PSFK talks to Nuala O’Connor about the importance of advocating for basic human rights in the online space
Innovation is the new currency in today’s Idea Economy. In recognition of the leaders who are disrupting our tech-driven world, the editors at thought leadership site PSFK.com partnered with HP Matter to create the Innovators Index, a roster of digital pioneers making a global impact. This week we’ve featured Nuala O’Connor for her efforts in ensuring the civil and human rights of the individual online.
If nothing else, the Edward Snowden controversy raised awareness around the amount of personal information that exists about us online and who may have access to it. But long before these stunning revelations came to light, forward-thinking organizations have been advocating on behalf of our digital freedoms. As the details of our lives increasingly move online, these groups are becoming critical to helping define our collective digital futures.
As part of our series of interviews for the Innovators Index, we spoke to Nuala O’Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit driving policy that keeps the web open, innovative and free. In our conversation, Nuala shares her thoughts on the current hot button issues in the digital space and what that means for the future of personal information online.
PSFK: Please tell us about your work at the CDT.
Nuala: At just over 21 years old, the Center for Democracy & Technology is one of the oldest advocacy organizations in the Internet space. We advocate for the civil and human rights of the individual online, like the right to privacy, the right to free expression, and the right to freedom of association.
We also work collaboratively with both companies and the government on things like Internet governance and the promotion of equality and democratic values online. We do that through editorials as well as government and company advocacy. At times, we litigate at the Supreme Court and circuit courts all over the United States and in Europe.
In all parts of the world, we try to promote the basic human values of dignity and freedom in the online world.
PSFK: What are the key challenges around personal privacy?
Nuala: I think there’re two main threats. Our focus is on data collection, but we see a fairly bright line between data collected by the government and data collected by companies.
In terms of the government, harm could come to you as an individual from either miscollection or misidentification. The government can deprive you of rights. It can put you in jail and limit your citizenship based on this misinformation.
With regard to the private sector, for the most part we know what data is being collected. Amazon tells you right there in the headline, “This product is being recommended to you based on what you have bought before.” It’s fundamentally transparent. Our concern in the private sector is about more opaque data collection or excessive data collection that was not relevant to the transaction at hand.
In terms of the greater debate around surveillance, data collected in the private sector can end up in the hands of the government, and we walk a very fine line between those two data sets.
PSFK: What motivates you and what do you enjoy most about your work?
Nuala: At a personal level, I’m a mom of three very young kids and the world that they live in will be profoundly different than the world you and I live in today. Professionally I am motivated by the vision of the Internet as a great enabler of human potential.
In a digitally enabled world, there’s an amazing opportunity for humankind to solve basic social issues around education, healthcare, the environment and energy. However, with all of these great technologies comes an increasing intrusion on your most personal information. Granular data like what’s going on inside your house, inside your car, inside your school classroom. Whoever has that access to that data has the power to manipulate it, and it is largely left up to them to enforce a certain kind of morality or standard around behavior.
The voice of CDT is to remind people of the great potential that the Internet brings to connect people and create greater knowledge and understanding.
PSFK: Where do you seek out inspiration and what are your biggest daily challenges?
Nuala: Many people in the world say, “I don’t really care what my government knows about me. I’ve never done anything wrong and I want to catch the bad guys.” When you deepen that conversation you begin to understand there are things happening which the average person doesn’t even know about.
What happens if your government starts making judgments about you based on data that’s incorrect? It can be very hard to correct that issue once it’s in the hands of the federal government. Surveillance can be an amorphous issue, but specific examples call out real reasons for concern.
As individuals we need to make intelligent choices about what data we share, but the onus is also on good, responsible companies and governments to limit their data collection and be responsible in their use of data once it is collected.
PSFK: What does the term “disruption” mean to you? How is it shaping your approach?
Nuala: Disruption means turning something on its head and looking at it in a totally new way. Poking holes in conventional wisdom. The worst reason to do something is to say, “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it.” I love tech and the tech industry because it is fundamentally a disruptor.
The DNA of CDT is to be disruptive of the status quo. Challenging the conventional power hierarchy between the individual and the government. It was founded around the idea of making sure of the individual right to be private in interactions with technology.
PSFK: What industry is in most need of radical change and why?
Nuala: The space that I’m most really energized about is education and technology. Ubiquitous data collection has the potential to improve student outcomes, equality and advancement, and generally help more students succeed, but we need to ensure how that information is being used.
In general, if technology and data collection is deployed in a manner to improve outcomes for disadvantaged groups, I see that as a positive.
PSFK: What is one piece of advice you’d give to a person or company looking to reinvent themselves?
Nuala: You don’t know until you try and if you’re willing to work really, really hard the sky is the limit. For companies, I’m fascinated by reinvention. I just think of Netflix, for example. I’m fascinated by the fact that we used to get our Netflix DVDs in the mail and now it’s completely online.
It managed that transition incredibly well. I think if you look at that story and others and say, “Look ahead, not where you think industry is going to be in a year or where it’s going to be in five years, but where it can be in 10 years.” And invest there.
PSFK: In the next 10 years what will be the biggest challenges that the world will face?
Nuala: It goes far beyond technology, but I think these advances can help improve access to resources like water and infrastructure, and our impact on the environment. As the rich grow richer and poor grow poorer, I think access to information is another opportunity where technology can play a role.
The bottom line is that we need to deploy technology mindfully and be vigilant about preventing disparities and doing harm. That is very much the role CDT has and will continue play.
Innovation is the new currency in today’s Idea Economy. In recognition of the leaders who are disrupting our tech-driven world, the editors at thought leadership site PSFK.com partnered with HP Matter to create the Innovators Index, a roster of digital pioneers making a global impact.