EOTO 2 Post

Awareness: The Five Eyes Alliance

I've been hearing a lot about "fake news" these days, especially with an election approaching in November. As we complete the upcoming election cycle it's important to recognize the disinformation threats we face from outside the United States and who is helping protect us from them. One of these inter-government agencies is called The Five Eyes Alliance, or FVEY.

What is the Five Eyes Alliance?

The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing alliance that includes five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Started after World War 2 ended, its main job is to collaborate on intelligence gathering and national security issues. The Five Eyes alliance contributes to global security and intelligence gathering and plays a big role in preventing threats, enhancing international cooperation, and strengthening cybersecurity. Here are some of the ways the alliance helps keep us safe:

Intelligence Gathering

Each member country of the Five Eyes has its own intelligence capabilities, but through the alliance, they pool resources and information. This allows for a better understanding of global threats, including terrorism, espionage, cyberattacks, and the danger of weapons of mass destruction. Shared intelligence gives each member country more info than they could obtain alone.

Counterterrorism Efforts

The Five Eyes have prevented terrorist attacks by sharing intelligence about terrorist groups, potential threats, and the activities of individuals involved in planning attacks. For example, intelligence sharing between these nations has led to the stopping of major terror plots, especially in the years following 9/11. The Alliance also helps its members identify and counter espionage activities conducted by foreign states such as those of Russia and China, strengthening each member country’s ability to protect their national security.

Cybersecurity Cooperation

The Five Eyes work together to defend against threats to infrastructure, government networks, and even private companies. By sharing data on cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and attacks, member countries can improve their cybersecurity defenses and respond quickly to potential breaches. 

Coordinating Responses to Global Threats

The alliance helps member nations to coordinate responses to global threats such as pandemics, environmental crises, and large-scale geopolitical conflicts. For example, during COVID, intelligence sharing helped nations track the spread of the virus and disinformation campaigns related to the pandemic.

Protection Against State-Sponsored Disinformation

The Five Eyes help combat state-sponsored disinformation campaigns by sharing intelligence on foreign actors trying to influence elections, spread misinformation, or manipulate social media platforms. 

Overall, the Five Eyes alliance can strengthen the security and intelligence capabilities of its member nations, allowing for better protection against threats. By pooling resources, sharing data in real-time, and coordinating on common threats, the alliance helps keep its member countries safer. 

On the other hand, there are concerns that such alliances, including the Five Eyes, could actually contribute to misinformation or disinformation. Here’s how:

Too Much Secrecy and Lack of Transparency

Intelligence agencies operate in a highly secretive manner. When information is kept classified, it can lead to speculation, conspiracy theories, and misunderstandings. The lack of transparency may create an environment where false information fills the gaps left by official silence. The Five Eyes have also been involved in mass surveillance programs, which were exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013. The revelations about widespread surveillance led to public distrust of the governments involved and people started not believing what their governments told them.

Use of Media for Influence

Intelligence agencies within the Five Eyes may have connections with the media to influence narratives. This can sometimes involve the selective leaking of information to shape public perception. If misused, this tactic could contribute to the spread of misinformation or incomplete stories that mislead the public.

Censorship and Filtering

Efforts to combat disinformation, such as government-mandated censorship or content filtering, can also backfire. If the Five Eyes nations overreach in their efforts to regulate information, it could lead to accusations of suppressing free speech, fostering environments where alternative narratives (even false ones) gain traction as "truth" in response to perceived censorship.

While the Five Eyes' goal is to enhance global security, the nature of intelligence operations and the use of information in political and psychological contexts can sometimes blur the line between truth and misinformation.

Worried about Data Privacy?

If all this seems like a huge invasion of your personal data privacy, there are some things you can do to make your online browsing a little more secure. For example, you can start using a virtual private network (VPN) which would disguise your internet connection. You can also use end-to-end encryption to keep your chats private. Another good tip is to always go "incognito" when on the internet. More and more search engines are coming out like DuckDuckGo that don't track your every move. Make sure you are keeping up to date on all your devices with security devices. And always make sure to be careful what personal information you post on social media accounts.

Antiwar

The Role of the First Amendment during the Progressive Era

In the Progressive era, we learned that the interpretation of the First Amendment began shifting toward what we recognize it as today. It's interesting that up until the early 1920s, the Supreme Court viewed free speech protections as applying only to the federal government, leaving state and local governments to interpret it how they saw fit. This allowed laws like the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 to criminalize speech against the government, particularly during World War I, where war protestors were often jailed for expressing dissent. The courts upheld these laws by arguing that certain forms of speech posed a threat to national security.

But a shift started with Gitlow v. New York (1925). This case was important because the Supreme Court used the "incorporation doctrine" to extend First Amendment protections to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause. Gitlow was a socialist and was convicted for distributing material calling for the "overthrow" of the government. While the Court upheld his conviction, they acknowledged, for the first time, that the freedoms of speech and press were fundamental rights that states, not just the federal government, must respect.

This decision was revolutionary in First Amendment law, as it began the process of applying federal constitutional protections to state and local governments. Gitlow v. New York laid the foundation for a different interpretation of First Amendment rights in the U.S., changing how the courts viewed free speech and state power in a much more progressive way. It's hard to believe that during this time people were able to be arrested just because they spoke up against something they thought was wrong that our government was doing.

Antiwar Rhetoric Today

When watching video sources about war protests and First Amendment laws I can't help but think about all the protests that happened in the spring at college campuses across the U.S. over the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I think we saw a lot of these stories in the news because both Republicans and Democrats had strong opinions about what was happening. 

Some people thought that it was outrageous that college students were allowed to set up tents, hold up signs that could be thought of as anti-Semitic, and damage campus property. Others thought they should be allowed to express their First Amendment rights to voice their opinion. Now a year after the conflict started, there haven't been many protests in the news. I think that the news has stopped reporting on how many Palestinian civilians have died in the conflict and isn't on people's radars every evening like it used to be. I think it might change again if the U.S. gets more involved in the conflict. I think like all our news, we should make sure that we are checking many news sources to make sure we are getting the whole story, and letting all voices be heard.

Netflix's Journey Through the Diffusion of Innovations Theory

What is the Theory of Diffusion of Innovations?

This sociological theory explores how new inventions are adopted over time and how soon different groups use them. First talked about in Everett Rogers' 1962 book, Diffusion of Innovations, the theory outlines five key elements that drive this adoption process: the innovations themselves, the adopters, communication channels, the time factor, and the social system in which they occur.

Rogers writes about five different social groups (or adopters) that move through his theory: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. This framework applies to a wide range of phenomena, from technology and ideas to religions and professions, making it very useful and interesting.

Communication and marketing departments frequently use this theory to estimate how quickly a product will gain traction and achieve sustainability. They refer to this pivotal stage as "critical mass," the point at which a product has reached enough adoption in its market to ensure ongoing viability and potential for growth.

Netflix's Journey to Critical Mass

My EOTO post and presentation focused on Netflix and its evolution over the years. Let’s examine Netflix’s journey through the lens of the diffusion of innovations theory.

Innovators

Netflix was launched in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph as a DVD rental company. This creative new service allowed customers to rent films online without late fees, setting the foundation for its future transformations into streaming and award-winning original content production. Initially, Netflix appealed to a niche audience of tech enthusiasts eager to embrace new technology and the Internet.

At that time, Marc Randolph was an entrepreneur and marketer fresh from selling his previous start-up, while Hastings led the software company Pure Atria. Before Netflix, Randolph had pitched several ideas that Hastings ultimately rejected. It’s intriguing to consider how different the landscape might be if they had chosen one of those alternative concepts. The success of Netflix as we know it today highlights the power of that pivotal decision.

Early Adopters

Early adopters of Netflix were people who were ready for more options in movie rentals and were also tech-savvy enough to use the internet and manage the new online system that was launched. This happened during my parent's generation when they were in their 20s and using tech at work. My grandparents were not on board at this point and were happy to keep renting their movies at Blockbuster and watching local television and cable.

Early Majority 

By 2007 Netflix saw a new way forward with their new streaming model by adding a subscription model and offering movies that could be watched and downloaded online. In 2013 they started adding original content like House of Cards which brought in more subscribers ready to leave cable. 

Late Majority

By 2015 streaming became the leading way of watching movies and television and Netflix was a popular choice. Once people subscribed to it, they tended to stay and started telling their friends about new shows they were watching. This group started viewing Netflix as a better value than cable due to the huge library of on-demand content.

Laggards

The laggards to Netflix were people set in their ways and didn't want to switch from cable to on-demand streaming. They also may have been people who weren't that interested in the latest movies and TV shows until it really became the "norm" to have subscriptions to multiple platforms.

Conclusion

Netflix had a lot of advantages over its competitors as its platform became more popular. A big one was the huge content library, as well as being able to watch content on so many different devices besides televisions like phones, tablets, and desktops. The platform turned out to be very easy to use by the laggards, once they adopted the technology. As they added original content that started winning awards, word of mouth and visibility added more users, and social media added to the buzz.

Netflix’s journey through the Diffusion of Innovations Theory is a great example of how a creative idea and new innovation can move through different segments of society, from innovators to laggards, until it achieves "critical mass." Its success was driven by the advantages it offered over existing products like cable and Blockbuster, and its ability to be tried and adopted easily by a wide audience. Netflix continues to be a top media viewing platform today that I watch a lot.

The Age of Artificial Intelligence

I recently watched a documentary on PBS's Frontline titled "The Age of AI." It's incredible how much conversation is going on around artificial intelligence and its far-reaching impacts on businesses, privacy, and national security. After viewing this insightful program, I’ve reflected on the advantages and disadvantages of this emerging technology. This discussion feels particularly relevant this week with Apple’s recent phone release, featuring its own version of AI called "Apple Intelligence." Here are my thoughts on the subject.

I see challenges ahead as more and more AI technologies are added to our daily lives. Every company today is looking at how disruptive AI technologies can be used to make their operations and products more efficient. Our every move online and on our phones is being collected and sold to advertisers. Also, AI is only as good as the data it's built with. As we have discussed in this class, the internet is full of false information and humans building these databases are going to make mistakes. But in the documentary, one of the biggest downsides I learned about was that many of these new technologies will replace humans in the workforce. For example, robotics and drones will replace factory line workers and delivery people. And as "the workplace of the future" will need new skills for jobs, people will have to go back to school for training and many Americans won't be able to afford to do that. Jerry Kaplan, a computer scientist interviewed for the program stated that "without a doubt, AI will continue to drive the inequality of wealth and opportunity in this country. AI is automation and automation is the substitution of capital for labor."

I was surprised to learn in the documentary how much AI China is already using and how little privacy its citizens have. I think there is a risk that as we feed all our data behaviors to AI (on phones, our web searches) there will be people, governments, etc. that could use this info to harm us. Or, like in China, know our every single move using technologies like face recognition which would be a huge invasion of privacy in this country. They were very oppressed during COVID, with the Chinese government limiting everyone's movement. The documentary talks about China/US relations in the context of sharing technology. In the last few years since our relations have "diverged" our openness to share technology with them has also stopped. "If AI technology was oil, China would be Saudi Arabia." I think it will be interesting in the next few years how our government creates legislation to protect us from people misusing our data while competing with China to have the best tech. There are reports just this week about Biden proposing legislation against giving US cars access to Chinese "connected car" technology.

AI clearly makes our lives easier and more convenient but I definitely think there is some work to be done to also make it secure for our privacy and safety.

EOTO Technology Reviews

Big Impact of Bluetooth Tech

Today Bluetooth is part of everyday life. I did not know that Bluetooth uses radio waves and we wouldn't have it without the invention of the radio. The first model was Nordic H, followed by Nordic B, and was invented in 1994 by Dr. Jaap Haartsen. When it was time to name the new tech, a member of the group was reading about a Viking named Harold Gormsson. Harold was nicknamed "Bluetooth" because he had a front tooth that was rotting and looked blue. This technology has had a big impact on businesses and today's society and is something we use every day to wirelessly connect devices to phones, speakers, printers, and more.

U.S. Postal Service: Connecting the Nation

The Post Office is the only shipping company that delivers to every single address in the United States.  Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster by the 2nd Continental Congress in 1775. Mail was delivered by horse in 1775 and by train in 1832.

The Post Office has had a huge impact on connecting Americans by giving everyone access to being able to communicate easily. There has been a decline in how many people use postal mailing since email was invented and theft has become an issue.

Privacy Please!?! Privacy Online & Off

How do these issues affect you? Your friends and family?

After watching the Ted Talks about privacy issues and doing more research, I've found that most people are getting increasingly worried over privacy issues, with good reason. I know I am! I don't like how much companies and the government know about us based on our "digital tattoos." Not only are our online activities being tracked by "cookies" and sold to advertisers, but the internet has also become a tool for a form of abuse called cyber-harassment that 1 in 25 women have experienced. I worry about my younger nieces and nephews dealing with something like this, as well as my elderly grandparents being scammed by an unscrupulous company that got ahold of their data online or through their phones without them knowing or consenting to it. I'm reminded that I'm being tracked through social media and my phone every time I start seeing ads for products I have just been searching for, or talking to a friend about. 

What should the government be doing about these issues?

Many things in the US changed after 9/11. A change that the government enacted that had an extreme effect on our (lack of) privacy was the Patriot Act, passed into law under President George W. Bush. The act made it legal for criminal investigators to share information with intelligence officials and vice versa. This data sharing was illegal before the Patriot Act and the idea was that "this prohibition contributed to our inability to detect and stop the attacks on 9/11". But many people think these laws took things too far and the act's broad surveillance powers have the potential for abuse, leading to invasions of privacy without proper warrants and targeting of innocent people. The government could repeal this act and look at social media and online advertising companies' policies and make sure that users are able to opt out of this tracking.

What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?

Nelio Leone is a Growth Hacker who gave a Ted Talk about how he went from a data privacy skeptic to a data privacy evangelist. He shared his ideas for new "friendly tech" that empowers users while respecting basic rights. He suggests that we pass laws to make it harder for our data to be tracked and not fall into the mindset of "I didn't do anything wrong so I don't care if you track me." His point is if you give an inch, tech will cross a line and start snooping into things you don't want them too like health data. We need to be more careful about what we post online, and what we allow our tech to have access to.

The Rise of On-Demand TV Programming: NETFLIX

What is Netflix?

Can you imagine a world before we were able to stream any TV show, game, or movie easily on a subscription internet-based platform? Before steaming, people had to drive to stores like Blockbuster to rent DVDs to bring home to watch. When they were done, they’d then have to bring it back to the store. If they were late, they’d have to pay extra late fees! One of the biggest complaints about Blockbuster was that they mostly carried new releases, and only a few copies each so it was very hard to find older movies and TV shows. Netflix was invented to solve these challenges. After researching the company, I learned that the founders thought of Netflix when Reed Hastings was charged a late fee for a movie rental. The founders wanted to create an idea where customers could subscribe to rent a DVD by mail. After they turned this idea into a successful company, the founders started the idea of streaming and now has millions of subscribers. 

Netflix History 

Netflix was founded in 1998 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph (HPU's very own Innovator in Residence) because they saw a need to make borrowing movies easier and to give people more options. The first version of the company Hastings and Rudolph first rolled out was their DVD-by-Mail service. They created a website that customers could go to and choose movies from, and the DVD was mailed right to your house. After you were finished watching the movie, you would put the DVD back into an envelope that Netflix provided and ship it back. Their library was huge and included old movies as well as TV shows. Customers loved how easy it was to use, and that they were not being charged late fees. By 2000, (their 4th year) the company made $41,237,464 in revenue and had grown 607 percent from 1999. Their subscriber base grew again in 2000 when they started a personalized recommendation system that used an algorithm based on your prior selections. Then later in 2007, they started streaming which allowed subscribers to access content directly over the internet. Everyone loved this a lot better, and more people started to subscribe. As more customers added a streaming-only subscription, the DVD business got smaller and smaller. Over the years, Netflix has continued to keep up with customers’ interests with their algorithms, and by continually adding content to their platform. It also started creating original content productions, creating critically acclaimed series like “House of Cards” and “Stranger Things.” These award-winning shows brought in even more subscribers.

Impact of Netflix on the Entertainment Industry

Growing up, Netflix has always been part of my life and something I've had access to. Netflix recently reported that there are 84.11 million paid subscribers in the United States and Canada in the second quarter of 2024, representing almost 31% of all subscribers in these two countries. I can't imagine not being able to immediately have access to programming like TV series and movies by logging in to the Netflix app.

Reflection on the Eight Values of Free Expression

Over the past few weeks, I have learned about the meaning and evolution of the 1st amendment and why it's so important to Americans, but especially to journalists and bloggers. In today's political landscape, the 1st amendment is crucial to Americans and the health of our democracy which leads to the significance of the eight values of free expression. After reviewing all eight values, I believe they are all important but from a personal standpoint, there are three of these values that stand out.   

Stable Change

Stable change (or safety valve), was talked about by Benedict Spinoza and expresses that citizens are allowed to speak their thoughts and problems protectively so that there is less violence. The thought is that if you give people a safe platform to be able to speak out on topics, they won't immediately get violent. This also allows the government to oversee possible dangerous groups. This value is successful because citizens here can express how they feel while being protected under the 1st amendment. For example, Americans have the right to express their emotions during abortion protests, without the fear of being punished for their views. We can speak out against (or for) anything we want, as long as we aren’t hurting anyone and this is not a right that many other countries in the world have.

Promote Innovation

Promote Innovation, important to Jack Balkin, says that when free speech is valued and protected, citizens become more creative, and society becomes more energized and interesting. When we give everyone a chance to voice their opinions, we have the chance to hear everyone's side and pick the best of all our ideas. For example, in a debate about abortion rights, hearing multiple viewpoints could lead politicians to make laws that allow victims of rape and incest to be able to get an abortion instead of an outright ban, or add longer timeframes to when someone could get an abortion. Compromise is essential to society and thoughtful debates and discussion.

Protect Dissent 

Protect dissent, fought for by Steve Shiffrin, expresses that the 1st amendment protects all views no matter how unpopular to the masses and that any person has the right to disagree with the government and anyone else. He believed that "dissenting speech should be given special prominence in any discussion of free-speech values, as it serves as a powerful tool to challenge existing injustices and oppressive systems." A good example I can indicate is Roe v Wade getting overturned. This case of being unprotected by the constitution and being given up to the states upset so many people I personally know, and also people I saw across social media. Still today you can find celebrities and influencers sharing their resources and expressing how much of a fight it will be likely for a very long time. It’s important to free speech that people feel safe expressing their opinions on topics like these.

We are lucky to live in a place where our right to free speech is protected by our constitution, and the Eight Values of Freedom of Expressions exist to reinforce the idea that everyone has the right to express their opinions, even when unpopular. This strengthens our democracy by giving everyone space to provide ideas and have a say.