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Tristan Harris Congress Testimony: Technological Deception in the Social Media Age
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Tristan Harris Congress Testimony: Technological Deception in the Social Media Age

The Dark Side of Technology

In this section, the speaker introduces himself and expresses his concerns about the negative impact of technology on people's minds.

Concerns About Deception

  • The speaker has experience with deception as a magician and studied at Stanford's persuasive technology lab.
  • The issue is not just a few bad apples or content, but rather dark patterns in the infrastructure that controls how 2.7 billion people make sense of the world.

Harmful Effects on Children

  • Children spend as much time on devices as they do in school, which affects their mental health.
  • Social media companies monetize attention by getting children addicted to likes and followers, using filters to enhance self-image.
  • Mental health issues among teen girls have increased significantly since the rise of Instagram.

Business Model and Polarization

  • The business model is based on polarization because it rewards affirmation over information.
  • Platforms naturally reward conspiracy theories and outrage, leading to a race to the bottom of the brainstem.
  • Lack of protection from bad actors leads to an information trust meltdown.

Technology Companies and Misinformation

In this section, the speaker discusses how technology companies profit by dividing people into echo chambers and degrading productivity and mental health. The speaker suggests expanding the jurisdiction of existing agencies to protect tech platforms.

Existing Agencies for Digital Update

  • The speaker suggests expanding the jurisdiction of existing agencies such as Department of Education, Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health to protect tech platforms.
  • The speaker proposes using existing agencies to audit Facebook on a quarterly basis to reduce addiction among users.
  • There should be a quarterly loop between each agency asking questions that force accountability with companies for areas under their existing jurisdiction.

Dissemination of Misinformation Online

In this section, the speaker talks about deceptive content online and whether platforms are doing enough to stop its dissemination. The speaker proposes bringing back protections similar to those in place for Saturday morning cartoons.

Protections Against Deceptive Content

  • Platforms are not doing enough because their business model is misaligned with solving the problem.
  • Bring back protections similar to those in place for Saturday morning cartoons.
  • Use Department of Health and Human Services to audit Facebook on a quarterly basis and reduce addiction among users.

Election Interference Strategies

In this section, the speaker discusses election interference strategies from 2016 and 2018 election cycles. The speaker suggests a mass public awareness campaign to inoculate the public against these strategies.

Public Awareness Campaign Against Election Interference

  • A mass public awareness campaign is needed to inoculate the public against election interference strategies.

Don't Be a Sucker

In this section, the speaker talks about a propaganda film called "Don't Be a Sucker" from 1947 that warned against fascist propaganda and how it was seen as a national security threat to the country.

The Need for Public Awareness Campaigns

  • The speaker suggests having mass public awareness campaigns to educate people on the dangers of influence operations.
  • Technology companies could help distribute these campaigns to reach more people.

Back Notification of Influence Operations

  • Facebook has the ability to back notify individuals who were targeted by an influence operation.
  • This would help raise awareness and make people aware of the techniques used to manipulate them.

Protecting Digital Borders

  • There is currently no Pentagon-like organization to protect digital borders.
  • Facebook's fact-checking services are understaffed and underfunded, making it difficult for them to respond effectively.

Undermining Election Integrity Efforts

  • Facebook's own employees wrote a letter stating that their current political ads policy undermines election integrity efforts.
  • These employees have done research queries and understand how bad the issue is.
Video description

Tristan Harris, President and Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, testified at the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing, on Wednesday, January 8, 2020. The hearing was entitled, “Americans at Risk: Manipulation and Deception in the Digital Age.” His opening statement and subsequent answers to the congressional Q&A highlight the urgency of the issue of technological deception and manipulation. #TheCenterforHumaneTechnology #TheSocialDilemma #socialmedia #technology ***** The Center for Humane Technology, a non-profit organization working to catalyze a humane future, helped bring you The Social Dilemma, the Netflix documentary that chronicles the existential threats posed by social media. Help us turn the massive momentum of the film into lasting change: https://humanetech.com/the-social-dilemma Check out our podcast, Your Undivided Attention: https://humanetech.com/podcast And learn more about our work: https://humanetech.com