New Book by José Marichal, California Lutheran University; You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem: Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract

 

New Book by José Marichal, California Lutheran University; You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem: Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract

Description:

"In the age of AI, where personal data fuels corporate profits and state surveillance, what are the implications for democracy?

This incisive book explores the unspoken agreement we have with tech companies. In exchange for reducing the anxiety of an increasingly complex online world, we submit to algorithmic classification and predictability. This reduces incentives for us to become “algorithmic problems” with dire consequences for liberal democracy. He calls for a movement to demand that algorithms promote play, creativity and potentiality rather than conformity.

This is a must-read for anyone navigating the intersection of technology, politics and identity in an increasingly data-driven world."

Does the Federal Government Have a Right to States’ Data?; Government Technology, May 14, 2025

 Julia Edinger , Government Technology; Does the Federal Government Have a Right to States’ Data?

"A federal executive order (EO) issued in March has created questions about the government’s right to access states’ data — especially in cases where that information was collected with a promise of privacy.

Governments have increasingly prioritized inclusive data collection practices, taking into consideration things like disability and gender identity — in part as preparation for AI deployment. This shift broadens the need for governments to protect privacy, especially as federal data collection by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) creates concerns.

A March 20 EO issued by President Donald Trump, "Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos," raises questions for some.

“[The EO] … said that federally funded state programs will be required to report personal data to the federal government,” said Elizabeth Laird, director of equity in civic technology for the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), who described the new rule as a “significant shift.”...

This EO is relevant to both state and local agencies, Laird said, noting the EO did not specify what type of information and which programs will be impacted. The risk, she said, is that data that was collected for one intent could be used for another without the explicit consent of those who provided it."

An Apparent Cyberattack Hushes the British Library; The New York Times, November 3, 2023

  Alex Marshall, The New York Times; An Apparent Cyberattack Hushes the British Library

"Tasmina Islam, a lecturer in cybersecurity education at King’s College London said in an email that the motivation for attacking a library could be financial.

“Cybercriminals can access a lot of information from a library, including users’ personal data,” she said. Libraries also “store electronic books, research articles and various intellectual properties, all of which cybercriminals can exploit for illegal distribution,” Islam added.

The British Library incident “served as a warning for other libraries and institutions to assess their own security measures thoroughly,” she said."

How Americans View Data Privacy; Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center, October 18, 2023

 COLLEEN MCCLAIN, MICHELLE FAVERIO, MONICA ANDERSON AND EUGENIE PARK, Pew Research Center; How Americans View Data Privacy

"In an era where every click, tap or keystroke leaves a digital trail, Americans remain uneasy and uncertain about their personal data and feel they have little control over how it’s used.

This wariness is even ticking up in some areas like government data collection, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted May 15-21, 2023.

Today, as in the past, most Americans are concerned about how companies and the government use their information. But there have been some changes in recent years:"

The 7 stages of GDPR grief; VentureBeat, April 29, 2018

Chris Purcell, VentureBeat; The 7 stages of GDPR grief

"All of the systems we’ve built around handling personal data will need to be re-engineered to handle the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules that go into effect that day. That’s a lot to accomplish, with very little time left.

While the eve of the GDPR deadline may not start parties like we had back on New Year’s Eve 1999 — when people counted down to “the end of the world” — stakeholders in organizations across the globe will be experiencing a range of emotions as they make their way through the seven stages of GDPR grief at varying speeds.

Like Y2K, May 25 could come and go without repercussion if people work behind the scenes to make their organizations compliant. Unfortunately, most companies are in the earliest stage of grief – denial – believing that GDPR does not apply to them (if they even know what it is). Denial rarely serves companies well. And in the case of GDPR non-compliance, it could cost them fines of up to 20 million euros ($24 million) or four percent of global annual turnover, whichever value is greater.

Luckily, there are sure-tell signs for each grief stage and advice to help individuals and their employers move through each (and fast):..."

Without data-targeted ads, Facebook would look like a pay service, Sandberg says; NBC, April 5, 2018

Alex Johnson and Erik Ortiz, NBC; Without data-targeted ads, Facebook would look like a pay service, Sandberg says

"The data of users is the lifeblood of Facebook, and if people want to opt out of all of the platform's data-driven advertising, they would have to pay for it, Sheryl Sandberg, the company's chief operating officer, told NBC News in an interview that aired Friday.

In an interview with "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, Sandberg again acknowledged that the company mishandled the breach that allowed Cambridge Analytica, the data analysis firm that worked with Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, to harvest information from as many as 87 million Facebook users."