Another off the record conversation Glenn shared on radio today focused on technology. After speaking with a silicon valley power player, Glenn relayed the new way of thinking about emerging technology discussed in the conversation. Basically, no matter how hard government tries, they will not be able to contain advancements. How will this all lead to the real death of shame?
GLENN: Facebook is now cited in a third of all divorce cases.
PAT: That's amazing to me.
GLENN: That is incredible. Now, what does that mean?
Because Facebook is an ongoing log of our lives, the sharing of written posts and pictures many times with geotracking provides a record of activity that is being used today in court cases in divorces. In one-third of all divorces.
If a partner refers to an impending bonus, a new job offer, plans for a holiday, it may provide evidence that they're not telling the truth about their financial pos. At the very least, it could call their credibility into question. It's like having a massive public notice board.
Someone says she's not in a relationship with anyone new, but then posted a message inviting everyone to a house-warming party for her and her boyfriend. Specialists at the firm examined over 200 cases and found Facebook was used by legal teams in a third of the divorce cases.
This is -- this is the new future that I want to talk to you about here.
And I think there are very few people in the world that understand this. And I may come to the wrong conclusions, but I want you to understand this because we should have a debate -- a conversation about what is coming.
I think, and I told you at the time, that the Sony hacking was a massive moment. Was something really, really important. Because I thought it sent a signal -- wait a minute. I can get a company like Sony. I can go in and hack in. I can get a company like Sony to move. Why wouldn't I do that with GM or GE? Why wouldn't I do that with some of the biggest corporations in the world. Why wouldn't I do that with the federal government? And they're now hacking into the federal government.
I've also told you that what you put online and this is one thing -- I said this to somebody yesterday and they looked at me for a second and they said, oh, crap, I never even thought about it that way.
Look at your phone. Your phone has a listening device and an eye. It has -- it has those two things that we would never bring in to -- I'd never say, hey, if I put a -- I was going to put a secret camera in your bedroom and a listening device in there. And you don't know if I'm listening or not. Or somebody else might be listening. Do you mind if I put it in there? Everybody would say no. But because I put it on a phone, you immediately say, oh, I'll do that. And it's unlike a phone that you have in your bedroom now, that doesn't have an eye and doesn't have a receiver end.
This is propped up in a cradle, so as you put it in to the cradle to recharge, the eye is staring right at you in bed. Everything that you look at -- and I don't know if you've ever seen those guys that people hack in and they're online. And all of a sudden porn comes on to the screen and it's people hacking in, and they're putting really inappropriate things up on the screen.
JEFFY: I hate that.
GLENN: Yeah, I know.
[laughter]
And you watch their reaction and some people follow the scent of the porn. And that is able to happen without somebody putting the porn on your i Pad. Somebody can be watching what you're doing -- somebody can be watching what you're reading, what's happening. Okay.
Now, we know that all of those things can happen. We know now that Sony has been hacked into. We know that Google has told us -- Eric Schmidt has told us that this generation will have to change their name by the time they're 25 to be able to get away from all of the stupid stuff that is online under their name. Because you just will have too much out there.
PAT: It's already costing kids jobs now because employers are looking at their Facebook posts and what they've done on Instagram and all that stuff and they're saying, no. No. I don't want you.
GLENN: Yeah. So you're an open book.
Now, let's add the Sony factor in. And let's add the future of technology. Phones are going to be everywhere. Phones will be on your watch. You know, some -- or cameras. Cameras will be on your watch. Some cameras will be embedded in your home. Some will be embedded in clothing. And you'll put them on. Your glasses. Did you guys see what happened yesterday with Microsoft? Their new hologram glasses?
PAT: No.
GLENN: Oh, jeez. Go to my Facebook page and see if there's any audio worth pulling up. I pulled it off Microsoft yesterday. They're on -- it's unbelievable. It's absolutely unbelievable. So they're holographic glasses you wear. And it's unlike -- it's more like the Google glass, except it puts in your environment all your apps. You want to watch Netflix, you don't have to have to have TV.
PAT: The HoloLens?
GLENN: Yeah.
PAT: Is it good audio or just visual?
GLENN: I think it's mainly visual. We'll listen to it during the break and see. But it's up on my Facebook page. You should watch it. This is what came out yesterday. That's a two-way street. It's gathering information, and it's giving you information. Whatever you're looking at, it's seeing. Whatever is in the room, it's seeing. It's recording. Two-way information. So when people hacked into Sony, they knew, okay, now we have real power. Governments will be the first ones to say, we have to fight for -- we have to fight for the right to privacy, for them.
For instance, a friend of mine suggested that we put a camera on a politician all the time. That they have to wear a camera. You want a candidate that says, I have nothing to hide. He has to wear a camera all the time. So you see what he sees all the time. If there's anybody who should not have privacy, it's the people who work for the public. But they'll the first ones to say, no, no, there has to be secrets. The next ones that will say that are the corporations. We have no power, no money, we're last on the food chain. Whatever it is that will protect their information, it will trickle down to the private individual.
Here's where it gets good, there is no way to protect the privacy. At this point, there's nothing to protect the privacy. And things will get so bad. What's going to happen is, something called the death of shame. Now, I think we're already at the death of shame. That people just don't have -- there's no shame anymore.
But once there are cameras everywhere, recording everything, once everybody can see what you look like in the bedroom, everybody can see -- I mean, think of this. How many of us -- how many of us even charge our phones there at the bathroom sink? So there you are in all your naked glory, brushing your teeth.
PAT: I'm never naked when I brush my teeth. I put clothes on as quickly as I possibly can so I don't have to look at anything.
GLENN: I do too.
STU: Unless you're in really good shape. Because things are jiggling.
GLENN: Anyway, so -- how many of us have that exposure all the time?
When you have that kind of exposure, when you're seeing the things that people are posting online, and when it is out, whether you want to post it or not, now, everybody is shameful. Now everybody is like, holy cow. That came out about you. Don't worry about it, Bob, you should see what came out about me last month. So shame dies in our society.
What is that like? When there is no shame.
How do you have self-regulation?
Right now, shame is meant -- is used to hold together and keep our feet on a course. And the more that shame dies, the worst it gets.
Okay. So what do you do?
As shame is dying, secrets are opened. Somebody is going to need something where they can embed secrets. Where you have privacy again.
I believe bitcoin is the future of that privacy. Not just for money, but for information.
I was talking to somebody yesterday at Silicon Valley, and they were talking to me about bitcoin. And we talked about the ability for bitcoin, that blockchain, to be able to have information. Because what I was talking to him about was the rise of fascism. And I said, how do we fight against the rise of fascism, when these global governments start to block the way?
And he said, you're not going to be able to -- you'll have to shut down the entire internet. You won't be able to do it. The faster fascism rises, the faster this change will come. The way to do it, is blockchain, he said.
And that is the way to transfer money in bitcoin. He said you'll be able to do it in packets of information. Right now, they can see what you're writing and watching online. But if you encode everything with blockchain, which is the way it's going to have to be done because the giant corporations will need to be able to keep their servers protected. They're going to need to have their money protected. The only way to do that is through a blockchain.
And so he was suggesting that you embed in the blockchain, that's also the way you deliver pacts of information. So all your emails will be individually encrypted and individually opened. If you go online, they won't be able to follow you on what you're watching online. What you're doing online because you'll have an individual blockchain.
If that is true, that solves a lot of the things we're worried about. If that is true, you cannot put the genie back into the bottle. Because what I've been afraid is, do they cut off the supply of information? Can they track you and your every thought?
The answer is yes. However, if you introduce the blockchain, freedom comes with that. Freedom of money -- freedom is money. The more money you have, sometimes, the more free you are. You can go do things.
But money is also freedom of speech. And what that means is, that blockchain, that bitcoin blockchain will protect your freedom of speech, and it will protect you having money. Because you go -- you go across the border now and they'll say to you, you have $10,000 -- you have $10,000? You carrying any currency across the border? Nope. But the minute I cross the border and I have bitcoin and a blockchain, if I have the code in my head, yes, I'm carrying more than $10,000 cash. I'm carrying everything across the border. And there's nothing they can do with it. So they can no longer stop people. You no longer have to smuggle money. You no longer to have smuggle things because it's all in your head. And as long as you have your blockchain memorized, you're fine.
That's a significant development. And for me, at least, significant hope that we have really weird times coming our way. Really weird times. The death of shame. That's going to be an interesting ride.
However, because of technology that is right over the corner, right over the horizon, we have the possibility of being more free than we've ever been before.
