@rutakazlauskaite
Researcher, PhD, University of Helsinki. Memory politics, VR/XR, emotions, propaganda, populism. New article on space, time, memory, and influence in VR: https://doi.org/10.1177/17506980241283895
What is "virtual history"? I had the opportunity to contribute a comment on Lucian Hölscher’s Koselleck Lecture in Bielefeld University (2023). It has now been published, alongside other comments by Chris Lorenz & Britta Hochkirchen, in a new open-access book. ⬇️
The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service has stopped sharing certain information with the United States: “Sometimes we no longer share things,” officials say, because the information has been finding its way into Kremlin hands. www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/n...
"In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests." www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a... (archive: archive.ph/Y6855)
Europe's DSA: "Under that law, platforms must submit regular transparency reports, partake in risk audits and act quickly to remove illegal content." Trump/Big Tech companies want to get rid of it so they can filter the world through their extremist algorithms.
Studies in trauma film paradigm actually show that VR's potential to traumatize is much higher than that of any 2D film, even with mild content. My point is, rather, that VR is (a kind of) reality to our nervous systems even if we consciously understand that it's virtual.
There was recently a case in Poland where a child developed a full PTSD with symptoms equivalent of real wartime survivors after a VR experience on war in a history class. Even if VR reality is not the same as physical reality, if presence is achieved, what matters is that it feels real.
"VR reality" may not be biologically lethal, but it shapes minds and bodies. Emerging research shows that experiences in VR are also integrated into users' autobiographical memory, which means it can shape how users perceive themselves and others, how they imagine futures and prepare for them.
Virtual groping is prevalent in social VR, and virtual rape, which can be just as traumatizing because VR is embodied and immersive, is an emerging issue in these spaces as well.
Instances of underage users simulating sexual acts, engaging in violent role-play, or being subjected to racial slurs are very common. There are studies that document sexual, racial, & age-based harassment in social VR, with young users, particularly girls, frequently subjected to verbal abuse.
Children and adolescents can easily access public VR chatrooms where they are exposed to sexually explicit content, hate speech, conspiracy theories, disinformation, propaganda, and disturbing interactions with adults.
This is so disturbing because virtual reality is... reality. It is not about looking at a screen, but being in place in an embodied way and remembering the experiences as if they really happened to you. I wish parents were more informed about these risks.
Whistleblowers also revealed how Roblox VR was used by coordinated pedophile rings that set up strip clubs and paid children to strip. The app is still available on Meta Quest.
Meta really prioritizes profit above all else. And social VR apps are full of children. Approximately, 33% of U.S. youth own a VR headset. Meta's research showed how children were regularly asked for sex acts and nude photos in VR worlds.
Whistleblower testimonies by former Meta's employees describe how VR safety research was manipulated and findings erased that showed young children being exposed to grooming, sexual harassment and violence in its 3D worlds. Can't say I am surprised.
Virtual groping is prevalent in social VR, and virtual rape, which can be just as traumatizing because VR is embodied and immersive, is an emerging issue in these spaces as well.
Children and adolescents can easily access public VR chatrooms where they are exposed to sexually explicit content, hate speech, conspiracy theories, disinformation, propaganda, and disturbing interactions with adults.
This is so disturbing because virtual reality is... reality. It is not looking at a screen, but being in place in an embodied way and remembering the experiences as if they really happened to you. I wish parents were more informed about these risks.
Whistleblowers also revealed how Roblox VR was used by coordinated pedophile rings that set up strip clubs and paid children to strip.
Meta really prioritizes profit above all else. And social VR apps are full of children. Approximately, 33% of U.S. youth own a VR headset. Meta's research showed how children were regularly asked for sex acts and nude photos in VR worlds.
In the EU, the protections are also highly selective, and general consumer devices like Meta's EMG wristbands may not fall under strict regulation.
Some states in the US explicitly include neural data under the definition of “sensitive personal information” in their comprehensive privacy laws. But as @nitafarahany.bsky.social notes, the AI-derived inferences on the basis of the neural data are not covered under these laws.
The wristband can reveal intentions to communicate, mental states tied to subtle movements, or potential medical conditions. At the moment, there are no specialized neural privacy laws at the federal level in the US or in the EU.
Before you buy the brand new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses with the EMG wristband, you should be aware that measurement of the muscle response to electrical activity with EMG can capture and help infer highly sensitive information.
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My new project "Halbwachs in the Metaverse: Storyliving and democracy in the age of immersive spatial computing" begins today. Warm thanks to @koneensaatio.fi for supporting my work! Over the next 3 years, I'll explore how XR is reshaping political communication and digital politics. Stay tuned!
we obtained footage of an agent in the middle of a raid at a Home Depot wearing Meta's smart glasses, and talked to experts about what that means: www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
OpenAI: "'We can begin to close the gap between those with access to learning resources and high-quality education and those who have been historically left behind,' says OpenAI’s head of education, Leah Belsky."
Me: Read Roderic Crooks' Access Is Capture: How EdTech Reproduces Racial Inequality.
What a truly horrible idea.
A strong statement of resistance to the relentless marketing of "AI" in education spaces. I encourage all educators to have a look and consider signing on:
openletter.earth/an-open-lett...
