When I was 5 or 6, we got our first computer. It had DOS and we loved the little "game" you could play that lit you draw blockish pictures with pixles. We even got it upgraded to have Pac Man later. We marveled at the technology. Now, 13 years later, there's this:
http://www.microsoft.com/SURFACE/index.html
A desk that's surface is a massive touchscreen for a computer. If this rate of evolution continues, where will we be in twenty years? There's already rumors of a Yachet that's integrated with the aforementionted technology coming down the pipeline. What does the mean for communication and our future?
Are the Internet and technology going to be a blessing or a curse for those who take part? (these days, who doesn't?)
Blackberries already bring the office home, and everywhere else via e-mail. What about when our Homes start to have computer's that constantly connect us anywhere in our homes or vehicles? As Orwellian as this sounds, it's not far off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKQNwqNLLk
Sure, ordering food with a coffee table is bloody amazing. But, let's say that this table, like all other Internet technologies, is hacked. Or what if the government takes access of these camera-laden computers? Who knows what's next, maybe they start banning pleasure in sex?
As crazy of a jump as that is, the point remains: we need to take care that the vast improvement of technology is safe and protected against molestation. To keep the future of our Internet communications safe, I believe we should legislate safe guards on the use and access of what we have by third parties, including our own government.
I love George Orwell, but I'd love our future to prove him wrong.
I would love for the government to legislate safe guards that would protect our Internet communications, even if those safe guards applied to the government as well. Unfortunately, trusting the government to limit its own power is like trusting a mouse to not go after a piece of cheese; it's simply not in its nature. I hope you all are familiar with the Patriot Act. I mentioned it in a post last week and I'm downright giddy I get to bring it up again. The Patriot Act basically allows the government to access our email correspondences and financial and medical records (which the Pew article pointed out more and more people are managing online)* without a warrant. From the government's standpoint, the Internet makes spying on citizens much easier. Instead of tracking down a physical piece of paper that might be in our mailbox, bank, or doctor's office, a bureaucract need only type our name on a computer screen and have instant access to a large chunk of our lives. Maybe these are just the rantings of a paranoid libertarian, but thinking about this scares me nonetheless.
ReplyDelete*I don't know how common it is for an individual's medical records to be found online, but I do know that part of Obama's health care reform involves digitizing every person's medical records within five years, (I think it's five years)so it will be common practice soon enough.
Maybe the world would be better off it was of a more Orwellian nature. Think of the crimes and perversions which could be prevented. If the Government actually did monitor the Internet and people's use of it like they fear will one day happen, then it shouldn't be a point of contention but of celebration.
ReplyDeleteWhen viewed from a Christian perspective, should we care? Shouldn't you realize that what they see, God already knows. Being a Christian we should have no aspect of our lives that would need to be censured or "spied" upon.
A Government run internet could herald an age of peace, prosperity, and moral superiority. Think of the good that could be done with a unified and maintained society. For the sake of Humanity, legislation should be passed that increases "big brother's" presence in our society.
While safe guards against malicious internet use are a must, I'm not so sure if the government is the one that should be in charge of legislating them.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, we want to avoid an Orwellian future, not create a breeding ground for it by giving this type of control to any one governing body. The little anarchist in me wants to say that the government really just wants to control us all and that this would just give them the perfect opportunity to do so.
Also, how much do government officials really know about the internet anyway? If you would like some clarification please read up on Ted Stevens the former Alaskan Senator, and his remarks about a Series of tubes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_of_tubes
Finally, I feel that the safety of the internet should not fall tot eh government but to the companies and the people that are on the very forefront of its growth. They are the ones who are coming up with these innovative ideas and they are the ones who know how to secure them. That job should not fall to an incompetent group of old men who really only care about oil and taxes (there's that little anarchist again... :P).