Risk Assessment of National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) mass-surveillance proposal in China-model adoptions vs. U.S. interests and national security

 Originally published 15 May, 2020

Updated 22 May, 2020

Risk Assessment of National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) mass-surveillance proposal in China-model adoptions vs. U.S. interests and national security 

Attention: POTUS, Department of Defense, Department of State

Sensitive

In regards to approaches in handling COVID-19 “Mobilize and Transition”, the purpose of mass testing was to PROVE the confirmation bias that was evident in the initial presentations of the CDC, WHO, NIH, in which BMGF and BMGFT are major shareholders. Now that we have sufficient data that proves the inaccuracies of such projections and death rates, (which might be overestimated by 25% according to Dr. Deborah Birx) it is no longer necessary to perform COVID-19 tests at a mass scale. Phase I is complete.

It was first proposed in May 2019 by Chairman Schmidt, head of NSCAI committee of the DoD, to adopt Communist China-model’s use of AI for mass surveillance and data collection. The vision of this project is meant to ‘strengthen the US economy by implementing AI as a means to compete against China.’ The main issue with this proposal is that it would require the U.S. to adopt the Communist China-model of draconian measures in order to install new infrastructure. We have seen this occur in the last three months here in the U.S. but under different conditions— COVID-19. COVID-19 allowed the rebranding of such a campaign. We must ask if this pandemic was coordinated to overlap with the NSCAI’s mass-surveillance project or if it gave it the scapegoat it needed to implement it. 5G communication systems are in the process of proposing how and what the infrastructure will be implemented in the U.S. It is critical that we are not hasty about initiating AI in such a way that we corrupt its potential— to create a sustainable human-cyber interface that promotes well-being. This is the project that NSCAI should be pursuing instead which could utilize the Declaration of Independence as its foundational code of ethics. This would surely be the competition that would put Communist China back in its rightful place. 

As a risk analyst, it is important to communicate the legal ramifications, privacy risks, and most importantly— how mass-surveillance undermines the U.S Constitution that would put the rights of citizens in jeopardy. The Constitution, as the foundation of America, requires the Department of State who has the mission of protecting the country from such projects and programs to defend it thoroughly. The NSCAI’s project, on the other hand, requires the U.S. to be more like China, which does not create healthy competition but instead, embraces it.

Thus, a federal government entity using such funds to initiate and pursue such damaging projects are interpreted to be a “waste” of funds that should be blocked from usage by the committee in their pursuit of mass-surveillance implementation and other forms of data-collection, whether claimed to be a fight against COVID-19, as a means to “compete” against China, and/or in the supposed name of a “security” concept that puts America at risk.

I further argue that continued mass testing without checks and balances is a threat to citizens’ privacy and a huge infringement of HIPAA law, a federal ethical requirement of all practitioners in the medical field. But that is not all, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) / BGI Genomics Co. was labeled as the “Huawei of genomics” by a White House official, and is, according to Bloomberg,  a “global effort to assemble the first ever comprehensive picture of human DNA.”raising concerns of anonymity in regards to intelligence. China’s excuse: the FISA Act. 

Additionally, by continuing mass testing in a similar approach that the BGI / G42 collaboration operates to track, trace, and store the information in the cloud, we systematically run the risk of improper use of data. Further analysis acknowledges the risk that this data , specifically of asymptomatic carriers, can be used as bioweapons, either to target certain communities, or individual persons, including POTUS. Some may argue that it is for that reason that everyone should be tested, but it is only by access to such data that it can be used in such a way. This data must be contained between patient and doctor and should NEVER be sold or used by big tech companies, including Microsoft, who was recently awarded a $10b contract to design and run the new JEDI cloud system for the DoD. I respectfully request review of Microsoft’s proposal on how they plan to design and implement such technology by the Pentagon.

Moreover, the ethical implications of using AI as a means to surveil the public are nonexistent, which goes against our Do No Harm protocol and framework. Ethics must be established before the use of AI for public means beyond the user-login platform. Proceeding without acknowledging such risks is bound to produce dire ramifications that the United States cannot afford if we are to remain and reclaim our position as a world leader.

The China-model adoption of mass surveillance raises the question of profiteering, primarily of a single large private entity. The DoD emphasizes ‘fears of being left out of AI-driven innovations for new technologies and infrastructures’ and the concern for falling behind China in terms of GDP, but these fears should not justify the injury to what once was the strongest economy in US history and the loss of lives as a result of such actions that advanced the China-model agenda as proposed by the chairman of the NSCAI. In fact, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, acknowledges the “face-mask diplomacy” strategy as a “distraction” of its origins. I argue that this may also include governing health officials of the WHO, NIH, and CDC that have— intentionally or not, caused a further political divide within the American population.

Conclusion 

I advise that checks and balances be implemented immediately within the DoD to oversee the NSCAI committee in order to not “waste” funding on projects that do not protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. This includes ceasing mass-surveillance activities including implementation of infrastructure.

I urge the POTUS to also consider pausing any and all future funding proposals that further COVID-19 testing, tracking, and/or tracing measures as it puts the future of America and its citizens at risk. Despite Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other API recognition and tracking apps efforts to assist in COVID-19 handling, the risks of privacy breach including HIPAA Law are greater than the risks imposed without tracking and tracing, especially since these projects create the possibility and further the risk of stricter mass-surveillance.

Simply put, the United States cannot afford to undermine the U.S. Constitution in the name of health and “security.” This is especially true when the plan for “competition” prioritizes “global security” over American values which is detailed in the U. S. Constitution and the duty of the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice to protect.

Exhibits of the NSCAI proposal, published by EPIC, 2020

Freedom of Information Act