Technology Is Good For Society. Technology Is Bad For Society. Which Side Are You On? | With Kristin Judge and Chris Cox

Wait, before you pick one, let me tell you a secret: these statements are both wrong and right. Yes, at practical levels we can make a case for both, and neither one is going to prevail over the other; but from a philosophical and anthropological perspective, I feel quite confident in supporting the statement that technology is intrinsically good. Human nature is defined and driven by intellectual exploration and growth, and ultimately technology is just part of being human — which is the most contemporary, yet probably not the ultimate, expression of our evolution as a species.

It seems that, more often than before, when we address cybersecurity we end up talking about privacy and personal information. We talk about cyber criminals trying to perpetrate fraud and steal personal information, about companies violating trust to sell the data to a third party, IoT devices that collect way more data than they should and that get unauthorized access to our private lives by invading our home environment and our bodies. And, of course, there are the old cases of government institutions spying on citizens, and companies and states spying on each other. 

And that’s just mentioning a few scenarios that have made the news. But what about when spying activity happens within the family walls: between couples, parents and kids? In all these cases, the line between potential beneficial monitoring of activities that can reinforce the safety of the subject can easily be stepped over, and the whole scenario turns from good to bad, and it becomes spying, stalking and abuse. This is when good technology turns “bad”, and the consequences become severe and extremely dangerous.

Technology isn’t “bad,” of course. It is either built or used that way, and this when the line is crossed.

Among the many interesting observations and comments around this incredibly complex topic, these are some of the relevant issues we discussed:

Abusive behaviors often start with knowledge of other people’s private life and information that can turn into an instrument of control (i.e. blackmailing).More frequently, technology components are part of the case: cyber monitoring, stalking, spying, and harassment are, in most cases, present in conjunction with physical harm.Abusive relationships are about power and control, both physical and emotional. The same technology that allows us to be connected with the world allows the psychological harm to be a factor 24/7. As with cyberbullying, the technology is the same mechanism whether used for good or bad, but its harmful uses are amplified.It is not just about installing software and hardware in a stealthy way. Most of the time, it is a matter of what is defined as "dual-use technology" where the app or the device is designed for a specific use and scope, but is instead harnessed by the abuser for his own purposes. A typical example is the installation of an app on someone’s — let's say a kid or partner — phone, and done with good intentions but that can quickly cross the line from monitoring to spying, or even infiltrated by a third party with evil intentions.

Guest(s)
Kristin Judge | Chris Cox

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