{"id":3490288,"date":"2026-06-26T15:46:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/xprize-founder-states-people-act-more-appropriately-when-they-are-observed\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:46:05","slug":"xprize-founder-states-people-act-more-appropriately-when-they-are-observed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/xprize-founder-states-people-act-more-appropriately-when-they-are-observed\/","title":{"rendered":"Xprize founder states \u2018people act more appropriately when they are observed\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\n

Peter Diamandis, the founder of Xprize Foundation, has aligned himself with a growing cadre of technology leaders who advocate for global surveillance, asserting, \u201c[h]umans act more responsibly when they know they are being observed.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, Diamandis voiced his views in a post on X and elaborated on his convictions in a Substack article, where he essentially characterized the concept as: Big Brother with positive intent.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadical transparency is on the horizon. A future where knowledge can be acquired anytime, anywhere. A future where no one remains hidden,\u201d he expressed on Substack. \u201cWe are enveloping the Earth in a \u2018Sensor Ecosystem\u2019: a dynamic, multi-layered sensing apparatus that extends from home cameras to smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots on the ground, to drones and flying cars in the air, culminating with a network of satellites capturing images of every square meter on Earth daily.\u201d <\/p>\n

Diamandis’ remarks came about two years after Oracle founder Larry Ellison made similar statements.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizens will behave better because everything happening will be continually recorded and reported,\u201d Ellison forecasted during an Oracle event in 2024.<\/p>\n

Diamandis seems to have been inspired to express these views following a podcast interview with Will Marshall, CEO of Planet, the largest operator of Earth-monitoring satellites.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one can elude detection anymore,\u201d Marshall informed Diamandis during their discussion. \u201cIf you construct a school, we will observe the school. If you establish a data center, we will detect the data center. And the accountability will be visible to the entire world, regardless of circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamandis, Ellison, and Marshall are correct that much of this technology is currently operational and expanding. It is becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to move through their daily lives without being captured on camera by home security systems like Ring, vehicles equipped with cameras like those produced by Tesla, or automated license plate recognition systems from Flock. Even if they manage, they are still monitored through their phones by advertising networks and data brokers.<\/p>\n

However, Diamandis\u2019 remarks are among the most candid regarding the intention to eliminate privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour children will grow up in an environment devoid of \u2018off the record\u2019,\u201d he advises any parents engaging with his post. \u201cEducate them that the most effective privacy approach is to act with integrity, living in such a way that being observed incurs no cost. And advocate vigorously for a world where the observation is mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamandis appears to consider this an unavoidable reality, yet that perspective does not reflect how the average person is reacting to the surge of surveillance technology. Some municipalities have covered their Flock cameras with garbage bags following reports that the company\u2019s data was being accessed by ICE, the FBI, and other law enforcement entities. Public opposition to Ring\u2019s \u201cSearch Party\u201d feature\u2014designed to locate lost pets, a typically defensible initiative\u2014led to the company terminating its collaboration with Flock.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Meta has faced backlash regarding its camera glasses (created in collaboration with Ray-Ban), and is also embroiled in a lawsuit concerning privacy issues.<\/p>\n

A considerable portion of Diamandis’ Substack post centers on providing guidance to entrepreneurs or executives on how to navigate a world lacking privacy. This advice primarily distills to: \u201cbe a good person.\u201d Yet he struggles to address whether individuals will choose to act this way due to moral obligation or the possibility of surveillance. (He mentions that this is the question he\u2019s \u201cbeen pondering\u201d since concluding the interview with Marshall.)<\/p>\n

What Diamandis does not grapple with are the same fundamental queries that technology leaders frequently circumvent in discussions about surveillance and privacy. The interpretations of \u201cgood\u201d or \u201chonest\u201d are often subjective\u2014particularly in the context of powerful tech companies overseeing the surveillance framework.<\/p>\n

Diamandis briefly posits that these firms promote transparency, asserting that \u201ctransparency is a tool, and tools lack ethics.\u201d However, he overlooks the reality that tools often embody the biases of their creators. Who determines what behavior recorded by a security camera is deemed \u201cgood\u201d or \u201chonest\u201d? This vital question remains unaddressed.<\/p>\n

All he is willing to assert is that transparency \u201conly cultivates trust when it flows both ways.\u201d Achieving that equilibrium seems challenging, at best, within a landscape where the technology necessary for such \u201ctransparency\u201d is controlled by a select few.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/div>\n
\n

Peter Diamandis, the founder of Xprize Foundation, has aligned himself with a growing cadre of technology leaders who advocate for global surveillance, asserting, \u201c[h]umans act more responsibly when they know they are being observed.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, Diamandis voiced his views in a post on X and elaborated on his convictions in a Substack article, where he essentially characterized the concept as: Big Brother with positive intent.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadical transparency is on the horizon. A future where knowledge can be acquired anytime, anywhere. A future where no one remains hidden,\u201d he expressed on Substack. \u201cWe are enveloping the Earth in a \u2018Sensor Ecosystem\u2019: a dynamic, multi-layered sensing apparatus that extends from home cameras to smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots on the ground, to drones and flying cars in the air, culminating with a network of satellites capturing images of every square meter on Earth daily.\u201d <\/p>\n

Diamandis’ remarks came about two years after Oracle founder Larry Ellison made similar statements.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizens will behave better because everything happening will be continually recorded and reported,\u201d Ellison forecasted during an Oracle event in 2024.<\/p>\n

Diamandis seems to have been inspired to express these views following a podcast interview with Will Marshall, CEO of Planet, the largest operator of Earth-monitoring satellites.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one can elude detection anymore,\u201d Marshall informed Diamandis during their discussion. \u201cIf you construct a school, we will observe the school. If you establish a data center, we will detect the data center. And the accountability will be visible to the entire world, regardless of circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamandis, Ellison, and Marshall are correct that much of this technology is currently operational and expanding. It is becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to move through their daily lives without being captured on camera by home security systems like Ring, vehicles equipped with cameras like those produced by Tesla, or automated license plate recognition systems from Flock. Even if they manage, they are still monitored through their phones by advertising networks and data brokers.<\/p>\n

However, Diamandis\u2019 remarks are among the most candid regarding the intention to eliminate privacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour children will grow up in an environment devoid of \u2018off the record\u2019,\u201d he advises any parents engaging with his post. \u201cEducate them that the most effective privacy approach is to act with integrity, living in such a way that being observed incurs no cost. And advocate vigorously for a world where the observation is mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamandis appears to consider this an unavoidable reality, yet that perspective does not reflect how the average person is reacting to the surge of surveillance technology. Some municipalities have covered their Flock cameras with garbage bags following reports that the company\u2019s data was being accessed by ICE, the FBI, and other law enforcement entities. Public opposition to Ring\u2019s \u201cSearch Party\u201d feature\u2014designed to locate lost pets, a typically defensible initiative\u2014led to the company terminating its collaboration with Flock.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Meta has faced backlash regarding its camera glasses (created in collaboration with Ray-Ban), and is also embroiled in a lawsuit concerning privacy issues.<\/p>\n

A considerable portion of Diamandis’ Substack post centers on providing guidance to entrepreneurs or executives on how to navigate a world lacking privacy. This advice primarily distills to: \u201cbe a good person.\u201d Yet he struggles to address whether individuals will choose to act this way due to moral obligation or the possibility of surveillance. (He mentions that this is the question he\u2019s \u201cbeen pondering\u201d since concluding the interview with Marshall.)<\/p>\n

What Diamandis does not grapple with are the same fundamental queries that technology leaders frequently circumvent in discussions about surveillance and privacy. The interpretations of \u201cgood\u201d or \u201chonest\u201d are often subjective\u2014particularly in the context of powerful tech companies overseeing the surveillance framework.<\/p>\n

Diamandis briefly posits that these firms promote transparency, asserting that \u201ctransparency is a tool, and tools lack ethics.\u201d However, he overlooks the reality that tools often embody the biases of their creators. Who determines what behavior recorded by a security camera is deemed \u201cgood\u201d or \u201chonest\u201d? This vital question remains unaddressed.<\/p>\n

All he is willing to assert is that transparency \u201conly cultivates trust when it flows both ways.\u201d Achieving that equilibrium seems challenging, at best, within a landscape where the technology necessary for such \u201ctransparency\u201d is controlled by a select few.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3490289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3490288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3490288"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3490288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3490288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3490289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3490288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3490288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3490288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}