From the Army's Mad Scientist Laboratory blog:
238. The Information Disruption Industry and the Operational Environment of the Future
[Editor’s Note: Today’s post by guest blogger and freshly proclaimed Mad Scientist Vincent H. O’Neil was the runner-up in our recent Mad Scientist Operational Environment in 2035 Writing Contest. Mr. O’Neil also presented on this topic yesterday in the first of our series of on-line Weaponized Information events (click here
to watch it). Now you can read his complementary post, predicting the
emergence of the Information Disruption Industry (IDI), how the
democratization
and commercialization of this capability will lead to the continuous and
widespread disruption of the Information Environment, and what measures
we can take to prepare for and help mitigate its effects on future
Warfighters in the Operational Environment — Read on!]
Summary
Use of everyday technology to collect personal data is increasing,
and has already raised concerns about violations of privacy. Those
collection efforts will continue to grow, because the data has a
substantial value and can be sold. As these efforts become more intrusive, popular resentment will also grow. A tipping
point is likely to be reached where the resentment changes to action. At
that time, existing privacy protection services will expand
enormously—and create a new industry dedicated to disrupting the
collection, storage, and sale of personal data. It will be profitable
and popular because its clients will believe this industry is defending
their individual privacy.
For the rest of this paper, this new industry will be referred to as
the Information Disruption Industry or the IDI.
The IDI will attack the collection, storage, and dissemination
of personal data at every level and every step in those processes. Its
techniques will range from sophisticated efforts to alter collected
information to cruder methods designed to crash entire systems. The
increasingly interconnected nature of the technological world will
render many systems—even those completely unrelated to personal data
collection—vulnerable to second-order effects from these attacks.
This likely scenario has the potential to seriously damage the
information landscape in 2035, if not sooner. Operating in this future
environment calls for a broad approach designed to combat the
wide-ranging impact of this disruption industry once it has gained
social acceptance and popular funding.
The Current Situation
Use of everyday technology to collect personal data is increasing,
and has already raised privacy concerns. The collection of this data is a
lucrative business, as the information can be sold and resold.
Most people are already aware of this collection, through personal experience and the news:
- Mentioning a specific product in an electronic communication often
leads to the appearance of online advertising reflecting that product
- Cases such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal demonstrate that
large-scale collection of personal data is being conducted without
public consent
- Frequent news stories concerning data breaches at large corporations
feed the belief that, despite claims to the contrary, no collected
information is safe
Resentment against this data aggregation increases when the targets
of the collection realize they’re paying for it. Devices inside their
phones and cars are being used to track and report their behavior,
habits, and movements. Additionally, those devices can be accessed as
part of legal proceedings, frequently to the detriment of the
individuals paying for them.
The Tipping Point
As the technology improves, these collection efforts are likely to
become even more intrusive—which will increase popular resentment. This
is likely to reach a tipping point where that dissatisfaction turns into
action.
Public opinion could be shifted from grudging acceptance to outright
resistance by just a few news stories highlighting harmful privacy
violations:
- Domestic violence victims hiding from their tormentors who were located and murdered through technological tracking
- Court cases where personal data collection provided circumstantial—but misleading—evidence that convicted innocent people
- Social media analysis by employers and/or universities that rejected qualified candidates
It won’t take many of these stories to make the general populace view
personal data collection efforts as an actual threat to their
livelihoods, liberty, and even their lives.
Expansion of the Disruption Industry
Once people see data collection and technological tracking as a
threat, they will pay to protect themselves. That funding will generate
the IDI.
The talent pool to staff this industry already exists. Tech-savvy
individuals have been disrupting systems for many decades, for fun and
profit, and they will be joined by technology professionals once society
indicates its approval. Some of these professionals will come from the
collection industry itself. People who were employed as personal data
gatherers will leave those jobs to become subject matter experts in
disrupter organizations. The pay is likely to be better, and their new
jobs will be much more socially acceptable than their old ones. Their
expertise will identify the vulnerabilities of systems and organizations
that gather and sell personal information....
....
MUCH MORE
