The Future is Now

Society loves our dystopian fiction. Black Mirror, The Handmaid's Tale, Severance, and those are just a few of the most acclaimed ones set in the near future. But these days, watching these shows feels more and more like watching a documentary on current events. I'm not just talking politically but in terms of technology and the role it plays in society as well (in keeping with the theme of The New Oil). As a science fiction junkie, it's chilling to take in media like early Black Mirror or Dave Egger's The Every and have this sinking feeling like I'm staring into the future. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, I'm not anymore because the future is here.

1984

One podcaster I listen to frequently makes the comment that “good science fiction is only fiction for a time.” This is because the secret sauce of quality dystopian Sci-Fi is that it's almost never about the future, it's actually a reflection of the present taken to it's logical conclusion. I don't think it would take much convincing for readers to believe that companies would gladly “sever” an employee's mind to protect intellectual property, and numerous Black Mirror episodes are either a reflection of current societal issues around technology that already exists or is coming soon (probably – in many cases – thanks to Black Mirror inspiring psychopaths with “more dollars than sense,” as my mom used to say). We are living in a dystopian Sci-Fi story right now, as I type this, in real-time (minus the “Fi” part, I guess).

On Dystopia

There are several defining characteristics of dystopian stories:

When you look at it through this lens, our dystopian society is undeniable (though of course not every single bullet point is true across the board). Already there are countless voices confidently declaring that privacy is dead and we should all just accept the surveillance state and move on (ironically, those who proclaim this the loudest are those who stand the most to gain from it). There's also numerous studies and examples of self-censorship in our surveillance-based society where individuals fear speaking out and fully expressing themselves. All the while, companies and governments tell us that encryption is enabling crime and targeted ads are good for keeping our experience enjoyable and the internet “free.”

Veteran readers know, however, that none of these narratives are true. In the search link I shared you can easily see that debate rages on over privacy's health. Studies have repeatedly failed to show any correlation between increased surveillance and a decrease in crime, and police refuse to disclose exactly how harmful encryption allegedly is to their investigations (though experts I've spoken to say that it's hardly an issue at all in reality). Meanwhile, advertising is harming the internet more than helping it, and aren't particularly effective anyways.

We are, by definition, living in a dystopia.

A New Hope

But all is not lost. One of the defining characteristics of dystopia is the lack of autonomy and choice. While things certainly seem that way, that perception is – I believe – just another way companies violate us and force their will on us. They tell us “this is just the price you have to pay for a free internet” and “there's no point in trying” (“they already know everything about me anyways,” right?) This is part of the last bullet point: this is a false narrative. We are not powerless. But how do we break free?

I'm sorry to say there is no easy button. That's not to say fighting back is hard or requires extreme measures, but sadly I can't just “download BSVPN and become anonymous, super-secure Hackerman online!” Instead, it requires us to recognize that we do have choice, to decide what we want our relationship with Big Tech to look like, and then to do what we can to make that a reality.

The first step is to define our values and concerns. If you're familiar with the concept of a threat model, this is very similar. A threat model says that it's impossible to defend against all threats all the time, so it's important to establish what's most important and what you'd like to prioritize. I believe it's also important to establish needs and boundaries with our Big Tech. Needs are – as the name implies – things we need our tech to do for us. I need a navigation app that can factor in traffic because I live in an area with bad and unpredictable traffic congestions. Some people need features like data export, ability to self-host, or accessibility features (which don't get enough love in the privacy space, but that's a blog post for another time). Boundaries, on the other hand, are “dealbreakers.” These are things that we say “I won't accept this and will actively refuse to use this product because I feel it doesn't respect me.” For some people, boundaries might include certain types of data collection or company behavior. If a company has a data breach and then tries to downplay or hide it, I would consider that a dealbreaker. It's worth noting that all of these are incredibly subjective. Everyone has a different threat model, different needs, and different boundaries. Some people find Signal's use of AWS and other Big Tech infrastructure to be an unforgiveable boundary while others need the ease of use. Both of these are perfectly valid personal choices.

Once we have established our threat model, needs, and boundaries, we're now equipped to start the most important part: acting on it. The vast majority of unrealized dreams aren't the result of failure, but failure to execute. So many people say “I'd love to travel the world someday” or “I'd love to write a book,” but they fail to set aside time to write each day or sit down and create a plan for how to make that travel happen. Once we've got our vision in mind of how we want our relationship with Big Tech to look, we simply have to figure out how to make that real.

There's tons of resources out there on this topic. For privacy and security specifically, there's my site, Techlore, Privacy Guides, Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons, and more. There's books, YouTube channels, podcasts, and more for different learning styles. Then there's related topics that can help you with other values like digital minimalism, productivity, data sovereignty, and more. Those fall outside the scope of this blog post but I just wanted to recognize that there are many facets of life and our world. While there are some basic “best practices” we can take in all areas of life to do our part to make the world (and our lives) a better place, there's always going to be certain things rank higher on your list of concerns, passions, and values than others. Maybe you're not super into the privacy aspect of Big Tech boundaries, but you like the idea of digital minimalism and spending less time doomscrolling. That's fine.

Since this project focuses on privacy and security, I'm going to focus on those things. I believe there are some “best practices” that can be taken to start both protecting yourself online and also enforcing your boundaries with Big Tech. Here's a few if you're interested:

Again, there's a plethora of other tips and advice on my own site as well as the others I listed if this is something you want to learn more about or find more tools to help you create your new digital relationships.

It's not too late to fight dystopia. While this can take the form of activism and extreme measures, it can also be simple and personal. By taking the time to do some introspection and figure out how we want our tech companies to treat us and then seeking out those tools and services that align with our values, we start to make change little by little and improve our own personal lives. It may not always be easy, but we as people deserve to be treated with respect, to be given choice and control over ourselves and our digital lives and online experiences, and things aren't as hopeless or inevitable as it can sometimes seem. You are a person and you deserve respect, both IRL (“in real life”) and online. I hope you'll demand that respect from your devices and services.

Tech changes fast, so be sure to check TheNewOil.org for the latest recommendations on tools, services, settings, and more. You can find our other content across the web here or support our work in a variety of ways here. You can also leave a comment on this post here: Discuss...