Introduction

In recent years, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantum computing have progressed in ways that would have been unfathomable just a few decades ago. These technologies not only unlock unprecedented computational power but are also getting eerily close to deciphering the “human code”—an advanced understanding of our thoughts, preferences, and decisions that, in effect, allows Big Tech to predict and influence our actions with a degree of accuracy that borders on omniscience.

What was once the domain of speculative fiction is becoming a reality: our digital footprints are being used to build predictive models capable of mapping our lives and desires in astonishing detail. With recent breaches of confidentiality and billion-dollar fines for privacy violations, we’re beginning to see just how much control tech giants hold over our data and, by extension, our autonomy.

1. The Power of Data: Mapping the Mind

Every day, we generate oceans of data—clicks, swipes, search histories, purchases, and even real-time locations. For tech companies, this data is a goldmine, enabling them to develop predictive algorithms that go beyond identifying simple preferences. With advancements in machine learning, these models have become sophisticated enough to predict not just what we want, but when and why we’ll want it.

This data-driven insight into human behavior brings us closer to what some might call “cracking the human code.” Google’s algorithms, for instance, already analyze our search histories, location data, and app usage patterns to predict our interests, habits, and preferences with impressive accuracy. While this has revolutionized advertising and user experience, it has also raised ethical questions: when does predictive power become control?

2. Big Tech’s Privacy Breaches and Multibillion-Dollar Fines

If “cracking the human code” sounds like a conspiracy theory, consider the fines that Big Tech has incurred for privacy violations. The sheer scale of these penalties highlights just how much power these corporations wield and the lengths to which they go to harvest our data.

In May 2023, Meta (formerly Facebook) was fined €1.2 billion by the EU’s Data Protection Commission for mishandling user data in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine underscored the company’s extensive data-sharing practices and its disregard for European privacy standards. But Meta is not alone.

In a similarly egregious case, Google was slapped with an $8 billion fine for collecting data in private browsing mode—an intrusion into user privacy that reveals just how far tech giants are willing to go to capture data. The breach involved logging user activity even when they believed they were browsing incognito, highlighting the disconnect between user expectations and the reality of corporate data practices. Google also settled a $391.5 million case with 40 U.S. states in 2022 for allegedly misleading users about location tracking options, further illustrating the company’s disregard for transparent data collection.

3. From Insight to Prediction: Behavioral Mapping at Scale

With these vast amounts of data, Big Tech is no longer just observing our behavior—they are predicting it. In many ways, companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon have moved beyond simple data collection to creating behavioral models that border on predictive control. Algorithms can now target ads at the exact moments we’re most likely to engage, tailoring content to influence our choices before we even realize what we’re being shown.

This predictive capability is exemplified by Amazon’s use of third-party seller data to bolster its own product lines, allowing it to “predict” successful products and edge out competitors. The European Union has fined Amazon for antitrust behavior, alleging misuse of data to dominate markets. While Amazon’s practices raise competition issues, they also show how Big Tech’s predictive power extends beyond individual consumers to entire market trends.

4. Cracking the Human Code: The Final Step in Predictive Power

For years, tech companies have honed their algorithms to interpret our behaviors, but now, they seem dangerously close to understanding us on a deeper level. If Big Tech can predict our behaviors with near-accuracy, are they not on the verge of “cracking the human code”—a state where our every decision and impulse becomes predictable? The provocative idea here isn’t mind-reading, but rather a near-complete ability to anticipate our actions by dissecting and analyzing our digital behaviors.

By piecing together enough data, these algorithms are edging closer to a state of digital omniscience, where they don’t just know what we might like—they know what we’re likely to do, buy, or believe next. This capability has significant implications for autonomy: if our actions can be anticipated so precisely, how much of our behavior is truly our own?

5. The Prophecy of Data and the Oracle Effect

The Bible contains numerous passages that resonate with the rise of predictive technology. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6), suggests that knowledge itself has divine origins, as if pointing to a future where understanding could be unlocked through deeper inquiry.

This quest for knowledge and prophecy is deeply human. In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi was consulted by leaders seeking to understand and predict events, almost as a proto-AI of sorts. While the Oracle’s guidance was ambiguous, the quest for knowledge and control has continued. Today, Big Tech’s algorithms resemble this role, not in divining the will of the gods, but in interpreting vast datasets to offer “oracular” insights into our collective behavior.

Prophecy in the Bible often warned of the consequences of too much knowledge. Genesis 3:22 reads, “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.’” The pursuit of knowledge brought consequences, suggesting that humanity’s quest to understand itself might always come with inherent dangers.

As tech giants approach this boundary of understanding, there’s an unsettling reflection here: they, like the Oracle, offer insight but with uncertain consequences. Our data trails serve as modern-day prophecies of our own behavior, written not by divine mandate but by algorithms.

6. The Ethical Quagmire: Control, Consent, and Autonomy

The issue of predictive power raises profound ethical questions. By controlling the data on which our digital lives run, tech companies essentially gain a degree of control over our actions, raising concerns about autonomy, consent, and privacy. It’s one thing for a company to recommend products, but quite another for them to actively shape our choices and influence our behaviors based on a deep understanding of our psychology.

Governments worldwide have started cracking down on these practices, issuing hefty fines and passing regulations to curb unchecked data collection. However, these measures are playing catch-up with rapidly evolving technology. GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and similar regulations are steps toward transparency, but the question remains: can policy keep pace with technology?

Conclusion: A Call for Transparency and Ethical Responsibility

As Big Tech inches closer to cracking the human code, the challenge before us is not just technical—it’s ethical. Recent fines, breaches, and scandals illustrate that tech companies are already on the verge of understanding human behavior with an unprecedented level of detail. With this knowledge comes immense responsibility, and it’s up to society to ensure that such power isn’t misused.

In Daniel 12:4, it’s written: “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” It seems that we are living in a time of “increased knowledge,” where technology reveals aspects of human nature once sealed off or unknown. As Big Tech builds predictive models that dissect our every action, we must ask: how much power should corporations have over the very essence of our choices?

Ultimately, cracking the human code must be met with transparency, consent, and ethical responsibility. As predictive algorithms advance, the final frontier lies not in their capabilities but in our collective will to govern them responsibly. For if we leave the power over human behavior unchecked, the question will not be whether tech giants can predict our actions—but whether they will control them.

Made by Fausken with love and AI