Technology Subverts Democracy

[Arthur Hanson]

FiscalNote is a very sophisticated data analytics company that has given clients that can pay a way to at least slant democracy for people that can pay in a highly effective manner. This is a case where the use of technology needs to be publicly, openly and widely vetted as are other technologies that are changing the very foundations that democracy is built on. There has always been influence peddling, but this shows how far a very powerful, sophisticated system can change the very foundations of democracy. This above most examples shows where the people that develop a technology must also take at least some responsibility for its impact and consideration for the impact it can have. Technology can do great things, but it can also create great dangers and some thought should be given at its inception to both the harm and benefit attached since the first steps forward in any technology are the most important and when the creators can have the most influence. This particular technology posses as many dangers as opportunities for the world around us. We have seen the power of platforms to change the world in the FAANGS and the earlier careful thought is given, the better. As semis/nanotech penetrate ever deeper into every corner of our lives and the world, becoming ever more powerful, more care will be required in their application for the benefits and dangers will both increase dramatically and the people who create them and the systems they serve have to take at least some responsibility for the impact they have. If you are going to claim credit for the good, you also have to accept it for the bad.

Tim Hwang’s FiscalNote is revolutionizing Washington lobbying with big data - MIT Technology Review

FiscalNote - Wikipedia

 

[Fred Chen]

Technology is a great power, and any power requires responsibility.