January 2023 - nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

Re: [nexa] nexa Digest, Vol 165, Issue 13
by maurizio lana Jan. 12, 2023

Jan. 12, 2023

ero certo che avrei suscitato questa reazione. ovvia. *talmente ovvia* che anche chi la scrive potrebbe chiedersi se c'è modo di fare qualche passo avanti nella riflessione al di là del farmi passare per uno scribacchino del ministero della verità :-))) e che dire allora di Rodotà ? (Rodotà, Stefano. 2019. «Il diritto alla verità». In Il diritto di avere diritti, 230–52. Bari: Laterza) e di Franca D'Agostini? (D’Agostini, Franca. 2017. «Diritti aletici». Biblioteca della Libertà 218: 1. https://doi.org/10.23827/BDL_2017_1_2) giusto per suggerire che il tema si può affrontare in modi leggerissimamente più consistenti del dileggio verso chi esprime posizioni diverse dalle nostre. Maurizio Il 12/01/23 12:00, Giacomo Tesio <giacomo(a)tesio.it> ha scritto: > Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:14:33 +0100 > From: Giacomo Tesio<giacomo(a)tesio.it> > To:nexa@server-nexa.polito.it > Subject: Re: [nexa] nexa Digest, Vol 165, Issue 11 > Message-ID:<20230112111429.000070ad(a)tesio.it> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Thu, 12 Jan 2023 09:08:16 +0100 maurizio lana wrote: >> tutto il discorso di Chudov serve a far passare come difesa >> della libertà il suo attacco alle strategie anti-disinformazione >> messe in atto dall'EU sia in generale sia rispetto al Covid. che sia >> necessario prestare attenzione agli strumenti scelti è ovvio che sì, >> ma che gli obiettivi siano deprecabili, no. > Concordo. > E posso dirvi che in Oceania abbiamo definitivamente risolto > il problema, grazie al Ministero della Verità. > Wiston ------------------------------------------------------------------------ old men ought to be explorers t.s. eliot, four quartets ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maurizio Lana Università del Piemonte Orientale Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Piazza Roma 36 - 13100 Vercelli

1 0

Statement of objections issued against Google’s data processing terms
by Giacomo Tesio Jan. 11, 2023

Jan. 11, 2023

On 23 December 2022 the Bundeskartellamt sent Alphabet Inc., Mountain View, USA, Google Ireland Ltd., Dublin, Ireland, and Google Germany GmbH, Hamburg, Germany, its preliminary legal assessment in the proceeding initiated due to Google’s data processing terms. At this stage of the proceeding, the Bundeskartellamt assumes that the new provisions for large digital companies (Section 19a of the German Competition Act, GWB) are applicable and Google thus has to change its data processing terms and its associated practices. Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "“Google’s business model relies heavily on the processing of user data. Due to its established access to relevant data gathered from a large number of different services, Google enjoys a strategic advantage over other companies. Google’s practices must be measured against the requirements under the new competition rules for large digital companies. The company has to give users sufficient choice as to how their data are processed.”" Based on its current terms, Google can combine a variety of data from various services and use them, for example, to create very detailed user profiles which the company can exploit for advertising and other purposes, or to train functions provided by services. The company’s terms set out that Google may, for various purposes, collect and process data across services, for example by way of its numerous own, partly very widely used services, such as Google Search, YouTube, Google Play, Google Maps and Google Assistant, but also by way of numerous third-party websites and apps. This also concerns data from Google’s so-called background services, including the Google Play services, which to some extent gather data from Android devices on a regular basis. The Bundeskartellamt has reached the preliminary conclusion that, based on the current terms, users are not given sufficient choice as to whether and to what extent they agree to this far-reaching processing of their data across services. The choices offered so far, if any, are, in particular, not sufficiently transparent and too general. According to the Bundeskartellamt’s current assessment, sufficient choice particularly requires that users are able to limit the processing of data to the specific service used. In addition, they also have to be able to differentiate between the purposes for which the data are processed. Moreover, the choices offered must not be devised in a way that makes it easier for users to consent to the processing of data across services than not to consent to this. General and indiscriminate data retention and processing across services without a specific cause as a preventive measure, including for security purposes, is not permissible either without giving users any choice. Therefore, the Bundeskartellamt is currently planning to oblige the company to change the choices offered. In December 2021, the authority already determined that Google is of paramount significance for competition across markets pursuant to Section 19a GWB. Under these circumstances, the new provision for large digital companies allows the Bundeskartellamt to prohibit such companies from engaging in certain anti-competitive practices. In its proceeding, the Bundeskartellamt bases its assessment on German competition law. The European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is exclusively enforced by the European Commission, is also likely to apply to certain Google services in the future. While the DMA also includes a provision which addresses the processing of data across services, this applies only if so-called core platform services, which still have to be designated by the European Commission, are involved. The present proceeding based on the national provision under Section 19a GWB partially exceeds the future requirements of the DMA. In this regard, the Bundeskartellamt is in close contact with the European Commission. The Bundeskartellamt is conducting an administrative proceeding against Google. The statement of objections outlining detailed reasons is a first intermediate step which gives the company the opportunity to comment in detail on the authority’s preliminary assessment and to present further reasons justifying its practices or suggestions to dispel the Bundeskartellamt’s concerns. The proceeding may result in the authority discontinuing the case, the company offering commitments or the competition authority prohibiting Google’s practices. A final decision in this matter is expected to be issued in 2023. https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/EN/Pressemitteilungen/20…

1 0

Igor Chudov 'Allowing AI to "Shape Public Discourse" is Dangerous to Humanity'
by Maurizio Borghi Jan. 11, 2023

Jan. 11, 2023

Una lettura interessante su un tema che merita molta attenzione, soprattutto in relazione al contesto europeo con l'entrata in vigore del Digital Services Act: https://open.substack.com/pub/igorchudov/p/allowing-ai-to-shape-public-disc… -- _______________ *Maurizio Borghi* Università di Torino https://www.dg.unito.it/persone/maurizio.borghi Co-Director Nexa Center for Internet & Society <https://nexa.polito.it/>

1 0

Tom Lehrer e pubblico dominio
by J.C. DE MARTIN Jan. 10, 2023

Jan. 10, 2023

Il leggendario Tom Lehrer, classe 1928, autore, oltre al resto, della famosa canzone "The Elements", ha messo nel pubblico dominio tutte le sue creazioni: https://tomlehrersongs.com/ Augurandogli ancora numerosi anni di vita (compirà 95 anni in aprile), la sua decisione dona alla collettività le sue opere con un anticipo di almeno 70 anni... grazie, Maestro! jc DISCLAIMER STATEMENT I, Tom Lehrer, and the Tom Lehrer Trust 2007, hereby grant the following permissions: All copyrights to lyrics or music written or composed by me have been relinquished, and therefore such songs are now in the public domain. All of my songs that have never been copyrighted, having been available for free for so long, are now also in the public domain. The latter includes all lyrics which I have written to music by others, although the music to such parodies, if copyrighted by their composers, are of course not included without permission of their copyright owners. The translated songs on this website may be found on YouTube in their original languages. Performing and recording rights to all of my songs are included in this permission. Translation rights are also included. In particular, permission is hereby granted to anyone to set any of these lyrics to their own music, or to set any of this music to their own lyrics, and to publish or perform their parodies or distortions of these songs without payment or fear of legal action. Some recording, movie, and television rights to songs written by me are merely licensed non-exclusively by me to recording, movie, or TV companies. All such rights are now released herewith and therefore do not require any permission from me or from Maelstrom Music, which is merely me in another hat, nor from the recording, movie, or TV companies involved. In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money. NOTICE: THIS WEBSITE WILL BE SHUT DOWN AT SOME DATE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, SO IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD ANYTHING, DON’T WAIT TOO LONG. Tom Lehrer November 1, 2022

3 3

Seattle schools sue tech giants over youth mental health crisis
by Alberto Cammozzo Jan. 10, 2023

Jan. 10, 2023

<https://www.axios.com/2023/01/08/seattle-public-schools-sue-tech-mental-hea…> Seattle Public Schools is suing social media companies including TikTok and Meta, saying the tech giants' "misconduct has been a substantial factor in causing a youth mental health crisis." Driving the news: "This mental health crisis is no accident. It is the result of the Defendants’ deliberate choices and affirmative actions to design and market their social media platforms to attract youth," the lawsuit states. "Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants' social media platforms," the complaint, which was filed Friday, says. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants have violated Washington state's public nuisance law. What they're saying: "We have invested heavily in creating safe experiences for children across our platforms and have introduced strong protections and dedicated features to prioritize their wellbeing," Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement. "For example, through Family Link, we provide parents with the ability to set reminders, limit screen time and block specific types of content on supervised devices," Castañeda said. “While we can’t comment on the specifics of active litigation, nothing is more important to us than the wellbeing of our community," a Snap spokesperson said in a statement. "We will continue working to make sure our platform is safe and to give Snapchatters dealing with mental health issues resources to help them deal with the challenges facing young people today," the Snap spokesperson continued. TikTok won't comment on pending litigation, but a spokesperson shared with Axios some information on how the app "prioritizes the safety and well-being of teens," including age-restricted features and break reminders, among others. Meanwhile, Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Meta, said in a statement that the firm wanted teens to be safe online. "We've developed more than 30 tools to support teens and families, including supervision tools that let parents limit the amount of time their teens spend on Instagram, and age verification technology that helps teens have age-appropriate experiences," Davis added. "We'll continue to work closely with experts, policymakers and parents on these important issues.” The big picture: Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021 testified that the tech giant is aware that some of its platforms are harmful to certain populations, including teenagers, but targets them anyway. The lawsuit said that from 2009 to 2019, there was an average 30% increase in the number of students at Seattle Public Schools who reported feeling "so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that [they] stopped doing some usual activities."

1 0

It’s 2023, and tech is still pushing unsafe products
by Alberto Cammozzo Jan. 9, 2023

Jan. 9, 2023

Per una volta il CES visto con occhio critico. "Companies could choose to make useful, private, repairable products, said iFixit’s Wiens during the Worst in Show announcement, but what is the real purpose of a $200 travel mug with location-sharing capabilities and an irreplaceable battery?" <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/08/ces-worst-products-saf…> LAS VEGAS — American shoppers, regulators and companies face a problem: Tech products often hit the market with giant safety and privacy flaws. At the same time, CES, a giant annual consumer electronics exhibition in Las Vegas, brings a flood of new gadgets. It might be pouring gas on a fire, privacy and security experts say. “I think there is a chronic problem with consumer electronics, that they are not giving people the full picture that they need to evaluate whether they want to use these tools,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the privacy rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation. Last week, the CES show floor buzzed with thousands of companies <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/04/ces-2023/?itid=lk_inli…> slinging health wearables, smart TVs, autonomous vehicles and other gadgets that rely on data from our bodies or homes. Many pitch themselves as the next great thing — but almost none directly address how they treat customer’s data after it’s collected or their approach to safety and security. “CES doesn’t seem to have a theme this year other than throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks,” said Kyle Wiens in a YouTube live stream. Wiens is CEO of iFixit, which advocates for consumers’ right to repair their devices. “There are negative externalities to our society when that happens.” Cohn and representatives from iFixit, Consumer Reports and other consumer advocacy groups rounded up a CES “Worst in Show,” calling out which products could have the greatest negative impact on privacy, consumer choice and the environment. They included some of this year’s breakout favorites, such as the U-Scan urine sensor from connected health care company Withings, which analyzes hormone levels in urine and is gearing up for U.S. launch. After the Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion in June and some states banned abortion, hormonal changes could potentially become evidence of a crime <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/04/abortion-digital-priva…>. Withings said it stores that data indefinitely and, if subpoenaed by law enforcement, would “comply with all legal requirements in the territories in which it operates.” It said it doesn’t otherwise share data with third parties. Media tend not to ask tough questions on safety at CES, and companies tend not to volunteer the information, Cohn noted. “Literally only one company even mentioned [privacy or safety], and ironically, it was a sexting app,” said Leanna Miller on the show floor. Miller said she works for a small company that makes reusable writing tablets and came to CES to browse all the new products. The company she referenced was Blyynd, an adult network that claims to use encryption to promote safe sexting. With few exceptions, tech companies address safety when problems arise rather than taking more time to test products and build in safe features, said Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Jen Easterly, in an interview on the sidelines of CES. These companies’ incentives are “really focused on cost, capability, performance and speed to market, and not on basic safety,” she said. Easterly’s CES address alongside CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz focused on the rapidly rising cost and danger of cybercrime, which often relies on hastily shipped products <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/18/smart-home-security/?i…>, they said. It was the first time a cybersecurity official of Easterly’s rank has spoken at the show. “As we think about the world we’re living in, we cannot accept that in ten years [cyber risks] are going to be the same or worse,” she said during the talk. That may depend on consumers demanding safer products or the government regulating software, though Easterly noted she doesn’t support “burdensome” regulation. Regulation could come in the form of stricter privacy safeguards or clearer communication with consumers about the risks a product poses. The White House has backed the idea of a nutrition-label-style “software bill of materials” telling buyers which software components a product contains. Just last week, for instance, the European Union fined Meta $414 million for burying information about its targeted advertising business in its terms of service rather than obtaining its users’ meaningful consent and giving them an option to decline.**Meta has said it intends to appeal the ruling and the fines. Risky technology such as facial recognition is also the subject of scrutiny in the E.U. Meanwhile at CES, companies touting facial recognition technology spatter the show floor. Miko, a Disney-backed robot that claims to keep kids engaged <https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2023/ces-2023-robots…>, comes equipped with facial recognition and uses its camera to analyze children’s moods and map elements of your home, its website says. Its CEO said all facial recognition data is stored on the device and not the cloud. Then there’s the camera-enabled smart home devices <https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2022/amazon-smart-hom…> — such as the autonomous mower Landroid Vision that navigates its way around your yard. Its maker, WORX, said all images the mower captures are anonymized and any faces or house numbers are blurred before the images are sent to the company’s cloud storage. Its privacy policy leaves room to share data for advertising. Companies could choose to make useful, private, repairable products, said iFixit’s Wiens during the Worst in Show announcement, but what is the real purpose of a $200 travel mug with location-sharing capabilities and an irreplaceable battery? “We already have thermoses,” he said. “They’re phenomenally successful. They’ve been around for a very long time.” Jamie Kaplan, vice president of communications at CES-producer Consumer Technology Association (CTA), said the show has encouraged innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. This year, CTA hosted 3,200 exhibitors. “CES requires exhibits to comply with U.S. law, which favors innovation and focuses on restricting bad behavior rather than banning new and innovative products,” she said in a statement. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/01/19/twitter-privacy-setting…>

1 0

MEMENTO | 158° Mercoledì di Nexa | 11 Gennaio 2023, ore 17.00
by Nexa Media Jan. 9, 2023

Jan. 9, 2023

Gentilissime, gentilissimi, Vi ricordiamo che *mercoledì 11 gennaio, alle ore 17.00*, si terrà il *158° Mercoledì di Nexa* con un incontro dal titolo /*"Digital Commons, Governance and AI Algorithmic Management"*/. Ospite dell'incontro: *Nicolas Jullien*, Professor at IMT Atlantique, Visiting Professor at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia e Scientific Director of Marsouin, the Breton research network on digital society. _L'incontro si terrà IN PRESENZA e ONLINE._ _SEDE FISICA_ dell'incontro: Centro Nexa su Internet e Società, Politecnico di Torino, Via Boggio 65/a, Torino (1° piano). QUI <https://nexa.polito.it/contatti> maggiori informazioni su come raggiungerci. _STANZA VIRTUALE_ dell'incontro: https://didattica.polito.it/VClass/NexaEvent Di seguito è possibile consultare la pagina web dell'evento: https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-158 Grazie per l'attenzione, Cordiali saluti, -- Anita Botta Communication Manager Nexa Center for Internet & Society Politecnico di Torino – DAUIN Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 - 10129 Torino web: https://nexa.polito.it/ mail: anita.botta(a)polito.it tel: 011 090 7219

1 0

Schoolgirl who faced terror charges is ‘wake-up call about grooming’ | UK news | The Guardian
by Alberto Cammozzo Jan. 7, 2023

Jan. 7, 2023

<https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/07/schoolgirl-who-faced-terror…> Charities say the case of a UK teenager who became the youngest girl to be charged with terror offences after online grooming by rightwing extremists should be a “wake-up call” about the online vulnerability of children. Rhianan Rudd, who was 15 when charged, took her own life at a Nottinghamshire children’s home in May last year, when she was 16. The charges against her had by then been dropped after evidence proved she had been a victim of online grooming. Nigel Bromage, the founder of the charity Exit Hate, which supports people to move away from extremism, said it was seeing a growing number of children fall victim to online grooming by rightwing extremists. “The youngest we’ve worked with is a nine-year-old boy who was being influenced via video games,” he said. “Hearing about Rhianan’s story, we’re seeing that journey being replicated time and time again. Our hearts go out to the family affected, and it is definitely a wake-up call as to how vulnerable our young people are online.” He added: “Teachers, families, we’ve all got to be able to have conversations with our young people about this, even if they are difficult and make us feel uncomfortable. Otherwise, we’re just opening the door to the extremists.” Nick Lowles, the chief executive at Hope Not Hate, said Rhianan’s story was “sadly another case of how far-right extremism ruins lives”. “In recent years, we’ve heard stories from parents of their children changing in front of their eyes after watching extreme content online,” he said. “It’s vital that between schools, parents and the police, there is more joined up thinking on how to support children who are exposed to extreme content online and ensure our counter-extremism strategy isn’t just viewed through a law-and-order lens.” Rhianan’s mother, Emily Carter, told the BBC this week that her daughter should have been treated “as a victim rather than a terrorist”, and described how her daughter took on extreme views “like a sponge”. “She’s a child, an autistic child. She should have been treated as a child that had been groomed and sexually exploited,” she said, adding police should have dealt with the case “completely differently”. At the age of 14, Rhianan, who lived in Derbyshire, was charged with the possession of instructions to make both firearms and explosives, and at the time of her arrest she had gouged a swastika into her forehead, which she subsequently tried to erase. She had been talking online to Christopher Cook, an American neo-Nazi who previously pleaded guilty to planning a terror attack on a US power grid. Evidence also showed that she had been influenced by Dax Mallaburn, a former boyfriend of Rhianan’s mother and a member of neo-Nazi group the Arizona Aryan Brotherhood. Bromage said tech companies should step up, citing an example of a current project with Facebook that redirects people to the Exit Hate page when they search the name of certain rightwing extremists. But he added there needed to be more awareness of some of the underlying causes that leave young people feeling “lost” and more likely to fall victim to groomers online. “A lot of the young people we speak to at the moment struggle with identity, and how they can identify as white and English, or male,” he said. “We try and teach them how to protect and celebrate their identity in a way that is multicultural, in a way they don’t have to worry about being called a racist because it’s inclusive. “We need to help educate people on what we actually can celebrate and what might cause offence.” Derbyshire police were contacted for comment, but declined while inquest proceedings into Rhianan’s death are ongoing.

1 0

WhatsApp just made it harder to censor citizens with Internet shutdowns | Ars Technica
by J.C. DE MARTIN Jan. 7, 2023

Jan. 7, 2023

1 0

Impatto del digitale su studenti e processi di apprendimento
by Enrico Nardelli Jan. 6, 2023

Jan. 6, 2023

Si tratta dei risultati di un'indagine conoscitiva della commissione istruzione e cultura del Senato svolta tra il 2019 e 2021. Due estratti: «Dal ciclo delle audizioni svolte e dalle documentazioni acquisite, non sono emerse evidenze scientifiche sull’efficacia del digitale applicato all’insegnamento. Anzi, tutte le ricerche scientifiche internazionali citate dimostrano, numeri alla mano, il contrario. Detta in sintesi: più la scuola e lo studio si digitalizzano, più calano sia le competenze degli studenti sia i loro redditi futuri.» «Non si tratta di dichiarare guerra alla modernità, ma semplicemente di governare e regolamentare quel mondo virtuale nel quale, secondo le ultime stime, i più giovani trascorrono dalle quattro alle sei ore al giorno. Si tratta di evitare che si realizzi fino in fondo quella «dittatura perfetta» vaticinata da Aldous Huxley quando la televisione doveva ancora entrare in tutte le case e lo smartphone aveva la concretezza di un’astrazione fantascientifica: «Una prigione senza muri in cui i prigionieri non sognano di evadere. Un sistema di schiavitù nel quale, grazie al consumismo e al divertimento, gli schiavi amano la loro schiavitù». Il testo integrale è sotto, il doc originale qua https://www.senato.it/service/PDF/PDFServer/BGT/1299729.pdf DOCUMENTO APPROVATO DALLA 7ª COMMISSIONE PERMANENTE (Istruzione pubblica, beni culturali) NELLA SEDUTA DEL 9 GIUGNO 2021 a conclusione dell'indagine conoscitiva sull'impatto del digitale sugli studenti, con particolare riferimento ai processi di apprendimento. I RISULTATI DELL’INDAGINE Ci sono i danni fisici: miopia, obesità, ipertensione, disturbi muscolo-scheletrici, diabete. E ci sono i danni psicologici: dipendenza, alienazione,depressione, irascibilità, aggressività, insonnia, insoddisfazione, diminuzione dell’empatia. Ma a preoccupare di più è la progressiva perdita di facoltà mentali essenziali, le facoltà che per millenni hanno rappresentato quella che sommariamente chiamiamo intelligenza: la capacità di concentrazione, la memoria, lo spirito critico, l’adattabilità, la capacità dialettica... Sono gli effetti che l’uso, che nella maggior parte dei casi non può che degenerare in abuso, di smartphone e videogiochi produce sui più giovani. Niente di diverso dalla cocaina. Stesse, identiche, implicazioni chimiche, neurologiche, biologiche e psicologiche. È quanto sostengono, ciascuno dal proprio punto di vista «scientifico», la maggior parte dei neurologi, degli psichiatri, degli psicologi, dei pedagogisti, dei grafologi, degli esponenti delle Forze dell’ordine auditi. Un quadro oggettivamente allarmante, anche perché evidentemente destinato a peggiorare. C’è stato un tempo in cui, per capire come saremmo diventati, noi italiani guardavamo alla Germania, poi alla Francia, poi, dal secondo dopoguerra, agli Stati Uniti. Ora, per la prima volta, il nostro sguardo abbandona le nazioni occidentali per volgersi ad Oriente. Corea del Sud, Cina, Giappone. Sono questi, oggi, i nostri modelli. Modelli avanzatissimi già da anni quanto a diffusione della tecnologia digitale, perciò anticipatori degli effetti che il crescente uso di smartphone e videogiochi produrrà fatalmente sui nostri figli, sui nostri nipoti, sui nostri amici, su di noi e di conseguenza sulla società in cui viviamo. I numeri impressionano. In Corea del Sud il 30 per cento dei giovani tra i dieci e i diciannove anni è classificato come «troppo dipendente» dal proprio telefonino: vengono disintossicati in sedici centri nati apposta per curare le patologie da web. In Cina i giovani «malati» sono ventiquattro milioni. Quindici anni fa è sorto il primo centro di riabilitazione, naturalmente concepito con logica cinese: inquadramento militare, tute spersonalizzanti, lavori forzati, elettroshock, uso generoso di psicofarmaci. Un campo di concentramento. Da allora, di luoghi del genere ne sono sorti oltre quattrocento. Analoga situazione in Giappone, dove per i casi più estremi è stato coniato un nome, hikikomori. Significa «stare in disparte». Sono giovani tra i dodici e i venticinque anni che si sono completamente isolati dalla società. Non studiano, non lavorano, non socializzano. Vegetano chiusi nelle loro camerette perennemente connessi con qualcosa che non esiste nella realtà. Gli hikikomori in Giappone sono circa un milione. Un milione di zombi. Tutte le ricerche internazionali citate nel corso del ciclo di audizioni giungono alla medesima conclusione: il cervello agisce come un muscolo,si sviluppa in base all’uso che se ne fa e l’uso di dispositivi digitali (sociale videogiochi), così come la scrittura su tastiera elettronica invece della scrittura a mano, non sollecita il cervello. Il muscolo, dunque, si atrofizza. Detto in termini tecnici, si riduce la neuroplasticità, ovvero lo sviluppo di aree cerebrali responsabili di singole funzioni. Analogo effetto si registra nei bambini cui è stata limitata la «fisicità». Nei primi anni di vita, infatti, la conoscenza di sé e del mondo passa attraverso tutti e cinque i sensi: sollecitare prevalentemente la vista, sottoutilizzando gli altri quattro sensi, impedisce lo sviluppo armonico e completo della conoscenza. È quel che accade nei bambini che trascorrono troppo tempo davanti allo schermo di un iPad o simili. Per quest’insieme di ragioni, non è esagerato dire che il digitale sta decerebrando le nuove generazioni, fenomeno destinato a connotare la classe dirigente di domani. Mai prima d’ora una rivoluzione tecnologica, quella digitale, aveva scatenato cambiamenti così profondi, su una scala così ampia e in così poco tempo. Il motivo è evidente, lo smartphone, ormai, non è più uno strumento, ma è diventato un’appendice del corpo. Soprattutto nei più giovani. Un’appendice da cui, oltre ad un’infinita gamma di funzioni, in larga parte dipendono la loro autostima e la loro identità. È per questo che risulta così difficile convincerli a farne a meno, a mettere da parte il telefonino almeno per un po’: per loro, privarsene è doloroso e assurdo quanto subire l’amputazione di un arto. Usarlo incessantemente è dunque naturale. È naturale perché questo li inducono a fare le continue sollecitazioni di algoritmi programmati apposta per adescarli e tenerli connessi il più a lungo possibile. È naturale perché a disconnettersi percepiscono la sgradevole sensazione di essere «tagliati fuori», esclusi, emarginati. È naturale anche e soprattutto perché essere connessi è irresistibilmente piacevole, dal momento che l’uso del digitale che ne fanno i più giovani, prevalentemente sociale videogiochi, favorisce il rilascio di dopamina, il neurotrasmettitore della sensazione di piacere. Ma si tratta di un piacere effimero. Dal 2001, anno in cui le console per videogiochi irrompono nelle camerette dei ragazzi, e con un’accelerazione impressionante dal 2007, anno in cui debutta lo smartphone, depressioni e suicidi tra i giovanissimi hanno raggiunto percentuali mai viste prima. Sono quasi raddoppiati, e quel che preoccupa è che il trend appare in costante ed inesorabile ascesa. Stessa tendenza, in rapida crescita, riguarda i casi di autolesionismo, di anoressia, di bulimia. Manifestazioni di disagio giovanile sempre esistite, ma che oggi si auto-alimentano sui social e nelle chat esaltando anziché scoraggiando i ragazzi e in modo particolare le ragazze dal metterli in pratica. A tutto ciò vanno sommate le conseguenze sui più giovani dell’essere costantemente a contatto con chiunque e con qualsiasi cosa. Istigazione al suicidio, adescamento, sexting, bullismo, revenge porn: tutti reati in costante crescita. Reati facilitati dal fatto che nelle nuove piazze virtuali non trovano spazio le regole in vigore nelle vecchie piazze reali: vige l’anonimato, i controlli sono scarsi, i minori vi si avventurano senza alcuna sorveglianza da parte dei genitori. Dal ciclo delle audizioni svolte e dalle documentazioni acquisite, non sono emerse evidenze scientifiche sull’efficacia del digitale applicato all’insegnamento. Anzi, tutte le ricerche scientifiche internazionali citate dimostrano, numeri alla mano, il contrario. Detta in sintesi: più la scuola e lo studio si digitalizzano, più calano sia le competenze degli studenti sia i loro redditi futuri. CONCLUSIONI Rassegnarsi a quanto sta accadendo sarebbe colpevole. Fingere di non conoscere i danni che l’abuso di tecnologia digitale sta producendo sugli studenti e in generale sui più giovani sarebbe ipocrita. Come genitori, e ancor più come legislatori, avvertiamo il dovere di segnalare il problema, sollecitando Parlamento e Governo ad individuare i possibili correttivi. Avanziamo alcune ipotesi: – scoraggiare l’uso di smartphone e videogiochi per minori di quattordici anni; – rendere cogente il divieto di iscrizione ai social per i minori di tredici anni; – prevedere l’obbligo dell’installazione di applicazioni per il controllo parentale e l’inibizione all’accesso a siti per adulti sui cellulari dei minori; – favorire la riconoscibilità di chi frequenta il web; – vietare l’accesso degli smartphone nelle classi; – educare gli studenti ai rischi connessi all’abuso di dispositivi digitali e alla navigazione sul web; – interpretare con equilibrio e spirito critico la tendenza epocale a sopravvalutare i benefici del digitale applicato all’insegnamento; – incoraggiare, nelle scuole, la lettura su carta, la scrittura a mano e l’esercizio della memoria. Non si tratta di dichiarare guerra alla modernità, ma semplicemente di governare e regolamentare quel mondo virtuale nel quale, secondo le ultime stime, i più giovani trascorrono dalle quattro alle sei ore al giorno. Si tratta di evitare che si realizzi fino in fondo quella «dittatura perfetta» vaticinata da Aldous Huxley quando la televisione doveva ancora entrare in tutte le case e lo smartphone aveva la concretezza di un’astrazione fantascientifica: «Una prigione senza muri in cui i prigionieri non sognano di evadere. Un sistema di schiavitù nel quale, grazie al consumismo e al divertimento, gli schiavi amano la loro schiavitù». Giovani schiavi resi drogati e decerebrati: gli studenti italiani. I nostri figli, i nostri nipoti. In una parola, il nostro futuro. -- -- EN https://www.hoepli.it/libro/la-rivoluzione-informatica/9788896069516.html ====================================================== Prof. Enrico Nardelli Presidente di "Informatics Europe" Direttore del Laboratorio Nazionale "Informatica e Scuola" del CINI Dipartimento di Matematica - Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" Via della Ricerca Scientifica snc - 00133 Roma home page: https://www.mat.uniroma2.it/~nardelli blog: https://link-and-think.blogspot.it/ tel: +39 06 7259.4204 fax: +39 06 7259.4699 mobile: +39 335 590.2331 e-mail: nardelli(a)mat.uniroma2.it online meeting: https://blue.meet.garr.it/b/enr-y7f-t0q-ont ====================================================== --

4 3