Tech Matters: Using tech for positive social change

Silicon Valley has a problem. In our quest to build better products and better meet the needs of the world for information, we built the most amazing system for effortless government surveillance as a byproduct. It is now incumbent on Silicon Valley to remedy this situation. Forcing tech companies to weaken their products through compelling the creation of backdoors would be a massive step backwards. Whatever the power of search engines or social networks, it’s really the smartphone that is the most incredible tool for tracking our every move and activity. With access to the information collected by a person’s smartphone, it’s probably straightforward to figure out everything important about that person. Who they love. What religion they profess. Their ethnicity. What drugs (legal or illegal) they consume. What content they read or watch. What laws they violate. Every secret. And, without encryption of this information, the makers of smartphones had effectively handed those s...

I just gave a talk at IDEO, the famous Silicon Valley design firm. IDEO is very interested in making a bigger positive impact on society, and I was heartened by the great turnout and conversation. Doug Solomon, their Chief Technology Officer, was my connection to come in, and I appreciated Doug's invitation! IDEO has been working with the Rockefeller Foundation to bring more of the design community into the social sector. They just released a manual on how to do this, called Design for Social Impact , which is freely available on the web. When cutting edge, well-respected and innovative firms like IDEO take the plunge, it makes talking about (and doing something about) global social issues more acceptable to the wider design and tech business communities. Hope to see more groups following suit!