The youth organization Gen Z For Change has launched the digital platform "Eyes on AI", an online tool that allows any user to know their level of exposure to mass surveillance based on artificial intelligence. The system, presented this week, offers an interactive questionnaire that does not request private data and reveals how everyday details, such as the applications that are used or the payment method, can contribute to profiling each person.
Alert on digital surveillance among young people
The campaign's main objective is to warn the young population about the scope of digital surveillance. Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Gen Z For Change, has pointed out that the current political administration has increased monitoring of activist groups and youth organizations.
"The campaign seeks to especially alert young people about the magnitude of digital surveillance" - Cheyenne Hunt, Gen Z For Change
The organization maintains that surveillance without a warrant is legal in the country and that artificial intelligence is accelerating this phenomenon. "Eyes on AI" uses information from databases specialized in surveillance and resources on technologies used to monitor workers.
Operation and privacy of the tool
The interactive questionnaire identifies risks based on usage patterns, without asking for identifying data or storing user information. All processing is done locally on the device. Dominique Demetz, creative director and programmer of the project, indicates that the experience is designed to generate concern about the level of personal exposure.
Upon concluding the tour, the platform offers a downloadable report with recommendations to reduce exposure to surveillance, online resources and a glossary on the main actors involved, including government agencies and technology companies. The user can find out if they are exposed to specific risks from technologies such as automatic license plate readers or predictive policing systems.
Campaign and demand for a federal regulation
The campaign uses the slogan "Your future is for sale" to highlight the seriousness of the problem. Hana Memon, digital strategist and creator of the tool, explains that the objective is to make visible how areas such as mobility, health, religion, or work are part of an extended surveillance network.
Since 2020, Gen Z For Change has developed technological strategies for political and social campaigns, including actions aimed at hotels and support platforms for causes related to Palestine, immigration, and reproductive rights. The organization plans a broad mobilization with projections, posters, and actions in cities across the United States.
The team responsible for the tool uses encrypted platforms and deletes personal information from data intermediaries. Gen Z For Change defends that the development of technological tools is a way to balance power in the face of the advance of digital surveillance.
The campaign aims to promote a federal regulation on digital privacy, as the country currently lacks a comprehensive law on this matter.