Get to know your defaults
And share what you learn
In the EU, platforms default to OPT IN for your privacy. In the US, platforms default to OPT OUT in privacy settings, and then make it close to impossible to find any way to do that in most cases. Writer Johana Bhuiyan did a lot of work investigating privacy options related to using your data and your kids’ data to train the major platforms’ evolving AI…
I tried to opt out on Facebook before I read her post and found the challenge daunting. After 30 minutes or so, I did find the form Bhuiyan points us to, buried deep in their pages of disclaimers. She has done hours of work to help you avoid that.
Bhuiyan writes:
Default opt-ins are an industry-wide issue. A recent report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on the data practices of nine social media and streaming platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon found that nearly all of them fed people’s personal information into automated systems with no comprehensive or transparent way for users to opt out.
“Overall, there was a lack of access, choice, control, transparency, explainability and interpretability relating to the companies’ use of automated systems,” the FTC report reads.
From Bhuiyan’s analysis, it looks like Google (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides, YouTube) does the best job of enabling opt out but even that has a lot of grey area. Duh, it’s Google.
She shows you how to “opt out of letting Google use your email and chat data to train Smart Compose. You can do this easily from your desktop browser or the Gmail app on your phone.” I followed her instructions and remarkably, it was relatively easy to do for Gmail, although the Google doc instructions didn’t match what I found. I was only half successful.
Meta gets 10 thumbs down. If you have the time, read the section on Meta just to see how insane/next to impossible the process is just to find an option to opt out.
Why does this matter?
1. I think it’s critical to understand that it doesn’t just have to be this way. It is not this way in the EU. Imagine being given the opportunity to OPT IN instead of having to figure out how to opt out and if you even can.
2. Understanding what is happening with your personal data is a critical part of media literacy today and especially, it is basic AI literacy.
If you have young people in your life, as parent, grandparent, caregiver, or educator, make sure you are having open-ended conversations with them to explore this topic. Johana Bhuiyan’s post in The Guardian, “Companies building AI-powered tech are using your posts. Here’s how to op out” is a great place to start. Ask which platform your kids or students would most like to investigate with you with Bhuiyan’s help.
Attention, Educators! Zoom Event, Oct 10, 3 pm PT
Pulitzer Center is hosting a webinar, Connecting Students to AI Accountability News Stories. Here is the description:
The Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network aims to support journalists working on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments' and corporations’ uses of predictive and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more. After surveying our network of educators, we know this reporting aligns with themes and questions being explored in K-12 classrooms. Despite the growing interest, teachers report feeling unequipped to engage students in these conversations. To bridge this gap, we established the Information & Artificial Intelligence Teacher Advisory Council, a cohort of 12 teachers who developed and tested resources to introduce and engage with reporting created through the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.
In this virtual panel, Council Members will detail their experience exploring news stories about AI accountability and creating curricular tools to support educators and students eager to utilize reporting on AI as a tool for better understanding the impact of artificial intelligence in their schools and communities.
After this workshop, educators will be able to ….
-Define and identify examples of AI accountability reporting
-Utilize public resources developed by the Information & Artificial Intelligence Teacher Advisory Council to engage with news stories about artificial intelligence and accountability
-Center student voice and impacts on marginalized communities when engaging with AI news stories.
I’m attending. You can register here.
Meanwhile—Lights Out for Birds - 11 pm to 6 am
In my post last week, I pointed to the BirdCast Migration Dashboard. After the post went out, I realized I missed the opportunity to emphasize Lights Out for Birds…an effort by BirdCast to educate people on how and why light pollution harms migrating birds.
Here’s what you can do.
Turn off or dim lobby and atrium lights.
Turn off or dim interior home lighting, or draw blinds to prevent light escaping.
Turn off decorative landscape lighting.
Turn off lights before leaving the home or office.
Be sure outside lights are aimed down and well shielded.
Install motion sensors on outside lights to minimize use.
Prevent daylight collisions with bird friendly products for windows
Fall Migration Dates
Full Fall Migration Period: August 15 – November 30
Texas Critical Fall Peak Migration Period: September 6 – October 29
Thanks so much for reading. Be well. And please consider sharing this post with family, friends, teachers, and/or colleagues who might appreciate it.