Meta’s surveillance glasses, synthetic data, and why bigger isn’t better.

PLUS: Get my book, AI Untangled, for free.

Hi, it’s Charley and this is Untangled, a newsletter about our sociotechnical world, and how to change it. A few things before getting into it:

1. Last week, I wrote the sociotechnical system we all misunderstand: the economy. Check it out, and share it with a friend.

2. If you sign up for an annual paid subscription to Untangled in October, I’ll send you a free copy of my first book, AI Untangled.

My first course, “Sociotechnical Systems Change” offers a new approach for how we — as individuals and diverse collectives — can transform power dynamics in the systems we’re in, and chart new sociotechnical futures. That’s a tall order, but after working at the intersection of technology and systems change for 15 years (and at the risk of being a li’l bold!) I’ve come to believe that we’re doing it all wrong:

• There is no such thing as a ‘tech problem.’ All ‘tech problems’ are entangled in social systems, and the systems don’t often behave like we expect them to.

• There are no ‘tech solutions either,’ there are only sociotechnical interventions with consequences for different communities, societal values, and how power is (or isn’t) redistributed.

• The future is not a neat theory-of-change away. Sociotechnical systems are complex — they don’t abide by cause-and-effect — and require thinking backward from the future.

I could go on, but the point is that by the end of the course, you will learn how to:

• Map, analyze, and deconstruct power within sociotechnical systems.

• Identify complex dynamics within sociotechnical systems.

• Develop sociotechnical, system-aligned strategies — for yourself and your organization — that map backward from the future you want to create.

• Develop a shared vision for collective action rooted in interdependence and trust.

In short, you'll come out of this course with a new vision and draft strategy for how to change the system you’re in, vetted by me and your fellow participants, and a workbook full of exercises so you can do it all again in the future. Learn more and download part 1 of the workbook here:

Okay, on to the show!

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Meta’s Surveillance Glasses

Meta released new augmented reality glasses — called Orion — two weeks ago. While it’s unclear what exact problem the glasses are solving, it’s obvious why Meta is pursuing this strategy: they want to become their own platform. Ever since Apple implemented changes to its iOS that impacted Meta’s ad business, Meta has made massive investments — first in Oculus, and now with Orion — to make glasses the next platform upon which others build. They learned quickly that you’re either a platform company or you’re vulnerable to the whims of one.

Meta’s business strategy is just as predictable as what happened next: two Harvard students added facial recognition technology to the glasses, allowing users to identify anyone in view. The student project then connected the identified person — using a service called Pimeyes — to any personal information found about them on the web. Here is a video of what this looks like:

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