{"id":94161,"date":"2022-09-28T10:10:28","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T10:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=94161"},"modified":"2022-09-28T10:10:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T10:10:28","slug":"wef-proposes-globalized-plan-to-police-online-content-using-artificial-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wef-proposes-globalized-plan-to-police-online-content-using-artificial-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"WEF Proposes Globalized Plan to Police Online Content Using Artificial Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World Economic Forum published, in August, an article calling for an online censorship system powered by a combination of artificial and human intelligence that one critic suggested would \u201cglobalize\u201d the \u201csearch for wrongthink.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Warning about a \u201cdark world of online harms<\/em>\u201d that must be addressed, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published, in August, an article<\/a> calling for a \u201csolution<\/em>\u201d to \u201conline abuse<\/em>\u201d that would be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The proposal calls for a system, based on AI, that would automate the censorship of \u201cmisinformation\u201d and \u201chate speech\u201d and work to overcome the spread of \u201cchild abuse, extremism, disinformation, hate speech and fraud<\/em>\u201d online.<\/p>\n

According to the author of the article, Inbal Goldberger, human \u201ctrust and safety teams<\/em>\u201d alone are not fully capable of policing such content online.<\/p>\n

Goldberger is vice president of ActiveFence Trust & Safety, a technology company based in New York City and Tel Aviv that claims it \u201cautomatically collects data from millions of sources and applies contextual AI to power trust and safety operations of any size<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of relying solely on human moderation teams, Goldberger proposes a system based on \u201chuman-curated, multi-language, off-platform intelligence<\/em>\u201d \u2014 in other words, input provided by \u201cexpert\u201d human sources that would then create \u201clearning sets\u201d that would train the AI to recognize purportedly harmful or dangerous content.<\/p>\n

This \u201coff-platform intelligence\u201d \u2014 more machine learning than AI per se<\/em>, according to Didi Rankovic of ReclaimTheNet.org<\/em> \u2014 would be collected from \u201cmillions of sources<\/em>\u201d and would then be collated and merged before being used for \u201ccontent removal decisions<\/em>\u201d on the part of \u201cInternet platforms<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Goldberger, the system would supplement \u201csmarter automated detection with human expertise<\/em>\u201d and will allow for the creation of \u201cAI with human intelligence baked in<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, in turn, would provide protection against \u201cincreasingly advanced actors misusing platforms in unique ways<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA human moderator who is an expert in European white supremacy won\u2019t necessarily be able to recognize harmful content in India or misinformation narratives in Kenya<\/em>,\u201d Goldberger explained.<\/p>\n

However, \u201cBy uniquely combining the power of innovative technology, off-platform intelligence collection and the prowess of subject-matter experts who understand how threat actors operate, scaled detection of online abuse can reach near-perfect precision<\/em>\u201d as these learning sets are \u201cbaked in\u201d to the AI over time, Goldberger said.<\/p>\n

This would, in turn, enable \u201ctrust and safety teams<\/em>\u201d to \u201cstop threats rising online before they reach users<\/em>,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

In his analysis of what Goldberger\u2019s proposal might look like in practice, blogger Igor Chudov explained how content policing on social media today occurs on a platform-by-platform basis.<\/p>\n

For example, Twitter content moderators look only at content posted to that particular platform, but not at a user\u2019s content posted outside Twitter.<\/p>\n

Chudov argued this is why the WEF appears to support a proposal to \u201cmove beyond the major Internet platforms, in order to collect intelligence about people and ideas everywhere else<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch an approach<\/em>,\u201d Chudov wrote, \u201cwould allow them to know better what person or idea to censor \u2014 on all major platforms at once<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cintelligence\u201d collected by the system from its \u201cmillions of sources\u201d would, according to Chudov, \u201cdetect thoughts that they do not like<\/em>,\u201d resulting in \u201ccontent removal decisions handed down to the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and so on \u2026 a major change from the <\/em>status quo of each platform deciding what to do based on messages posted to that specific platform only<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this way, \u201cthe search for wrongthink becomes globalized<\/em>,\u201d concludes Chudov.<\/p>\n

In response to the WEF proposal, ReclaimTheNet.org<\/em> pointed out that \u201cone can start discerning the argument here \u2026 as simply pressuring social networks to start moving towards \u2018preemptive censorship<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Chudov posited that the WEF is promoting the proposal because it \u201cis becoming a little concerned<\/em>\u201d as \u201cunapproved opinions are becoming more popular, and online censors cannot keep up with millions of people becoming more aware and more vocal<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Daily Caller<\/em>, \u201cThe WEF document did not specify how members of the AI training team would be decided, how they would be held accountable or whether countries could exercise controls over the AI<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a disclaimer accompanying Goldberger\u2019s article, the WEF reassured the public that the content expressed in the piece \u201cis the opinion of the author, not the World Economic Forum<\/em>,\u201d adding that \u201cthis article has been shared on websites that routinely misrepresent content and spread misinformation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the WEF appears to be open to proposals like Goldberger\u2019s. For instance, a May 2022 article<\/a> on the WEF website proposes Facebook\u2019s \u201cOversight Board<\/u>\u201d as an example of a \u201creal-world governance model<\/em>\u201d that can be applied to governance in the metaverse.<\/p>\n

And, as Chudov noted, \u201cAI content moderation slots straight into the AI social credit score system.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

UN, backed by Gates Foundation, also aiming to \u2018break chain of misinformation\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WEF isn\u2019t the only entity calling for more stringent policing of online content and \u201cmisinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, UNESCO recently announced<\/a> a partnership with Twitter, the European Commission and the World Jewish Congress leading to the launch of the #ThinkBeforeSharing campaign, to \u201cstop the spread of conspiracy theories<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

According to UNESCO:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a worrying rise in disinformation and conspiracy theories.<\/em><\/p>\n

Conspiracy theories can be dangerous: they often target and discriminate against vulnerable groups, ignore scientific evidence and polarize society with serious consequences. This needs to stop<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNESCO\u2019s director-general, Audrey Azoulay, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cConspiracy theories cause real harm to people, to their health, and also to their physical safety. They amplify and legitimize misconceptions about the pandemic, and reinforce stereotypes which can fuel violence and violent extremist ideologies<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNESCO said the partnership with Twitter informs people that events occurring across the world are not \u201csecretly manipulated behind the scenes by powerful forces with negative intent<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNESCO issued guidance for what to do in the event one encounters a \u201cconspiracy theorist\u201d online: One must \u201creact\u201d immediately by posting a relevant link to a \u201cfact-checking website\u201d in the comments.<\/p>\n

UNESCO also provides advice to the public in the event someone encounters a \u201cconspiracy theorist\u201d in the flesh. In that case, the individual should avoid arguing, as \u201cany argument may be taken as proof that you are part of the conspiracy and reinforce that belief<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The #ThinkBeforeSharing<\/em> campaign provides a host of infographics and accompanying materials intended to explain what \u201cconspiracy theories\u201d are, how to identify them, how to report on them and how to react to them more broadly.<\/p>\n

According to these materials, conspiracy theories have six things in common, including:<\/p>\n

\u2022 An \u201calleged, secret plot.\u201d
\n\u2022 A \u201cgroup of conspirators.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201c\u2018Evidence\u2019 that seems to support the conspiracy theory.\u201d
\n\u2022 Suggestions that \u201cfalsely\u201d claim \u201cnothing happens by accident and that there are no coincidences,\u201d and that \u201cnothing is as it appears and everything is connected.\u201d
\n\u2022 They divide the world into \u201cgood or bad.\u201d
\n\u2022 They scapegoat people and groups.<\/p>\n

UNESCO doesn\u2019t entirely dismiss the existence of \u201cconspiracy theories,\u201d instead admitting that \u201creal conspiracies large and small DO exist<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the organization claims, such \u201cconspiracies\u201d are \u201cmore often centered on single self-contained events, or an individual like an assassination or a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat<\/em>\u201d and are \u201creal\u201d only if \u201cunearthed by the media<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the WEF and UNESCO, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council earlier this year adopted \u201ca plan of action to tackle disinformation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cplan of action,\u201d sponsored by the U.S., U.K., Ukraine, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, emphasizes \u201cthe primary role that governments have, in countering false narratives<\/em>,\u201d while expressing concern for:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe increasing and far-reaching negative impact on the enjoyment and realization of human rights of the deliberate creation and dissemination of false or manipulated information intended to deceive and mislead audiences, either to cause harm or for personal, political or financial gain<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even countries that did not officially endorse the Human Rights Council plan expressed concerns about online \u201cdisinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For instance, China identified such \u201cdisinformation\u201d as \u201ca common enemy of the international community.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

An earlier UN initiative, in partnership with the WEF, \u201crecruited 110,000 information volunteers<\/em>\u201d who would, in the words of UN global communications director Melissa Fleming, act as \u201cdigital first responders<\/em>\u201d to \u201conline misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UN\u2019s #PledgeToPause<\/em> initiative, although recently circulating as a new development on social media, was announced in November 2020, and was described by the UN as \u201cthe first global behaviour-change campaign on misinformation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The campaign is part of a broader UN initiative, \u201cVerified,\u201d that aims to recruit participants to disseminate \u201cverified content optimized for social sharing<\/em>,\u201d stemming directly from the UN communications department.<\/p>\n

Fleming said at the time that the UN also was \u201cworking with social media platforms to recommend changes<\/em>\u201d to \u201chelp break the chain of misinformation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both \u201cVerified\u201d and the #PledgeToPause<\/em> campaign still appear to be active as of the time of this writing.<\/p>\n

The \u201cVerified\u201d initiative is operated in conjunction with Purpose, an activist group that has collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Health Organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Google and Starbucks.<\/p>\n

Since 2019, the UN has been in a strategic partnership with the WEF based on six \u201careas of focus,\u201d one of which is \u201cdigital cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

yogaesoteric
\nSeptember 28, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The World Economic Forum published, in August, an article calling for an online censorship system powered by a combination of artificial and human intelligence that one critic suggested would \u201cglobalize\u201d the \u201csearch for wrongthink.\u201d Warning about a \u201cdark world of online harms\u201d that must be addressed, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published, in August, an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1374],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-threat-of-artificial-intelligence-3480-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94168,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94161\/revisions\/94168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}