3 Questions. 3 Hints. 3 Answers
March 17, 2016
- How has it become less traumatic to “face” a breakup and its aftermath in the digital era?
Hint:
Answer: a Facebook user was recently quoted wishing “there was a Facebook vacuum cleaner.” Her wish became Facebook’s command with the creation of “breakup flow,” a tool that allows users to un-tag, hide, remove and filter aspects of one’s life one no longer wants to be reminded of. The technology is the brainchild of Facebook’s “Compassion Team,” a group dedicated to assist with navigating through online social issues. As noted by Penelope Green, author of The Facebook Breakup, “hearthache and Facebook go hand in hand.”
2. What preservation technology may now legally result in an actual life?
Hint:
Answer: the Supreme Court has denied to hear whether a woman, estranged from her boyfriend, should be prevented from using frozen embryos the couple created prior to their break-up. The woman’s ex-boyfriend, arguing against “forced parenthood” is said to have claimed “having a child with someone he does not love would make him less appealing to other women.” In this case, the lower courts in Illinois found that an oral contract created prior to the embryos’ creation, which was silent on use, took precedence over the fertility clinic’s medical written consent form, thereby allowing the woman to make full use of the embryos. Read the details here.
3. In what arena are the good guys playing bad guys?
Hint:
Answer: know your enemy. DARPA and the Pentagon recently established programs for techie outsiders to test the vulnerabilities of technologies in order to stay ahead of bad actors. The agencies realized that reliance on their own security experts is insufficient given the pace at which new technologies are emerging. While some question the timing of these projects and wonder whether there is a connection with the FBI’s inability to unlock San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook’s phone, a spokesperson for DARPA denies any such connection. Read the story here.