in'ormation+ much more sensitive ones which you link back to the 'aceO And the answer is+ yes+ we
can+ and we did& C' course+ the accuracy kee(s getting worse& P?HU o' subjects' 'irst < SSN digits identi'ied
(with D attem(tsS But in 'act+ we even decided to develo( an i2hone a(( which uses the (hone's internal
camera to take a shot o' a subject and then u(load it to a cloud and then do what 5 just described to you in
real time: looking 'or a match+ 'inding (ublic in'ormation+ trying to in'er sensitive in'ormation+ and then
sending back to the (hone so that it is overlaid on the 'ace o' the subject+ an e0am(le o' augmented
reality+ (robably a cree(y e0am(le o' augmented reality& 5n 'act+ we didn't develo( the a(( to make it
available+ just as a (roo' o' conce(t&
D:<> 5n 'act+ take these technologies and (ush them to their logical e0treme& 5magine a 'uture in which
strangers around you will look at you through their Google Glasses or+ one day+ their contact lenses+ and use
seven or eight data (oints about you to in'er anything else which may be known about you& Bhat will this
'uture without secrets look likeO And should we careO
<:?= Be may like to believe that the 'uture with so much wealth o' data would be a 'uture with no more
biases+ but in 'act+ having so much in'ormation doesn't mean that we will make decisions which are more
objective& 5n another e0(eriment+ we (resented to our subjects in'ormation about a (otential job
candidate& Be included in this in'ormation some re'erences to some 'unny+ absolutely legal+ but (erha(s
slightly embarrassing in'ormation that the subject had (osted online& Now interestingly+ among our
subjects+ some had (osted com(arable in'ormation+ and some had not& Bhich grou( do you think was more
likely to judge harshly our subjectO 2arado0ically+ it was the grou( who had (osted similar in'ormation+ an
e0am(le o' moral dissonance&
>:/D Now you may be thinking+ this does not a((ly to me+ because 5 have nothing to hide& But in 'act+
(rivacy is not about having something negative to hide& 5magine that you are the #&J& director o' a certain
organi3ation+ and you receive r1sum1s+ and you decide to 'ind more in'ormation about the
candidates&4here'ore+ you Google their names and in a certain universe+ you 'ind this in'ormation& Cr in a
(arallel universe+ you 'ind this in'ormation& Ko you think that you would be e$ually likely to call either
candidate 'or an interviewO 5' you think so+ then you are not like the U&S& em(loyers who are+ in 'act+ (art o'
our e0(eriment+ meaning we did e0actly that& Be created Eacebook (ro'iles+ mani(ulating traits+ then we
started sending out r1sum1s to com(anies in the U&S&+ and we detected+ we monitored+ whether they were
searching 'or our candidates+ and whether they were acting on the in'ormation they 'ound on social media&
And they were& Kiscrimination was ha((ening through social media 'or e$ually skilled candidates&
H:/@ Now marketers like us to believe that all in'ormation about us will always be used in a manner which
is in our 'avor& But think again& Bhy should that be always the caseO 5n a movie which came out a 'ew years
ago+ 9Finority Je(ort+9 a 'amous scene had 4om "ruise walk in a mall and hologra(hic (ersonali3ed
advertising would a((ear around him& Now+ that movie is set in ?:<D+ about D: years 'rom now+ and as
e0citing as that technology looks+ it already vastly underestimates the amount o' in'ormation that
organi3ations can gather about you+ and how they can use it to in'luence you in a way that you will not even
detect&
@::= So as an e0am(le+ this is another e0(eriment actually we are running+ not yet com(leted& 5magine
that an organi3ation has access to your list o' Eacebook 'riends+ and through some kind o' algorithm they
can detect the two 'riends that you like the most& And then they create+ in real time+ a 'acial com(osite o'
these two 'riends& Now studies (rior to ours have shown that (eo(le don't recogni3e any longer even
themselves in 'acial com(osites+ but they react to those com(osites in a (ositive manner& So ne0t time you
are looking 'or a certain (roduct+ and there is an ad suggesting you to buy it+ it will not be just a standard
s(okes(erson& 5t will be one o' your 'riends+ and you will not even know that this is ha((ening&
@:D@ Now the (roblem is that the current (olicy mechanisms we have to (rotect ourselves 'rom the
abuses o' (ersonal in'ormation are like bringing a kni'e to a gun'ight& Cne o' these mechanisms is
trans(arency+ telling (eo(le what you are going to do with their data& And in (rinci(le+ that's a very good
thing& 5t's necessary+ but it is not su''icient& 4rans(arency can be misdirected& ;ou can tell (eo(le what you
are going to do+ and then you still nudge them to disclose arbitrary amounts o' (ersonal in'ormation&
-:?? So in yet another e0(eriment+ this one with students+ we asked them to (rovide in'ormation about
their cam(us behavior+ including (retty sensitive $uestions+ such as this one& P#ave you ever cheated in an
e0amOS Now to one grou( o' subjects+ we told them+ 9Cnly other students will see your answers&9 4o another
grou( o' subjects+ we told them+ 9Students and 'aculty will see your answers&9 4rans(arency& Noti'ication&
And sure enough+ this worked+ in the sense that the 'irst grou( o' subjects were much more likely to disclose
than the second& 5t makes sense+ rightO But then we added the misdirection& Be re(eated the e0(eriment
with the same two grou(s+ this time adding a delay between the time we told subjects how we would use
their data and the time we actually started answering the $uestions&
/:::@ #ow long a delay do you think we had to add in order to nulli'y the inhibitory e''ect o' knowing that
'aculty would see your answersO 4en minutesO Eive minutesO Cne minuteO #ow about /< secondsOEi'teen
seconds were su''icient to have the two grou(s disclose the same amount o' in'ormation+ as i' the second
grou( now no longer cares 'or 'aculty reading their answers&
/::=< Now 5 have to admit that this talk so 'ar may sound e0ceedingly gloomy+ but that is not my (oint& 5n
'act+ 5 want to share with you the 'act that there are alternatives& 4he way we are doing things now is not the
only way they can done+ and certainly not the best way they can be done& Bhen someone tells you+ 92eo(le
don't care about (rivacy+9 consider whether the game has been designed and rigged so that they cannot care
about (rivacy+ and coming to the reali3ation that these mani(ulations occur is already hal'way through the
(rocess o' being able to (rotect yoursel'& Bhen someone tells you that (rivacy is incom(atible with the
bene'its o' big data+ consider that in the last ?: years+ researchers have created technologies to allow
virtually any electronic transactions to take (lace in a more (rivacy,(reserving manner& Be can browse the
5nternet anonymously& Be can send emails that can only be read by the intended reci(ient+ not even the
NSA& Be can have even (rivacy,(reserving data mining& 5n other words+ we can have the bene'its o' big
data while (rotecting (rivacy& C' course+ these technologies im(ly a shi'ting o' cost and revenues between
data holders and data subjects+ which is why+ (erha(s+ you don't hear more about them&
//:<H Bhich brings me back to the Garden o' )den& 4here is a second (rivacy inter(retation o' the story o'
the Garden o' )den which doesn't have to do with the issue o' Adam and )ve 'eeling naked and 'eeling
ashamed& ;ou can 'ind echoes o' this inter(retation in Iohn Filton's 92aradise Aost&9 5n the garden+ Adam
and )ve are materially content& 4hey're ha((y& 4hey are satis'ied& #owever+ they also lack knowledge and
sel',awareness& 4he moment they eat the a(tly named 'ruit o' knowledge+ that's when they discover
themselves& 4hey become aware& 4hey achieve autonomy& 4he (rice to (ay+ however+ is leaving the
garden& So (rivacy+ in a way+ is both the means and the (rice to (ay 'or 'reedom&
/?:D- Again+ marketers tell us that big data and social media are not just a (aradise o' (ro'it 'or them+ but a
Garden o' )den 'or the rest o' us& Be get 'ree content& Be get to (lay Angry Birds& Be get targeted a((s&
But in 'act+ in a 'ew years+ organi3ations will know so much about us+ they will be able to in'er our desires
be'ore we even 'orm them+ and (erha(s buy (roducts on our behal' be'ore we even know we need them&
/=:/- Now there was one )nglish author who antici(ated this kind o' 'uture where we would trade
away our autonomy and 'reedom 'or com'ort& )ven more so than George Crwell+ the author is+ o' course+
Aldous #u0ley& 5n 9Brave New Borld+9 he imagines a society where technologies that we created originally
'or 'reedom end u( coercing us& #owever+ in the book+ he also o''ers us a way out o' that society+ similar to
the (ath that Adam and )ve had to 'ollow to leave the garden& 5n the words o' the Savage+ regaining
autonomy and 'reedom is (ossible+ although the (rice to (ay is stee(& So 5 do believe that one o' the de'ining
'ights o' our times will be the 'ight 'or the control over (ersonal in'ormation+ the 'ight over whether big data
will become a 'orce 'or 'reedom+ rather than a 'orce which will hiddenly mani(ulate us&
/D:?< Jight now+ many o' us do not even know that the 'ight is going on+ but it is+ whether you like it or
not& And at the risk o' (laying the ser(ent+ 5 will tell you that the tools 'or the 'ight are here+ the awareness o'
what is going on+ and in your hands+ just a 'ew clicks away&