Shadows of You in Code

Jason Miller

Let me ask you something. How many versions of you are out there right now? Not the one brushing their teeth or sitting in the car. I mean the ones in databases, ad systems, banking apps, social feeds—these, like, little data-shadows of you, being processed and judged while you’re just… going about your life. If that feels even a little bit unsettling, that's good! Stick around. This episode is really just an honest conversation about digital identities and the invisible code that's kind of shaping our lives, often without us knowing it.

Philippe Funk

Yes, Jason, and I think that “data-shadow” metaphor is exactly right. I remember back in 2014, during this massive social media leak— and it hit me: there’s this “data double” of me out there. Not me as a person, but a version built from my likes, my connections... Like, the system was making all sorts of assumptions, building stories about who I am, and I barely had any say in it. It’s odd when you realize those fragments—bits you barely remember clicking—are the raw material for your digital alter ego.

Jason Miller

Yeah, exactly. And the thing is, most people probably don’t even realize just how many versions of themselves are floating around out there. It’s not just a USB full of your old photos—it’s a living, breathing shadow you… kind of without you, you know?

Jason Miller

So let's break this down for a second. “Digital identity”—what does that actually mean in normal life? It’s your login credentials, sure. But it's also your purchase history, where your phone has pinged from, your Spotify queue, which browser you use, and every “like” or “fave” or “swipe” you did in, I dunno, 2017. All these individually innocent things, together—that's what builds a digital profile.

Philippe Funk

Right, and here’s where it gets tricky: One tweet, one location check-in, not a big deal. But stack them up, and suddenly, you’ve got a predictive profile. That's what decides, maybe, if you get a loan, or a certain price on an airline ticket, or if an ad for something you don't want follows you around for weeks. It’s not just describing you—it’s guessing what you’ll do, what you’ll want, even what you “deserve.”

Jason Miller

Yeah, and sometimes those guesses really matter. There’s this 2022 case from the Netherlands—automated welfare fraud detection flagged a ton of families for fraud, but the system got it totally wrong. People lost benefits, livelihoods changed, just because a code thought their profiles fit some risk formula. No humans involved at all. It’s wild—and pretty disturbing, honestly.

Philippe Funk

That case is, like, a warning. A perverse sort of “efficiency”—but if you’re on the wrong side of the sorting, you’re stuck. The system never even tells you how it became convinced you were a problem. You’re just left… on the outside.

Jason Miller

And it all comes back to the algorithms making the calls—right? Every “Recommended for you,” every “We couldn’t verify your identity,” every mortgage approval or denial. It’s code, making decisions based on those data points.

Philippe Funk

The myth is, “The computer says no, so it must be fair.” But there’s NO neutral code! The rules, the definitions—they come from people. I saw first-hand on a project: thresholds set for verification, meant to smooth the process… they did the opposite. Legitimate people just couldn’t get past invisible walls, because of assumptions baked into the logic by someone who’d never met them. No malice, but plenty of bias.

Jason Miller

It's easy to forget, but every “objective” tech decision is a hundred subjective choices stacked together. And if you’re shut out? It’s not fate—it’s someone’s design, whether they admit it or not.

Philippe Funk

Exactly. And the most frustrating thing is: you don’t get to contest the logic. You just hit an error page, or a rejection—game over. No appeal, no human in the loop, just a cold system.

Jason Miller

So let’s talk about Ubuntu, because that mindset really reframes the whole thing. At its core, Ubuntu means “I am because we are.” We’re not just isolated data rows—we’re a network, connected, reliant, responsible for each other in ways the code barely recognizes.

Philippe Funk

That’s huge. Most digital ID systems—whether public or private—they just treat you as a subject to be verified or scored. It’s “can you prove you’re worthy?” Not: “How does this system protect your dignity?” I’ll give an example. India’s Aadhaar national ID—massive for inclusion, yes. But when the system mis-classified profiles, real people got cut off from benefits. The machine was “right,” but the outcome was deeply wrong. Ubuntu asks—who suffers, who gains, when the system prioritizes efficiency over humanity?

Jason Miller

Yeah, and it’s not about hating tech or ID systems—they can be powerful tools to lift people up, reduce fraud, all that. But if nobody asks, “Are we seeing the person or just tracking the profile?” then honestly, it can be just another control tool, accidental or not. That’s where Ubuntu pushes us to ask: what’s the deeper point?

Philippe Funk

I might be a bit annoying about this, but I think if you’re not designing for collective dignity and fairness, you’re just updating paperwork for the digital age. That’s not progress—that’s digitizing old mistakes.

Jason Miller

So, if you pause for a second, you’ve got, like, a hundred versions of “you” scattered in different systems: the one your bank uses, one in some government database, another sitting in an ad platform, maybe—invisibly—inside a machine learning training set you never opted into.

Philippe Funk

Yeah, absolutely. People think, “I’m everywhere!” But really, you’re fragmented. Each system builds its own partial truth, and those rarely add up to the full story of who you actually are. Sometimes, those fragments help—they catch fraud, smooth out payments. But just as often, they box you in, make inferences about your worth, your preferences, your risk.

Jason Miller

And being everywhere doesn’t mean you’re actually seen. Like, I had this headache with my credit report—not even big stuff, just silly errors. Took me months to even figure out what was wrong, let alone who to ask to fix it. The system “knows” me, but it doesn't really see me. Ubuntu reminds us—behind every profile is a person connected to a community. Lose sight of that, and stuff goes sideways, fast.

Philippe Funk

And it also shows the real danger: hyper-visibility in data, but invisibility as a subject with rights and agency. It’s a paradox—seen everywhere, recognized nowhere.

Jason Miller

So let's get practical for a minute. All these systems—who actually controls your digital identities? Can you delete them, correct them, change them? I mean, have you ever tried to get something removed, Philippe?

Philippe Funk

Too many times! Even as someone who, frankly, knows the game. Once you’re in a database, out is nearly impossible. I’ve seen people locked out of their main bank accounts, no fault of their own, just an algorithm flagging them. Gone—access to pay rent, buy groceries, all of that, with nothing but a number or an online form for recourse. And don’t get me started on losing a social profile because of some “security incident.” Overnight, your digital self just… vanishes.

Jason Miller

And yet, so many well-meaning laws in Europe—GDPR, right to be forgotten, whatever—actually don’t help with the crucial bit: putting meaningful agency in users’ hands. It’s always about compliance checklists, not making people real partners in the system.

Philippe Funk

Exactly. Europe is the king of regulation, but it’s often regulation for the sake of... paperwork. We miss the point. If you can’t challenge a system or change your record, you don’t have agency. It’s that simple, and it’s a collective responsibility, not just a technical problem.

Jason Miller

So maybe here’s the real test: Where, today, do you actually feel like a partner in a system, and not just a box to be ticked? When does a digital process feel human, and when does it feel like an endless spreadsheet?

Philippe Funk

This is where Ubuntu is a provocation. If we design from “I am because we are,” it means you’re never just building for efficiency, or profit, or speed. You’re building for recognition—for mutual trust and dignity. I’m gonna highlight Estonia’s e-residency as a rare win. It’s a digital ID program, yeah, but it’s about empowering people: e-residents actually shape the process, get real transparency, build businesses, participate. It’s not perfect, but it’s a system where your digital self isn’t a cage, it’s an invitation.

Jason Miller

That’s the dream, right? Digital systems that expand your agency, don’t clip it. Systems that recognize your humanity, not just your patterns. So here’s what I’d ask our listeners: What can you demand—politely, persistently, maybe a little annoyingly—from platforms, from lawmakers, to make sure code remembers who it’s for? None of this is just paranoia; this is about refusing to let our societies be run on autopilot, forgetting the “we” in all of us.

Philippe Funk

And it starts with not accepting that “the system just is what it is.” We have—collectively—a say in what gets built, and who’s seen, and who’s left behind. Ubuntu isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

Jason Miller

Alright, Philippe, always a pleasure to get, uh, uncomfortably honest with you. And thanks to everyone listening. This is The Ubuntu Podcast Series. We’re just scratching the surface—more questions, and maybe a few answers, coming up in future episodes.

Philippe Funk

Thanks, Jason. And thanks to all of you. See you next time—don’t forget your digital shadow is in good company.