Privacy is not a bug in the code | Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin | TEDxIssylesMoulineaux
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0:09 - 0:10Hello everyone!
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0:11 - 0:14I think we are 20 years old everyday!
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0:14 - 0:16And Europe is 20 as well, everyday,
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0:16 - 0:18and I'll probably have a lot to say
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0:18 - 0:19about many other topics.
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0:19 - 0:23So, in fact, I would like to show you
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0:23 - 0:25in any case, explain,
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0:25 - 0:27why is it that privacy
is not a bug in the code. -
0:27 - 0:32And for that, I will start
by talking about Argos. -
0:32 - 0:35Do you know who Argos was?
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0:36 - 0:40Argos was a giant
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0:40 - 0:43who lived 25 centuries ago.
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0:44 - 0:49And Argos was commissioned
by Hera, the wife of Zeus, -
0:50 - 0:55to monitor lo, a nymph
that Zeus wanted to conquer. -
0:56 - 0:59And Argos had a special quality,
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0:59 - 1:03he had 100 eyes,
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1:03 - 1:0850 to sleep and 50 to monitor.
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1:08 - 1:11So, obviously, Argos
was extremely effective. -
1:12 - 1:16Zeus tries to deceive Argos.
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1:16 - 1:22He morphs into a cloud,
but he can not deceive Argos. -
1:22 - 1:28So, he sends his son, Hermes,
the winged messenger. -
1:28 - 1:33And Hermes will charm
Argos with a chant -
1:33 - 1:36and will eventually behead Argos.
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1:36 - 1:38Io escapes;
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1:38 - 1:41Zeus follows her throughout Europe,
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1:41 - 1:46while Hera, who wants
to redeem the death of Argos, -
1:46 - 1:52decided to place his 100 eyes
on the body of his favorite animal, -
1:52 - 1:53the peacock.
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1:55 - 1:57But why is it that I tell you this story?
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1:57 - 1:59I tell you this story
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1:59 - 2:03because, in fact, it's a story
that's about us! -
2:04 - 2:09It is a European story, dark,
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2:09 - 2:14about a giant,
about monitoring and privacy. -
2:15 - 2:20And I think that today,
with Snowden's revelations still fresh, -
2:20 - 2:23and with GAFA around,
--Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon-- -
2:23 - 2:27we have to ask ourselves as well
the same question as Zeus had. -
2:27 - 2:32How far are we willing to go
to protect our privacy? -
2:32 - 2:35Or to take Argos out?
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2:35 - 2:38This question doesn't make
too much sense in fact, -
2:38 - 2:41because privacy, as some say,
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2:41 - 2:44or some think, "Who cares about it?"
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2:46 - 2:49So, where do we start?
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2:49 - 2:52There is a word that has been used
before in a talk. -
2:52 - 2:57The starting point is that we entered
the "datification" world. -
2:57 - 3:02All intellectual, personal,
professional activities -
3:02 - 3:04are translated into data,
by data streaming, -
3:04 - 3:09and thus, individuals
are more and more often -
3:09 - 3:12categorized, analyzed, and stored
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3:12 - 3:14according to the traces
of data they leave. -
3:14 - 3:17And, of course, based on these data,
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3:17 - 3:20they are potentially under surveillance.
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3:20 - 3:23To justify the presence of surveillance,
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3:23 - 3:26the first argument given to us
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3:26 - 3:31is: "But if you fear monitoring,
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3:31 - 3:34it is because, actually,
you have something to hide!" -
3:36 - 3:40I would say with regard to this argument,
I think we're all guilty! -
3:40 - 3:45Because we all have, of course,
something to hide! -
3:45 - 3:46But it's more serious than that!
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3:46 - 3:49If we think like this,
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3:49 - 3:51if we have this mindset,
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3:51 - 3:54this turns into the argument
of all totalitarian regimes in the world, -
3:54 - 3:57of all the inquisitions in the world.
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3:57 - 3:59If we think like such,
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3:59 - 4:02it seems that all privacy
is considered a mere secret. -
4:02 - 4:05Guilt is almost presupposed.
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4:05 - 4:08But privacy isn't this.
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4:08 - 4:11Privacy is simply
the ability of each of us, -
4:11 - 4:13to be, in fact, oneself.
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4:13 - 4:16To be themselves, to express themselves,
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4:16 - 4:21the ability to behave in a certain way,
irrespective of the opinions of others. -
4:21 - 4:23And it is clear that privacy here
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4:23 - 4:26is not a private issue.
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4:26 - 4:28It's a political issue,
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4:28 - 4:31it's about the autonomy of each of us,
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4:31 - 4:33it's all about democracy in the end.
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4:33 - 4:35So I think that such argument
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4:35 - 4:38has to be firmly rejected.
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4:38 - 4:40Then, we are told:
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4:41 - 4:45"Privacy is not worth defending.
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4:45 - 4:47It's too late!"
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4:47 - 4:52It was deliberately sold
to us and it's more of the same, -
4:52 - 4:54GAFA,
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4:54 - 4:56either ones or the others,
as service providers -
4:56 - 4:59because it's so convenient.
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4:59 - 5:01It's true! Indeed!
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5:01 - 5:05And I think that you,
just like me, just as all of us, -
5:06 - 5:10are all addicted to the digital world.
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5:10 - 5:12We are all consumers of these services
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5:12 - 5:16but I think that we don't happily trade
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5:16 - 5:17what they bring,
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5:17 - 5:21in terms of our standard of living,
tracking our friends, -
5:21 - 5:24personal relationships,
in terms of information... -
5:25 - 5:27We don't want to give all this up!
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5:29 - 5:34But that said, it doesn't mean
we want to trade it for our privacy! -
5:35 - 5:37All research points at this.
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5:37 - 5:40People don't want
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5:40 - 5:43to expose themselves online.
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5:43 - 5:45What they want is control,
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5:45 - 5:49the power to control
their personal online data. -
5:49 - 5:52And to decide if such data
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5:52 - 5:56goes public or stays private.
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5:56 - 6:00And what they want,
is no blank cheque, so to speak, -
6:00 - 6:03in these service suppliers' hands,
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6:03 - 6:06to do anything they want with our data.
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6:06 - 6:09And people want to be able
to say: "That was my choice, -
6:09 - 6:12not the service provider's
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6:12 - 6:17that in the end, both my private
and public life have surfaced online." -
6:18 - 6:21The third argument we are given:
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6:21 - 6:25"Well, basically, privacy is great
but it's complicated, -
6:25 - 6:29it's difficult to preserve
and it fences innovation," -
6:29 - 6:32all this awesome innovation
we were all talking about -
6:32 - 6:34and are ready "to develop."
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6:34 - 6:39And I think that this
is the most insidious arguments of all. -
6:39 - 6:43It's an argument
that you'll mainly hear in France. -
6:43 - 6:46But I say to all of you here today,
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6:46 - 6:49to all of those who really think so,
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6:49 - 6:52to those who really think
that the protection of privacy -
6:52 - 6:55is truly an obstacle
in the way of innovation, -
6:55 - 6:59and have real examples,
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6:59 - 7:02come to see me, come to CNIL
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7:02 - 7:05to let us know your problem
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7:05 - 7:08and we'll try to find a solution for you.
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7:08 - 7:11This is the second or the third time
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7:11 - 7:14I am extending this invitation,
based on these arguments, -
7:14 - 7:17for everybody to come,
but nobody ever came. -
7:17 - 7:21So personally, I am not too convinced
of the validity of such argument. -
7:21 - 7:24I am under the impression
that's an argument -
7:24 - 7:28which, in fact, it's easy
to support in theory, -
7:28 - 7:29but in fact, in truth,
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7:29 - 7:32I don't see how it can work.
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7:32 - 7:34On the contrary, I think
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7:34 - 7:35that the protection of privacy
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7:35 - 7:39can be a wonderful, competitive argument.
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7:39 - 7:44Because, in the end, it reassures
the customers, the citizens, -
7:44 - 7:47that their personal data
is appropriately handled -
7:47 - 7:49and admitted as such.
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7:49 - 7:52That is why I think that, on the contrary,
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7:52 - 7:55we can build a more durable innovation,
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7:55 - 7:56a longer lasting one,
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7:56 - 7:59in terms of protection of privacy.
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7:59 - 8:04This is what I briefly wanted
to share with you. -
8:04 - 8:06I believe that protecting our privacy
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8:06 - 8:09is not a vestige of the past.
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8:09 - 8:14I truly believe
it is not a bug in the code. -
8:14 - 8:16On the contrary, I believe it's a gem.
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8:16 - 8:19It's a political jewel,
it's the very fabric of democracy. -
8:19 - 8:21It's an economic nugget.
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8:21 - 8:24That said, I'd like to end by saying
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8:24 - 8:27that I believe
we should be extremely careful -
8:27 - 8:29about what it's happening
right now in Europe. -
8:29 - 8:31As you know, in Europe,
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8:31 - 8:34we have the 1995 Directive
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8:34 - 8:38that sets the legal framework
for data protection. -
8:38 - 8:43This framework
is being retouched, renewed, -
8:43 - 8:49and in light of all the lobbying,
actions and pressures -
8:49 - 8:53exerted by the [European] Parliament
on the Commission, -
8:53 - 8:55it's clear that this topic
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8:55 - 9:00is subject of intense public debate
on the international arena. -
9:00 - 9:04That's why I believe
we shouldn't turn a blind eye to it. -
9:04 - 9:06Our everyday life and our privacy
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9:06 - 9:07is a fight.
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9:07 - 9:12In light of this renewing
of the legal framework -
9:12 - 9:16we have to promote
this economic and political asset -
9:16 - 9:19which is our data protection.
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9:19 - 9:23I'll end up by returning to Argos.
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9:23 - 9:28I believe that we can't get rid of Argos.
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9:29 - 9:32He's already part of our lives.
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9:32 - 9:36And what it needs attention
is under surveillance! -
9:36 - 9:37Thank you all!
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9:37 - 9:38(Applause)
- Title:
- Privacy is not a bug in the code | Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin | TEDxIssylesMoulineaux
- Description:
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Isabelle has a very strong conviction about a certain form of fatality destined to the "end of privacy". She will explain that this is not inevitable and that this right that our forefathers won against totalitarian regimes is not to give up on the altar of connectivity and transparency. The consumer citizen must exercise his right to privacy.
- Video Language:
- French
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 09:44