The second E-Talk session during the Social Development Week 2022 tackled the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) surveillance and how AI impacts democracy and human rights. We share the presentation of Ms. JM Sarmiento, the Education and Research Officer of the Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU), and notes from her discussion with Ms. Cathy Ruiz, our moderator, and the audience. 

Overview of AI

• “Artificial intelligence leverages computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.” (source: IBM) Its common uses are email filtering, fraud detection, speech recognition, and personalization. Online services and applications like Spotify, Gmail, Facebook, and Netflix use AI. 
• With the Information Age comes the availability of technology, computational power, and use of large amounts of data. Because data is the fuel for AI, this resulted in massive data collection combined with a lack of data security, and generation and collection of data without the knowledge and consent of the users. The Philippine government passed the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173), but we have yet to see it effectively implemented.
• We then see the rise of Surveillance Capitalism, where the product for sale is people’s personal data captured and produced based on mass surveillance of the internet. Cambridge Analytica uses AI methods and techniques along with data from social media sites like Facebook to assess people and their voting preferences, then later on send them political ads. 

Weaponization of AI through Surveillance

• With the developments in AI, authoritarian states and countries with low levels of political rights are investing heavily in AI surveillance techniques, ex. to identify people who wish to remain anonymous and to profile people based upon population-scale data. In the USA, China, and Myanmar, AI has been used to target activists, dissenters, or groups of people based on characteristics, including ethnicity, race, and gender. 
• In the Philippines, surveillance of terrorists and suspects’ personal information, bank records, or private communications can be conducted without their knowledge for up to 90 days (Anti-Terror Law, Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012). 
• The National ID system collects personal data including biometrics, while the recently passed Sim Card Registration Law requires users to register their sim card and personal information. (The CPU opposes this law in its entirety and claims that the law cannot solve the problems it claims to solve.) 
• The above examples show that there is an ongoing trend of pushing legislation that enables state surveillance. Yet, the government fails to be transparent and to prove itself trustworthy. 

Upholding our Democratic Rights against AI

The Philippine Digital Justice Initiative (PDJI) is an initiative of the Computer Professionals’ Union, advocates of information and communications technology, to unpack the impact of an increasingly digital Philippines by analyzing how digitalization and datafication affect Philippine democracy, human rights, poverty and inequality, and social movements. To uphold our democratic rights, the PDJI says: 

1. Information must be free from monopolization and totalitarian control. 

• We must be able to use and experience various digital public spaces without being actively taken-advantage of by any interest groups. 
• A break from foreign dependence in hardware and software will ensure that developing technologies cater to the local demands and needs of Filipinos.
• Data storage must be decentralized in order to mitigate the risks of any single institution monopolizing data, and exposing and compromising people’s data.  
• Campaign to strengthen the implementation of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (which remains weak and ineffective to date) and to have laws that protect data rather than collect data. 

2. Data rights are human rights.

• We must understand that personal data is an extension of our identities. Be aware of data privacy risks in work operations and personal use of digital platforms and correct them. 
• Stay ahead of developments in digital space and implications of new relevant legislations 
• The rhetoric “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear” is propagated by those who benefit from mass surveillance. Every individual has the right to choose whom they share their information with. Laws and policies must protect this right and not legitimize mass surveillance.
• We have the right to be properly informed of and have control over the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of their data. 
• The government must prepare and equip the people with the knowledge tools and safeguards against possible ill-effects of digitalization, automation, AI, and other social and technical changes brought about by rapidly evolving technologies. 
• There is no way to avoid AI if one chooses to continue using social media or online services or applications. Continue to campaign and hold the platforms accountable – gather the attention of our fellow citizens and support these initiatives. We need to be conscious about giving our data (we and our data have become the products) on the internet because even privacy settings are not enough protection. 

To watch the recording of this session, click here. 

Know more about the Social Development Week! 

Visit https://code-ngo.org/socialdevelopmentweek

Philippine Digital Justice Initiative

digitaljustice.cp-union.com 

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