Who's Whose?

We've cracked the genetic code. We can characterize and identify individuals by their DNA. It constitutes more evidence, beyond that already abounding throughout our society, that almost anything is possible in the field of technology.

I raise this issue because a few weeks ago I discussed “Jewish Geography” (October 2, 2016) and recalled the concept of “six degrees of separation.” I wrote about our connections to everyone else, focusing on the idea that we're not as separated as we think from others, even if they speak a different language or live in some distant land. However we don't know of the connections.

Why not? We're at a point in time when it doesn't seem far-fetched to imagine a closer linkage of people and a means for determining those links. All it takes is the right “App.” And, of course, a lot of raw data.

With that possibility in mind I am working on (and I'm almost ready for alpha testing) a new program to solve the problem. Although it is primarily designed for use on “smart phones” (almost everyone [except me] has one) it can also be used on obsolete devices, like computers. It deals with a complex, but not insoluble problem. The goal is to list everyone on earth, and to show the relationships (blood and friendship) that exist among them. At least among those who matter. We may not be able to eliminate the six degrees, but we can try. Indeed, by being able to identify connections wherever you go you will be able to eliminate the distance and to short-circuit the separations from those we'd like to know better.

There's a lot to accomplishing this, but the tools are more and more available. The primary ones are national population data (if you're not registered, you don't exist) and the social media (if you're not listed, no one cares about you anyway). Understanding the system calls for more detail, and I'll try to provide it.

Every nation worth the name has population data. Minimally it includes births, deaths, and marriages, but there is also information based on passports, social programs (like the American Social Security System in which babies are registered at birth), medical systems, telephone companies, news media, credit cards, and numerous other references. (Other sources of data, where available, like census records, citizen identification, prison ledgers, drivers' licenses, and other governmental records will be used as well, as well as those from private industry and private groups.) There are likely to be many who are not registered in one or more of these data bases, but, from a practical point of view, those people are not likely to be seeking connections with others, unless they choose to do so through another mechanism. Also important are the facts that most of this information is digitized and updated regularly, as it would be in the App. (“Updated” is probably not the right word since the process would be continuous. It happens more than once per date. Births and deaths, for example, happen all the time. At the time of this writing [July 19, 2016] the US population is 324,034,087. No, wait. It just went up. Once every eleven seconds. “Upseconded,” “upminuted” and “uphoured,” however, are a little clunky, so we'll probably stick with existing terminology.)

More important from the perspective of establishing connections are the social media. Have you “friended” or others, or been friended by them? Are you “LinkedIn” with others. What bonds have you through the numerous social media? Has anyone mentioned you on any of these sites? Chances are good that even if you haven't initiated a link, you're there. And that's the key. Not only is there likely to be basic demographic information about (almost) everyone (and government data will probably include addresses, age, and other identifying content) but the various on-line social programs will spot friends, friends of friends, colleagues and coworkers of friends, and the vast web of interconnections that exist. If additional information, like previous homes, professions, military service, or other such is available it can be mined for other relationships; and the six degrees may, in some cases, be converted to five. And people would be able to enter information about those omitted – both of the current and previous generations.

The program would be able to illustrate the ties that bind us – even those at a distance. We'd be able to find the connections, no matter how many degrees may exist. Birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant dates would be ours for the taking. In addition, moreover, we'd be able to construct family trees with the data, perhaps discovering relatives of whom we never knew. Imagine having a data base that includes everyone in the world. And if everyone's DNA map were determined and included, we might even discover unknown relationships (even those we deny).

Of course there are kinks in the links, kinks that are still to be conquered. Among them are duplicate names which will be a large category, but we have a start at sorting using a variety of addresses, home, e-mail, work, etc. and travel records will give us a start on this and on the elimination of duplicate entries for the same person. It will be necessary to get the cooperation of all nations, and the UN can be a big help here. There will be countries that don't want to help, and insurgent groups that will bristle at requests for membership lists, but the UN is dedicated to bring us all together (on their own terms) and will surely aid in the effort. Similarly there will be individuals who fear the existence of a unified listing of everyone and those people may seek anonymity, but they cannot be permitted to separate themselves from the world. The Bill of Rights be damned. (Winston Smith feared its happening, but he told me it would take place eventually.)

Imagine being able to find out who lives next door. How nice to know about the person who looks just like ________. My app will be done any day now. You don't think so? In the words of William Arthur Ward (twentieth century writer), “if you can imagine it, you can achieve it.” I can imagine it.