Facebook Announces AI Map of All Homes

Facebook's AI has mapped out where every single human on earth lives, and the information will soon be public. This project combines census data from what is so far 20 countries, with satellite surveillance Facebook's technology can pin-point any man made structure to a resolution of 15 ft. The purpose? To spread internet access to under-served populations (I call bs btw).

According to Daily Mail, the drones are effectively mobile phone masts in the sky and bounce smartphone communications between satellites and base stations on Earth. Low-orbit and geosynchronous satellites, which have orbits that match the Earth's rotation and are effectively stationary, will cover more remote areas in Africa and Asia. The internet access would be transmitted in the form of free-space optical communication, or FSO, which transmits data using infrared lasers.

To paraphase Facebook's Head of Strategic Innovation, Janna Lewis explained. 'Our data showed the best way to connect cities is an internet in the sky....We're trying to connect people from the stratosphere and from space,' using high-altitude drone aircraft and satellites, to supplement Earth-based networks.'

This announcement has given further insight on the effectiveness Facebook's drone program, initially announced as a means for increasing internet access in the under-developed world (we called bullshit back then too). While prospect for a map system that uses Facebook's ocean of data are formidable, here's where my question lies.

The world is vast. The underdeveloped world is very vast, and operates by rules that would be alien to whoever planned this program. If this wasn't the case, someone at Facebook's office would understand that high politicized, often unreliable census data and drones slated to cover land masses like Africa and Asia is wildly naive. The sky is most definitively not the best way to connect cities anywhere, including the developing world. There are several points of contention as to why this program makes little sense as announced, and listing them would be another subject on it's own.

That being said, I don't believe the program and flawed, but it's highly unlikely that Facebook is being completely transparent as to what the purpose of their data collection program is actually serving. I call BS, Mark.