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Did the Internet make you a criminal? How can it be proven?

Quote: "I feel like we are part of the modern day underground railroad attempting to shuttle people to safety when they do not want to leave the party where all their friends are. Divesting is a process and not something you do in one move, you can approach it in small ways."

Micky is a worker-owner of Agaric Technology Collective and at the intersection of Privacy, Cooperative Software Development and Surveillance Capitalism. She has been an elected member of the board with May First Technology Movement for several years and a passionate advocate for free software and online privacy. As the founder of CommunityBridge.com, her current focus is on communications technology using BigBlueButton video chat, a platform similar to Zoom, but different in that BBB respects your privacy and does not interact with Google or big tech companies. She been instrumental working with civic groups to change laws that violate our human rights (See Culley vs. Marshall: amicus brief links below)  Her dedication to user privacy has made a significant impact in fostering secure online communities and helping people form or join cooperatives. Micky's approach continues to inspire others to prioritize privacy and collaboration in the digital world.

 

Simply put - You can fall into a criminal category just by visiting a website/forum or being at a location that a criminal has visited at the same time.

 

Google has ONE off switch for you. 

 

If all of your documents are stored on Google servers, or on any corporation's servers, it gives them access to delete all of your files at anytime and block your access to recover them. How many people know all of the email addresses and phone numbers of family and friends?  Not many if any. The best solution to prevent this is to have your tools, services and information hosted by companies or cooperative entities that share your values. That is why Agaric has chosen May First as our host for many years.

Diversify your tools and services. Mayfirst.org offers a suite of free software tools that respect your privacy.
Agaric.coop builds and customizes fee software, web sites, applications and data management.

 

What is Free Software?  Why do we need Free Software?

 

Here are some of the tools, methods and policies that can be used to target you as a criminal today --

Predictive Policing is a dangerous method of using statistics to determine if you 'might' commit a crime in the future :

Facial Recognition - how can it fail us?:
Is the iPhone X's Facial Recognition Twin Compatible?

 

Shotspotter: Minneapolis schools secretly partnered with ShotSpotter surveillance company.

 

Geofencing: Creepy or cool, privacy experts are concerned  about Geofencing. Companies are putting up invisible electronic barriers that divulge your location when you enter or go through the perimeter  of the electronic 'fence' - using GPS and other tools they can determine your exact location at anytime.

 

Fusion centers where all of our information is aggregated to be used in court cases to convict you of crimes you may not be aware of.

 

BlueLeaks: San Diego fusion center's records hacked, posted online.

For Black drivers, a police officer's first 45 words are a portent of what's to come...
A Black driver is more likely to face being searched, handcuffed, or arrested when a police officer's first words are commands rather than a greeting or an explanation.
 

Meet the Robo Cops | Law Enforcement's AI and law enforcement

RICO Laws are being used to convict large groups of people that are sometimes tangentially linked to actual criminals> Music industry
Self-snitching

Solutions ---

Work locally think and when possible act globally - if it is happening there it will be happening here sooner than later. 

Text messaging: Signal Messenger or Telegram Messenger
Video chat platform: BigBlueButton and the BigBlueButton issue queue

 

Agaric's BLOG - Daily Business Operations Using Free Software

 

Real life solutions to stay safer at live events: ActSecure

 

Where to Find Free Software - Switching.software and Alternative to.

 

Robert Braxman's channel with many videos on staying safer online.

 

As a member of Restore the Fourth, Micky is working to protect 4th amendment rights and we submitted a brief urging the SCOTUS to accept a civil asset forfeiture case, Culley v. Marshall, and they did! There is only a 2% chance of any given case being accepted. 
Links:
Culley v. Marshall
What is civil asset forfeiture?  

Our next work is on abolishing Qualified Immunity for police and agents of "authority"  -  What is Qualified Immunity?

See Micky speak at a webinar hosted by the Center for Global Justice in June 2023.

Other Links of Interest:

IBM's Watson

Lethal Autonomous Weapons Pledge - Future of Life Institute

Google's Code Of Ethics For AI Bans Its Use In Weaponry

Establishing an AI code of ethics will be harder than people think - MIT Technology Review

Elon Musk Trolls Zuckerberg: "You Don't Understand How A.I. Works"

We Won't Build Killer AI Weapons: Elon Musk And Deep Mind Founders Take Oath

Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

Microsoft's Ethical Reckoning Is Here | WIRED

Microsoft Calls For Federal Regulation of Facial Recognition | WIRED

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_standard
OpenCog - Wikipedia

Bill Hibbard - Wikipedia

Ethics of artificial intelligence - Wikipedia

As an example of personality attributes one can assess already using watson AI and twitter feeds - free course -

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