INFOHAZARDS: Things No One Should Know

TL;DR

Info hazards are true information that can cause harm or enable agents to cause harm, and they pose a unique existential threat in the age of technology.

Transcript

i've spent my entire life telling you information i think you should know from how radioactive lava was created at the chernobyl meltdown to what exactly it would feel like to have a large vampire mommy step right on your face critical information but it's very rarely that i or anyone else in this business asks what you shouldn't know what i should... Read More

Key Insights

• 💁 Info hazards can range from spoilers to the dissemination of dangerous information, such as step-by-step instructions for making a nuclear bomb or a deadly virus.
• 💁 The presentation of information, such as clickbait or distraction tactics, can also be information hazards.
• 👋 Social media has become a powerful distraction and biasing info hazard, as it rewards and promotes those who can distract users the best and can bury good information with misinformation.
• 👶 The increasing accessibility and capabilities of technology, such as biotechnology and supercomputers, pose new risks and challenges in preventing and controlling info hazards.
• 💀 The rapid progress of technology requires us to address the potential dangers of info hazards, as a single catastrophic event could have devastating global consequences.
• 💁 The availability of information, such as the complete genome for deadly diseases, can pose significant risks if misused or disseminated without control.
• 💀 Humanity's truth bias, the belief that more knowledge is always better, can blind us to the potential dangers of certain information.
• 💁 Learning from past failures, such as the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, is essential to prevent and mitigate the impact of future info hazards.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are info hazards?

Info hazards are true information that can cause harm or enable agents to cause harm. They include spoilers, attention hazards, clickbait, distraction hazards, and biasing hazards.

Q: How can spoilers be considered info hazards?

Spoilers can be considered info hazards because they involve the dissemination of true information that causes psychological harm to individuals who have not yet experienced the content being spoiled.

Q: What is an attention hazard?

An attention hazard is when the dissemination of certain information brings attention to a subject or phenomenon, leading to negative consequences such as overfishing or depopulation.

Q: How can clickbait be considered an info hazard?

Clickbait misleads people with promises of information that is never fulfilled, wasting their time and distracting them from more important matters. It can also make information seem more important than it actually is.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Info hazards are true information that can cause harm or enable agents to cause harm.

• Examples of info hazards include spoilers, attention hazards, clickbait, distraction hazards, and biasing hazards.

• The dissemination of certain information, such as step-by-step instructions for making a nuclear bomb or a deadly virus, can have catastrophic consequences.