The Ten Year Challenge — Curating the Facial Recognition Machine?
Okay, chances are that you or someone close to you has participated in the "#TenYearChallenge" recently.
Hey, what can it hurt, right?
What's the harm? It's Just a Hashtag
By no means am I attempting to lend credence to any of the conspiracy theories that have been floating around regarding the Ten Year Challenge hashtag. Being perfectly honest, I am reasonably confident that its origins were benign and innocent.
Whoa, Conspiracy Theories, You Say?
A few people who have not accepted the notion that the Ten Year Challenge is just some innocent viral hashtag have postulated the following:
- It is all part of some Facebook scheme to collect images to assist in the continuous improvement of their facial recognition technology
- It is part of some intelligence agency operation to curate a massive AI-powered monitoring system
- It is a way to collect visual comparative data sets that can be sold to marketers of cosmetics
Honestly, the list of such theories is much longer but you get the idea.
What Really Gives Here?
When you consider all that has been confirmed to be true over the past year regrading how our data is handled by Facebook and other social media juggernauts, it is not surprising that people would be suspect of something like the ten year challenge.
By the same token, I do not think that Facebook would risk further staining its reputation with its source of raw materials (our willingness to freely post our personal data) in such a bold way. However, that does not mean that they would be above exploiting it now that so much valuable information has been posted.
Do I think that the ten year challenge was a calculated ploy by legacy tech, new tech or the government? NO.
Do I think that legacy tech, new tech and the government will mine this data and make use of it now that it is out there? OF COURSE.
In the End, It's up to Us
In the end, it's up to us to shield our personal data. This includes personal information, imagery, voice, etc.
This doesn't mean that we must live in a bubble of digital isolation. That would be hermit-like and for the majority of us a sorrowful existence.
We should, however, be aware that in the digital realm as in the physical world, our actions — even the most innocent and seemingly inconsequential — can carry the potential for ancillary effects.
I, personally, did not participate in the "#TENYEARCHALLENGE" but having had a consistent online presence for over ten years across a multitude of platforms, I know my data is out there.
In the beginning, I was more trusting and willing to just "put it all out there." Now, I am more cautious and do not allow myself to jump on the band wagon of every viral trend or new feature requiring new permissions from platforms that come my way.
I intend never to become a digital curmudgeon but I also intend never to become a digital stooge.
image attribution:
(1) Pexels under Pexels free for commercial use license
*Follow me on Twitter @CleavageCrumbs
Yeah, Facebook may use our data. They may sell the data to companies, governments. Now, some people may not really care about that. Well, if you want to be a private person, say, hypothetically speaking, however, then you can't if you are on Facebook. Actually, even if you are not on Facebook, and somebody uploads a photo of you to Facebook, then they have your photo. So, they collect the stuff. The problem is much deeper than what some people may know or may even want to know. It's a long story. I am still trying to come up with ways to introduce people to the 4th amendment which is all about privacy. I believe privacy is important. Here is an upvote. By the way, I have been choosing to be a public person. But some people may say they are private, but they put stuff on Facebook. A paradox haha.
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