Google announced on the 3rd the introduction of 'passkeys' technology, which allows users to easily log in to apps or websites without entering passwords. Password-based authentication has been the standard for decades, but it poses a serious security risk because attackers can steal user passwords or trick them into providing passwords through phishing attacks. The passkey system, in contrast, is designed to access encrypted keys stored on a device through facial recognition, fingerprint, or screen lock PIN, and it carries out account authentication. This is why it is often described as symbolizing the 'end of the password era'.
However, the application of this technology to 4.3 billion Google users worldwide as of 2021 cannot be simply attributed to advancements in cybersecurity. It is also significant as a catalyst for accelerating a large-scale shift in perception and practical application of the 'human body' as a digital authentication tool. Integrating an individual's unique physical characteristics into data management is a technological achievement, but it is crucial to acknowledge that it also lays the foundation for creating a power structure where individuals' physical bodies become digital tokens, potentially leading to indiscriminate control in the real world.
In December of last year, a woman in Iran was working at an indoor amusement park when a photo of her without a hijab spread on social media, resulting in the park's closure and a subsequent investigation by the prosecutor's office. An official from an Iranian government agency stated in an interview with local media that they can identify individuals and impose fines or arrests using the national identity database and facial recognition technology 'to identify inappropriate and abnormal movements.' In his book, 'The Rise of Digital Repression,' Steven Feldstein, a former U.S. State Department surveillance expert, revealed that after investigating 179 countries for eight years, 61 countries are using facial recognition technology, making it the most widely used digital surveillance technology.
Therefore, in the future, we need to question the value of future technologies that aim to directly control the human body in two contexts. First, how can we enhance and expand individual capabilities? Second, how can the meaning of the individual body change in the larger context of a globalized, digitalized, and hyper-capitalized society?
Paradoxically, the only standard that can answer these questions is the 'uniqueness of the human body.' The body's sensory capabilities allow us to perceive the world holistically and develop adaptability and knowledge through exposure to new situations and repetition of similar experiences. Philosopher Michael Polanyi's statement that "we know more than we can tell" confirms that human knowledge is not only immeasurable but also dynamic and contextual, beyond the comprehension of machines.
Humans experience happiness by choosing to laugh even in depressing situations, and they relieve anxiety by moving and walking. Learning through the body provides intense experiences that transcend imagination or cognition, influencing people's perceptions and attitudes. Hans Moravec, an American robotics engineer, acknowledged the paradox that while computers can beat humans at chess or analyze data faster than the best mathematicians, robots have yet to show any signs of approaching human capabilities in relatively low-level 'perception' and 'manipulation with hands' skills.
The human body continues to fall under the domain of data. As Donna Haraway and other cultural theorists declared in the late 1990s, the cyborgization of modern humans is proceeding at full speed. Technology is getting closer to our bodies and skin, promising a 'better human' while simultaneously making us dependent on new devices, granting technology unprecedented access to our daily actions and relationships. Therefore, it is crucial to implement safeguards to protect individual privacy and prevent the potential misuse of technology. We must also consider the potential impact of using the human body as a digital authentication tool, specifically the risk of diminishing human agency and autonomy.
We often hear and talk about how machines and artificial intelligence will forever change the world. However, because of this, we need to remember that our physical embodiment through our bodies makes it difficult to replicate human intelligence.
We need to be more instinctive and less intellectual, and we need to go out into the world and experience more through our bodies and senses. By doing so, we will be able to recognize the uniqueness of the human body in an increasingly digital world and better understand our own importance as human beings.
*This article is the original content published in the ETNews named columnon May 8, 2023.
References
Power Of Not Thinking
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