While all of your digital identity information being collected and acted on by algorithms and AI is kind of stomach-turning on its own, the thing that really gets most people is that it's done by large, centralized entities for purposes that they do not disclose to the public--like the Cambridge Analytica kerfuffle back in 2018 - where user data from Facebook was used for political means, which outraged the masses.  Centralized companies don't (or do) know what they're doing:  Often, whether true or not, the centralized companies using big data claim that they don't exactly know what the algorithm is doing. This scares people accross social and political spectrums--not just decentrization nuts.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        And the worst of all worlds looks like private companies working with governments to track and make predictions about the public's behavior without transparency or accountability. Knowing the algorithm is always watching, BIG BROTHER STYLE, can send a shiver up anyone's spine. We all remember the NSA revelations that Ed Snowden exposed back in 2013 about the surveillance state and how the government used centralization and big data to gather information on unsuspecting citizens. I think there are very few people who believe that sort of thing isn't still going on until this day. Plus, all you have to do is take a gander over at China and their social credit system to see what fearfull possibilities might be headed for Western countries.  It's everywhere:  It's not just companies and governments using artificial intelligence for expressly nefarious purposes, either. Even things that are benign and progressive sounding as smart cities with censors and cameras everywhere, connected to the IoT, have the potential to be extremely oppressive if the data collected and used is controlled by a centralized entity that can exploit it, should the need arise.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       From the marketplace, to healthcare, policing, education, and everywhere in between, centralized control of your digital identity is a dangerous weapon in the hands of even the most well-meaning powers that be. Monitoring and gatekeeping, when it falls on a small group, always becomes a problem. DECENTRALIZATION IS A SAFETY MECHANISM.  Free has a cost:  Another problem is that I must mention is the cost of centralized, big data and AI control. So many services and tools that we use like Google, Facebook, apps, platforms, etc. don't charge users a fee. Most of us understand that "we are the product" and that advertizing is largely the explanation for this. And, though we're annoyed, we don't let that stop us from using the service. But the thing we don't remember is that nothing is truly free. The real cost is your sovereignty. In the first episode of the Uncensored Crypto docuseries, which you should definitely check out, Jimmy Song says that the way the North Korean totalitarian government obtained power was by offering everything for free until the populous became so dependent they had no choice but to comply. Compliance is the real cost of "free" products and services.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Do you feel like you can opt-out of all the digital services we use today? Most of us don't--we feel obligated to comply. We've already lost the freedom to opt-out and, if we're not careful, may find ourselves in a global selfdom in the future, much like North Korea. The solution of decentralization:  So, what's the solution? Are we doomed to the fate that centralized, big data seems to be driving us towards? Or can we change course to decentralization? I don't want to sound like a doomer. I truly hope we're not past the point of no return when it comes to centralization and a trajectory toward AI-controlled global serfdom. But, if our society stands a chance, there are some things we should be thinking about--namely decentralization.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Conclusion:  The danger of centralization in companies and governments that control our data and digital information can be scary. It can be complicated, burdensome, and overwhelming. The thought of losing sovereignty and ushering in a selfdom that's not just regulated to China--but global, is unsavory. But the future is ours to shape. Humans, after all, are the ones who create the technologies that we use. We can also define how they'll be used in the future. Here's to hoping that we can nudge ourselves in the direction of humanity and collaboration through decentralization instead of complete control and mechanical automation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           by EMILY WEBER  -  DECENTRAL PUBLISHING