To illustrate the difference, a patient might think of a technology that displays whether they are in the infectious stage of COVID as harmless because “it is just another piece of code.” But that very same patient might be skeptical of a human within a technology system that has the capability to override the software to change their patient status to “infectious/quarantined” and thereby prevent them from exercising their civil rights. And in this context, dependence relates to those who operate (wield) the technological system with the power to impact its availability. We also need to differentiate between a technology and a technological system the latter often includes people within its scope, while the former is preoccupied with an object or artifact. But technology could also imply an image recognition system that has been trained on a biassed dataset and that will likely replicate the biases of those who curated the training material. Technology could imply a simple system that operates with clockwork (Boolean) clarity, constantly producing answers of unassailable probity from simple inputs. Some distinctions in terminology are required before we proceed. Thus, an emphasis on “security” seems highly relevant for a journal devoted to considering the effects of technology on society in all its facets. In the realm of technology systems, as they are increasingly becoming a part of everyday life, dependencies can have major consequences. For instance, in drug abuse, we can say that there is an overreliance on a dependency that leads to addiction. Dependence may also be deliberately misapplied to create some level of coercion toward some other action. According to the Oxford Dictionary, dependence can be defined as: “the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else.” In the context of technological systems, dependence may imply an unwanted consequence of nonavailability. In 2003, Alkire defined “human security” as: “he objective … to safeguard the vital core of all human lives from critical pervasive threats, in a way that is consistent with long-term human fulfillment.” Today most of the world’s population is highly dependent, even for basic needs, on large technological systems. Most also hope for security of a way of life that is fulfilling and pleasant and peaceful. We desire the security of our person against injury, security of our capability to provide for our families, security of income linked to needs (food, water, clothing, and shelter), and much more. Security is a fundamental human requirement.
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