Blog 9: EOTO2 Reaction

 EOTO 2 Reaction

Confirmation Bias

Similar to my EOTO, confirmation bias goes hand in hand with echo chambers. I was intrigued by this presentation because it reminded me a lot of my own. Camden discusses how confirmation bias is our underlying tendency to notice, focus on, and give greater credence to evidence that fits with our existing beliefs. Confirmation bias can be helpful, but it can also be harmful. It makes people feel more sure of their beliefs when they find information that agrees with them. This avoids the discomfort, called cognitive dissonance, that happens when new information doesn't fit with what we already believe. 

Confirmation bias makes us feel more confident in our beliefs when we see information that agrees with them. This can strengthen our connection with people who share the same views and push us away from those who don't. It can create social divides between groups with different beliefs. The difference between my presentation and hers is that confirmation bias is when we naturally favor information that supports our beliefs, while echo chambers are places where we only hear ideas that reinforce those beliefs like social media. I loved this presentation because it was very informative and gave a lot of real world examples.

Five Eyes Alliance

This presentation drew my attention because Jake presented it in such an intriguing way. He started off his presentation by saying “What if I told you that the governments of 5 countries have the ability to monitor almost every digital footprint you leave behind, right now?” which was an eye opening sentence to me. The Five Eyes Alliance is a group of countries: the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that share intelligence. It was created during World War II and has become a powerful tool for tracking threats like terrorism and cyberattacks. However, it has also raised concerns about privacy, ethics, and accountability. This is a scary thing and reminds me of the Privacy blog post we did because I never realized how many eyes can be monitoring my screen. 

The Five Eyes Alliance is a symbol of global cooperation but also raises concerns about privacy and ethics. It started during wartime to take care of global threats, but now its role in surveillance needs to be more transparent. This presentation showed that the challenge is to balance safety with freedom while making sure intelligence sharing respects democratic values. Understanding the Five Eyes helps us deal with today's security issues. Jake emphasises the challenge is to keep us safe while protecting our freedoms and ensuring intelligence sharing follows democratic values. After watching this presentation I learned that understanding the Five Eyes helps us handle today’s security concerns.