IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - July 2021 - 113

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aggregated and fused into a rather precise profile ofan individual's
way of living. And an individual discloses information
carelessly without contemplating that such
disclosure might have severe consequences for one's
personal future and the future society.
A second difference lies in the ownership of surveillance
and data intelligence technologies. During the course
of the 20th century, when the Cold War drove concepts,
technology research and development for surveillance,
data analytics or closed-loop control, European governments,
and defense departments, held the property of such
research and technologies in their hands and protected it
through strict confidentiality. But, with the fall ofthe Berlin
Wall and the enthusiasm that old enemies were now
becoming new friends with a democratic mindset, European
nation states largely lost interest in digital innovation,
relinquishing digital strategy and progress to the United
States and deciding to assign European funds to their social
security systems-also referred to as " peace dividend. "
Military research budgets were slashed and technology
knowledge proliferated into other, notably civil, industries.
IN THE HANDS OF A FEW: THE DIGITAL NEOFEUDALISM
OF SUPER-CAPITALIZED PRIVATE
ORGANIZATIONS
Today, it is Big Tech rather than a democratic state under
the rule of law, which executes mass surveillance and
obtains the many details of individual lives. Big Tech
knows our friends and employers, what we do in our free
time, how much we care about our health, and-if Big
Tech like Apple or Google has been granted a banking
license-where and what we shop and our financial needs.
All digital servants of our days, from software to hardware
assistants, are helpers to the modern feudal lords of the
21st century. They continuously track Sapiens' private
sphere; and their powerful algorithms, which fill with life
formerly lifeless objects, need to understand Sapiens' way
of living, routines, and thoughts. Surveillance, data fusion,
prediction, and control-all of them become a constituent
of the postmodern era. One may argue that such development
is the due course of cultural progress and a blessing
for Sapiens, since in no other era has Sapiens enjoyed
more freedom than today. Never before he has been
JULY 2021
materially better off. Never before have working conditions
been more humane, and never before has Sapiens
had more free time for personal enjoyment. The options of
being who he wants to be, and doing what he wants to do
have never been as numerous as today, all of this as a
result of the Internet of Everything, tracking and tracing,
and artificial intelligence. Artificial neural networks-
they are artificial intelligence in the strict sense of the
meaning-are optimization processes. Why not maximize
the attention and benefits, the convenience and fun? With
a modern bugging device in pocket (the smartphone), freedom
seems to be limitless. But such an impression is
bluntly wrong.
A FERTILE GROUND: POSTMODERN MAN IN SEARCH
FOR GUIDANCE
Mass surveillance through ambient intelligence requires
the fertile ground of a particular social mindset. After the
fall of the Berlin Wall, individualism and relativism
entered into an ally. Since then, European individuals
have been able to choose from almost limitless options for
every aspect of their lives without being subject to social
or political constraints. But life providing an almost
unmanageable universe of alternatives has downsides: it
demands maximum personal responsibility in the face of
the high complexity of the everyday life. Its complexity
and dynamics go hand in hand with excruciating uncertainty
and disorientation, culminating in nothing less than
a crisis of identity: where do I belong to, what should I do
next, who am I and how many? In such an overwhelming
situation, Sapiens seeks redemption. For example, the
career aspirations of the 2018 German student generation
are deterring: 41% of German students consider working
for the public sector as particularly attractive, 20% prefer
the (publicly financed) science sector, and 22% like working
for cultural institutions [2]. Their wish to work at a
riskless work place is overwhelming. The economy with
its many industries, trading companies, and financial institutions-as
potential employers, they are condemned to
the lowest ranks. In the midst of a highly complex, highly
networked dynamic system, it is the younger generation
looking for a stable anchor over some risk-taking and
rather prefers indulging in the illusion of predictability
and security.
IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
113
IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - July 2021

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