Wait a second - are we really coming up with substance abuse treatments for cell phone usage? Like as if it was nicotine or heroin? If the healthier way to "use" a phone involves an override program that literally makes it more difficult to use, then I think we have a problem here.
Managing screen time by making phones slightly more annoying to use
May 2024, phys.org
Once the user's designated screen limit has been reached, InteractOut can delay the phone's response to a user's gesture, shift where tapping motions are registered or slow the screen scrolling speed.The strength of the delays and shifts continues to increase each time the user touches the phone, up to a pre-set maximum, and the user can decide how the app interferes with their phone use. The app's gradual interference allows users to continue using their phone, but with a little extra difficulty."If we just continuously add a little bit of friction to the interaction with the phone, eventually the user becomes more aware of what they are doing because there's a mismatch between what they expect to happen and what actually happens. That makes using smartphones a more deliberate process."
via University of Michigan: Tao Lu et al, InteractOut: Leveraging Interaction Proxies as Input Manipulation Strategies for Reducing Smartphone Overuse, Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (2024). DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642317
Image credit: I think this is an early generation of AI image generation, pre 2022 pre Stable Diffusion-era?
Companies may still buy consumer genetic information despite its modest predictive power
May 2024, phys.org
At-home DNA tests have provided millions with insights into their family history and health risk by simply spitting in a tube. Genetic risk screening of embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics is now available. These tests rely on polygenic scores—a tally of variations in human genes that influence a certain trait. However, while powerful at predicting traits in large populations, these scores are rather weak at an individual level."Firms operate under a lot of uncertainty and any little bit of information that they have about you is worthwhile."Using an economic model, the researchers found that companies might be willing to pay because the information may raise profit and is relatively cheap.The researchers argue that current laws and policies are inadequate to address the ethical, privacy, and legal concerns surrounding the potential corporate use of polygenic scores. While the US Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits discrimination in health coverage and employment based on genetic information, there are loopholes. The act only covers health insurance, excluding long-term, disability, life, and other insurances. It also doesn't apply to employers with fewer than 15 people, which accounts for 85% of US companies."I don't think people realize that when they give up their genetic information today, they're not giving it up just for today; they're giving it up forever"
via Johns Hopkins University Geisinger College of Health Sciences: Potential Corporate Uses of Polygenic Indexes: Starting a Conversation about the Associated Ethics and Policy Issues, The American Journal of Human Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.03.010.
No comments:
Post a Comment