Function Creep
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A technology or system is initially introduced for a specific, limited purpose, but over time, it is gradually expanded for other unforeseen or unauthorized purposes (e.g., health codes becoming electronic shackles).
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Tool overreach. Beware of all "temporary" surveillance measures. Once infrastructure is built, power will be tempted to use it for other things. The boundaries of data use must be legally welded shut from the outset.
Anchor fast decisions
Function creep refers to the phenomenon that once a tool becomes infrastructure, its scope of use naturally expands along the "path of least resistance" to initially unauthorized purposes. Both power and demand tend to reuse existing capabilities, and this expansion is often gradual and imperceptible—"temporary" easily becomes "permanent," and "specific" easily becomes "general."
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/4Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%89%B9%E5%BE%B5%E8%94%93%E5%BB%B6verified
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