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Whenever a new news report breaks out about how tech giants like Google or Facebook have been collecting the personal data of users, the usual pattern includes some outrage, some attempt of an investigation by a government body, and then the issue just fading away. However, a new revelation shows how insidious this trend can be, involving some serious social engineering ambitions.
In a startling development, it would appear that in 2016, Google made a video that was only meant for employees of the company that shows how the personal data it collects can be used to push people towards certain actions. This video was obtained by The Verge, which reports that it was titled The Selfish Ledger.
The video lasts nine minutes and during that time, viewers are treated to an imagined future where Google’s all-powerful data-collection capabilities can supposedly be used to make people more active in doing things like saving the environment. It’s the sort of behavioral manipulation concept that can quickly spiral out of control if it was used to, say, target a particular group of people.
Reportedly made by the head of design at X, Nick Foster, the video was apparently intended to provide a disturbing look at the future of humanity. At least, this is what a spokesperson for X told the publication after The Verge reached out for a comment on the matter.
“We understand if this is disturbing -- it is designed to be,” the spokesperson said. “This is a thought-experiment by the Design team from years ago that uses a technique known as ‘speculative design’ to explore uncomfortable ideas and concepts in order to provoke discussion and debate. It’s not related to any current or future products.”
As Fortune points out, this is clearly a concept content that was never meant to be leaked. More to the point, it’s unclear how Google would even do such a thing if it was actually trying to build such a ledger, which it is denying doing.
For now, the ledger is nothing more than a scary story of what could be.
