4.5 Nudging: When the State Takes Care of Our Decisions
69
in the world, is making more than 90% of their money with ads. One might, therefore,
think that they are making money mainly with manipulation, not information.
13
With the huge amounts of personal data that such companies are storing about
us, they probably know us better than anybody else, including our closest friends.
Therefore, it is easy for these companies to manipulate our choices with personalized
information. Some of this information may even affect our actions subconsciously
by “subliminal messaging”.
14 As a consequence, we might do many things without
our conscious control.
15 To some extent we are now remotely controlled by others,
and with increasing amounts of personal information and powerful machine learning
algorithms, attempts to manipulate our behavior will become ever more successful.
16
Possibilities to influence peoples’ decisions are not only extremely attractive for
business, but also for politics. In political contexts, this method is known as “nudging”
or “liberal paternalism”, and it has been promoted as the perfect tool to improve
peoples’ choices.
17 It must be very appealing to political leaders to have an instrument
allowing them to make us behave in healthier and environmentally friendly ways
without having to convince us. However, the same approach may be used to promote
nationalism, reservations against minorities, or pro-war sentiments. So far, one can
certainly say that the use of nudging hasn’t reduced the number of problems in our
society—on the contrary.
Nevertheless, it may be tempting to use nudging to influence our voting behavior.
In fact, experts think that companies such as Google and Facebook can affect election outcomes.
18 Most likely, this has happened several times already.
19 At least,
it is publicly known that our personal data (which has been accumulated largely
without our consent) is being used to win elections.
20 It is clear that such attempts
to manipulate millions of people in ways that are neither transparent nor well regulated undermine our conscious and autonomous decision-making.
21 In addition, they
endanger the fundament of democracies, which is based on pluralism and a fair
13 This fact has recently been criticized by Apple chief Tim Cook, see http://www.malaysiandigest.
com/technology/556240-tim-cook-silicon-valley-s-most-successful-companies-are-selling-youout.html.
14 Companies such as Facebook even seem to apply strategies that make people
addicted to their information, using methods copied from the gaming salons in Las
Vegas, see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174024/Facebook-creating-generation-gam
bling-addicts-sites-Las-Vegas-style-games.html.
15 In some sense, this might be best compared with acting under hypnosis.
16 In the past, the privilege to influence our behavior was mainly restricted to our partners, friends,
and bosses.
17 Thaler and Sunstein [5].
18 Surveillance-based manipulation: How Facebook or Google could tilt elections, see http://arstec
hnica.com/security/2015/02/surveillance-based-manipulation-how-facebook-or-google-could-tiltelections/; some experts believe that up to 20% of votes may be changed by nudging.
19 Bond et al. [6].
20 The real story of how big data analytics helped Obama win, see http://www.infoworld.com/art
icle/2613587/big-data/the-real-story-of-how-big-data-analytics-helped-obama-win.html.
21 Note that a lack of control over our personal data also implies that we will progressively lose the
possibility to control our own life.
69
in the world, is making more than 90% of their money with ads. One might, therefore,
think that they are making money mainly with manipulation, not information.
13
With the huge amounts of personal data that such companies are storing about
us, they probably know us better than anybody else, including our closest friends.
Therefore, it is easy for these companies to manipulate our choices with personalized
information. Some of this information may even affect our actions subconsciously
by “subliminal messaging”.
14 As a consequence, we might do many things without
our conscious control.
15 To some extent we are now remotely controlled by others,
and with increasing amounts of personal information and powerful machine learning
algorithms, attempts to manipulate our behavior will become ever more successful.
16
Possibilities to influence peoples’ decisions are not only extremely attractive for
business, but also for politics. In political contexts, this method is known as “nudging”
or “liberal paternalism”, and it has been promoted as the perfect tool to improve
peoples’ choices.
17 It must be very appealing to political leaders to have an instrument
allowing them to make us behave in healthier and environmentally friendly ways
without having to convince us. However, the same approach may be used to promote
nationalism, reservations against minorities, or pro-war sentiments. So far, one can
certainly say that the use of nudging hasn’t reduced the number of problems in our
society—on the contrary.
Nevertheless, it may be tempting to use nudging to influence our voting behavior.
In fact, experts think that companies such as Google and Facebook can affect election outcomes.
18 Most likely, this has happened several times already.
19 At least,
it is publicly known that our personal data (which has been accumulated largely
without our consent) is being used to win elections.
20 It is clear that such attempts
to manipulate millions of people in ways that are neither transparent nor well regulated undermine our conscious and autonomous decision-making.
21 In addition, they
endanger the fundament of democracies, which is based on pluralism and a fair
13 This fact has recently been criticized by Apple chief Tim Cook, see http://www.malaysiandigest.
com/technology/556240-tim-cook-silicon-valley-s-most-successful-companies-are-selling-youout.html.
14 Companies such as Facebook even seem to apply strategies that make people
addicted to their information, using methods copied from the gaming salons in Las
Vegas, see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174024/Facebook-creating-generation-gam
bling-addicts-sites-Las-Vegas-style-games.html.
15 In some sense, this might be best compared with acting under hypnosis.
16 In the past, the privilege to influence our behavior was mainly restricted to our partners, friends,
and bosses.
17 Thaler and Sunstein [5].
18 Surveillance-based manipulation: How Facebook or Google could tilt elections, see http://arstec
hnica.com/security/2015/02/surveillance-based-manipulation-how-facebook-or-google-could-tiltelections/; some experts believe that up to 20% of votes may be changed by nudging.
19 Bond et al. [6].
20 The real story of how big data analytics helped Obama win, see http://www.infoworld.com/art
icle/2613587/big-data/the-real-story-of-how-big-data-analytics-helped-obama-win.html.
21 Note that a lack of control over our personal data also implies that we will progressively lose the
possibility to control our own life.