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Wrenching us out of the ‘age of anonymity’ brought about by urbanisation and industrialisation, the information age has profoundly diminished privacy as we increasingly share our personal data in exchange for a vast array of services. With the loss of privacy has come a new kind of power broker: tech leaders who control the flow of information and, increasingly, influence world leaders. In this Aeon interview, the UK-based Italian philosopher Luciano Floridi examines how the power paradigm is shifting in the 21st century, and suggests that rushing to answer questions about privacy and policymaking is exactly the wrong way for society to best adapt to the precipitous change of the times.
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Social psychology
What happened when a crypto scam swept over a sleepy town in the Caucasus
18 minutes
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Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
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Language and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
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History of technology
Curious singles and tech sceptics – what ‘computer dating’ looked like in 1966
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Technology and the self
The commodified childhood – scenes from two sisters’ lives in the creator economy
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Computing and artificial intelligence
Why large language models are mysterious – even to their creators
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Ethics
Plato saw little value in privacy. How do his ideas hold up in the information age?
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Information and communication
‘Astonished and somewhat terrified’ – Victorians’ reactions to the phonograph
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Technology and the self
Why single Chinese women are freezing their eggs in California
24 minutes