Free Speech in the Internet of Things (IoT)
IF YOUR TOASTER COULD TALK, IT WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. Image Credit: from “Reclaim Democracy” at http://reclaimdemocracy.org/who-are-citizens-united/
By the end of 2016, Gartner estimates that over 6.4 BILLION “things” will be connected to one another in the nascent Internet of Things (IoT). As innovation yields new products, services, and capabilities that leverage this ecosystem, we will need new conceptual models to ensure quality and support continuous improvement in this environment.
I wasn’t thinking about quality or IoT this morning… but instead, was trying to understand why so many people on Twitter and Facebook are linking Justice Scalia’s recent death to Citizens United. (I’d heard of Citizens United, but quite frankly, thought it was a soccer team. Embarrassing, I know.) I was surprised to find out that instead, Citizens United is a conservative U.S. political organization best known for its role in the 2010 Supreme Court Case Citizens United v. FEC.
That case removed many restrictions on political spending. With the “super-rich donating more than ever before to individual campaigns plus the ‘enormous’ chasm in wealth has given the super-rich the power to steer the economic and political direction of the United States and undermine its democracy.” Interesting, sure… but what’s more interesting to me is that the Citizens United case, according to this source,
- Strengthened First Amendment protection for corporations,
- Affirmed that Money = Speech, and
- Affirmed that Non-Persons have the right to free speech.
The article goes on to state that “if your underpants could talk, they would be protected by free speech.”
Not too long ago, a statement like this would just be silly. But today, with immersive IoT looming, this isn’t too far-fetched.
- What will the world look (and feel) like when everything you interact with has a “voice”?
- How will the “Voice of the Customer” be heard when all of that customer’s stuff ALSO has a voice?
- What IS the “Voice of the Customer” in a world like this?
Interesting thoughts to ponder, Nicole. If you’d look at it only from the surface, your questions about everything having a voice, it would seem too much to handle, right? I’d like to add another question, with everyone, everything having a voice, who has the upperhand from the rest?
I think the reason why this is interesting is that it will spawn new industries: imagine what law will be like when there are cases between humans and AI.