The Freedom to Think

Freedom of Speech is a concept that I’m familiar with. Almost every day, you see some manifestation of this principle in our polity and society. But what does the ‘Freedom to Think’ encompass? Susie Alegre educated me on this and had some hooks to anchor my thinking on this topic.

Article 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It’s interesting to note that in the UDHR, freedom to think appears in conjunction with religion. When you think of it, the witch-hunts of the 17^th  century and the torture of apostates have always been around heretical thoughts and ideas.

For Alegre, freedom to think also encompasses:

1. The right to keep our thoughts and opinions private.
2. Freedom from manipulation
3. Freedom from being penalised for our thoughts or opinions.

In the 20th century, the two World Wars, the Holocaust, the Tutsi genocide fueled by Radio Rwanda etc are some ghastly reminders of the need to be wary of political manipulation. Being able to critically think thus becomes a critical element of the freedom to think. The day we surrender this as a society, we’re bound to end up paying a price.

While one can imagine being manipulated by propaganda and the political class, what should one make of the subtle second-by-second manipulation happening through our digital devices? Today, every app is nothing but a data collection enterprise operating at a global scale. The weather app on your phone can correlate the probability of you craving for a drink, the hours you generally swipe left and right on your dating app can provide a profile of your loneliness and Facebook can easily influence voting behavior. With the sudden arrival of ChatGPT and the future of AI yet to be comprehended, a more thorough understanding of the idea of manipulation is necessary. How should ethics be followed when the actual power of the algorithms are opaque? Can self-regulation by tech companies be the way forward? What should be the role of an informed citizenry? What should the role of the Government be? Do Governments have an incentive to act when they benefit from the data harvested from its citizens? Do we remain as citizens then or do we become subjects? Alegre has been more vocal in championing the role of strict regulation. For her:

Ideas and values can help shift the way we approach and view our lives, but it is the translation of ideas and values into laws that really moulds our societies and gives ethics weight. Laws regulate human relationships.

Managing and regulating tech is never going to be a one-size-fits-all approach. While I’m no Luddite, I urge all of you to engage with digital technology with some element of diligence and critical thinking. I’m currently reading up and educating myself on Tech and Policy, so expect some more posts on this theme in the coming days.