In 2019, a viral Internet meme called the “10-Year Challenge” flooded social-media newsfeeds, asking users the question: “How hard did aging hit you?” Users responded by sharing side-by-side photographs of themselves from 2009 and 2019 with their followers. While the challenge spread across social-media platforms, commentators began speculating about the challenge’s origins after a writer for Wired magazine published an op-ed questioning whether Facebook used the challenge to train its facial recognition technology. The op-ed argued that the challenge, while seemingly harmless, could provide Facebook with a sufficient dataset to train its facial recognition technology on age progression. While Facebook denied playing a role in generating the challenge, the op-ed poignantly observes the chilling possibility of tech companies using manipulative tactics to compel disclosure of otherwise private information.
Consent-Appropriation-by-Manipulation-and-the-10-Year-Challenge