How we can use technology to increase our freedom - and outsmart governments and companies who want the opposite - Lecture at Psy-Fi 2017

How we can use technology
to increase our freedom
and outsmart governments and
companies who want the opposite
Dr. Matthijs Pontier

Contents:
• Lessons from tech dystopia’s
• Self-driving cars as an example
• Platform capitalism and the harms of monopolization of tech
• Privacy protection / Safe communication
• Machine ethics
• Darkweb marketplaces
• Universal Basic Income
• E-Democracy
Contents
Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, How we can use tech to increase our freedom

 Free sharing of information, art and culture
 Evidence-based policy with long-term vision
 Stimulate self-determination, but keep rights
 Trust civilians vs Distrust ‘power'
 Enthusiastic about tech, but alert on risks
 Tech to empower people; not to repress
Basic principles PPNL

Using tech for good:
Improving autonomy

Road safety ;)

Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, How we can use tech to increase our freedomMatthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, How we can use tech to increase our freedom

More room for people and plants

Who will control ‘smart’ cars?

Who will control ‘smart’ cars?
Hackers?
Viruses?
Terrorists?
Car company that calls them back if you don’t pay?
The AI that tells you what to do?
Or will they control themselves?

Local vs Centralized data

Monopolization

The bigger the
company
-> Bigger power
concentration
-> Bigger chance that
this company will
use its power in
malicious ways

Need to stop corporate surveillance
Regulate Big Business vs
More freedom for small startups

Safe communication is necessary for progress
We won’t know what will be
prohibited when and where
 Self-censorship
If we would have had current
control systems in the past,
would homosexuality still be
illegal?
Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, Using tech to increase freedom

The government won’t protect your privacy

Enrypt your e-mail Protonmail
Encrypt phone / messaging Signal
Use adblockers and DNT uBlock / DNT
Use TOR browser and VPN
Don’t use services from Google, Facebook or Uber
If something is free, YOU (or actually, your data) are the product
Removing something from the internet can be practically impossible
Privacy: DIY Solutions

Techno-progressivism / Commons
Democratize the way technologies are built
Costs, risks, and benefits of tech are equally shared
Equal access to technologies
Develop tech in a way that promotes happiness

Emotionally intelligent robots?
Speed-dating Experiment

Smart technology
Als technologie voor je denkt
bepalen programmeurs dan wat je denkt?
Dr. Matthijs Pontier, Piratenpartij – HvA, HBO Rechten, 2-9-2016

Machine Ethics
Machines are becoming more autonomous
Machines and algorithms increasingly influence our lives
We should manage that machines do not harm us
or threaten our autonomy
31Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, How we can use tech to increase our freedom

Moral reasoning system
We developed moral reasoning system
that balances between several moral goals
32Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017, How we can use tech to increase our freedom

Autonomy
33
Results:
Able to simulate judge
decisions about:
•Assertive outreach
•Judicial coercion after self-
binding declaration

Cars that make ethical decisions

Why we should have
mandatory Machine Ethics

Why we should have mandatory
Machine Ethics

Why we should have
mandatory Machine Ethics

Why we should have mandatory
Machine Ethics
AI-Safety
Make sure the intelligence explosion benefits us
Democratically decide about ethics technology

Why every AI
should be open-soure
Algorithms and robots will increasingly influence our lives
Who will control the programmers?
Good ideas are made to be copied:
Creating extra value with no extra costs

Book: Machine Medical Ethics
40
• How to develop robots with
human-like ethics?
• Need for Open Source
• How to use healthcare tech in a
way that improves well-being
• Changed doctor-patient relation
• Deep Brain Stimulation
• Sex-robots
• Etc.

 Darkweb marketplaces move part of the supply-chain to legal market
 Safest way to buy (and sell) drugs
Darkweb marketplaces
Matthijs Pontier, Psy-Fi 2017, 16-08-2017,

• More efficient supply-chain
• Transparency in the supply-chain
• Privacy for consumers
• Decentralization prevents power-concentration

15-12-16

Money sovereignity
Pay cash wherever possible
Demand paying cash where it’s not possible
For online transactions, use bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency)
(bitcoin now
worth more than paypal)

Universal Basic Income
• Stops poverty and bureaucracy
• No need for control-systems that invade our privacy
• Level playing field on labour market
• Simulates entrepreneurship and creativity
Experiments 
 More education
 More entrepreneurship
 More useful work
 Less health problems

e-Democracy
• Easily participate in democratic process
• Vote on ideas; not on parties or persons
• Power of Ideas replace the idea of power

• citiz
ens
.is
Better Alamance

• Everybody can add ideas
• Everybody can add arguments
• Best ideas and arguments automatically
come up
How does it work?

• Don’t vote once every few years, but always adjust vote
• Representation can differ per subject
• Representation is voluntary
• Makes representation personal; implies trust
Representation in an e-Democracy

Crowdsourcing a Constitution for the EU
 Constitution was voted down in referendum
 Lisbon-treaty largely same; no referendum
 Symbolic for democratic deficit in EU
 EU should be by the people, for the people
 https://peoples-constitution.yrpri.org/community/468
Twitter: @CrowdsourceEU
Facebook: Crowdsource Europe

Thanks!
• @Matthijs85
• Matthijs Pontier
• matthijs@piratenpartij.nl
• http://www.piratenpartij.nl/
• @Piratenpartij
•
• Actief worden?
• vrijwilligers@piratenpartij.nl

More reading and watching
Intelligent cars could boost highway capacity by 273%
Autonomous Car Platoons
How to hack a car
Zelfrijdende auto's moeten leren wie ze dood willen rijden
Vrij van controledrift, bureaucratie en armoede met een basisinkomen
Boek: Machine Medical Ethics
Zorgrobots, maar geen botte zorg
Crowdsource EU: People's Constitution
De toekomst van democratie volgens Matthijs Pontier van de Piratenpartij

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How we can use technology to increase our freedom - and outsmart governments and companies who want the opposite - Lecture at Psy-Fi 2017