Lecturer: Mr. Michael Omoto
Profile: Mr. Michael Omoto is a fourth-generation Japanese American from Los Angeles who has spent his adult life between Japan and the United States. He majored in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. After working as an English teacher in Japan, he studied software engineering and gained experience at Silicon Valley startups, Mercari, and Presto, before assuming his current position. (Excerpted from Discovery Nikkei)
【Speech and Q&A】
This forum featured a speech by Mr. Omoto, an Engineering Manager at Google Japan. He began by discussing familiar examples such as LINE, Pokémon GO, and ChatGPT. He explained the extent to which these products collect personal information and the potential risks involved. He then used these examples to illustrate the current state of modern privacy frameworks, categorizing the handling of personal information into two perspectives: “creepy” and “useful.” Participants actively asked questions regarding the balance between privacy protection and product usability, concerns about the excessive personalization of advertising and content, and the maturity of personal information protection systems at Japanese companies.
【Floor discussion】
We discussed the types of regulations and laws that would be effective in protecting privacy. First, current issues surrounding the handling of personal information were raised, including limited user control over how data is handled, concerns about how excessive ad personalization affects user decision-making, and the increasingly profit-driven nature of advertising. Solutions to these issues included limiting advertising monetization and implementing various mechanisms for obtaining consent to use personal information. Several participants also emphasized that when considering digital privacy protection, it is important to remember that significant differences in perception exist across generations and individuals.
【Personal Opinion】
I have had many opportunities to consider how my personal information is handled, such as when installing apps or reviewing terms and conditions. Previously, even if I felt uneasy, I often ignored it without much thought because it did not cause any immediate inconvenience. However, after hearing the speaker’s point that privacy is meant to ensure human freedom and is a fundamental human right, my perspective changed. I strongly felt that privacy is not something to be easily surrendered for the sake of convenience. Instead, we must carefully consider how much information we are willing to share in order to protect our dignity and freedom.
Kaede Matsumoto, Musashino Art University, Art and Design, Second Year