In an interview, when Elon Musk was asked if there was a company that he was concerned about or afraid of, he didn't really name a particular company but one could infer from his past interviews and thoughts that he had shared, that he was referring to Google.
The question was asked in the context of the development of AI and the direction that different companies might head into with their cutting edge AI technology. I personally agree too that Google is one tech giant that we should all be concerned about.
The reason is simple. There is almost nothing you do on the internet that Google doesn't know about. This also expands to your smartphones (if you use an Android) and the various data that it collects like health data, location data, the numerous apps and services you use etc.
One company knowing so much about us is a scary thought but what is even scarier is that they might actually have a digital voodoo doll version of you, using which they can predict your future behaviour. It's almost like having a part of your consciousness stored with them.
Creepy Gets Creepier
On a number of occasions, I have felt, and you might have too, that Google listens to everything that we say through the microphones in our laptops and smartphones. I say this because, a lot of times when I speak to someone about something, especially a product or service, it almost immediately shows up as an ad on my phone or laptop.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory but many of my friends have felt this way too. But it turns out that the truth is much creepier. At a conference in LA, ex Google employee, Tristan Harris confirms that Google doesn't actually listen actively to the microphones.
So, how come they know exactly what to show and when to show it as an ad? Well, basically they have this voodoo doll, avatar-like version of you on their servers which was made possible by accumulating any and all data about you, like all your clicks, demographic information, location information, 'likes' you've ever made on the internet and much more.
Tristan goes on to say, "All I have to do is simulate what conversation the voodoo doll is having, and I know the conversation you just had without having to listen to the microphone."
Stop for a moment and re-read that again. They can literally predict our future behaviour with a great deal of accuracy! If that's not the creepiest thing you've ever read, I don't know what is. What's worse is that if behaviour can be predicted, it can certainly be 'influenced' something that Tristan says the company has been 'ethically' doing for a long time already.
We sure live in a strange time but I guess this is nothing compared to the strangeness that the future is going to be. Reading stuff like this makes me believe a little bit more in a dystopian future run by corporations where privacy and rights mean squat!!