We’ve all heard of “computer geeks” who use their skills to hack into computer systems. Most of us, I think, would consider them to be dangerous but brilliant amateurs who enjoy defeating firewalls and creating fear and chaos; they threaten individuals, government and big corporations just because they can.
On the other end of the spectrum are computer geeks who work to allow human rights activists to get their messages out to the public, despite the efforts of repressive governments to control the Internet. One organization that employs geeks to ensure freedom of speech and association in cyberspace is Front Line, an international foundation that helps protect human rights defenders.
Andrew Anderson, a deputy director for Front Line, was among the human rights activists I met during the 2010 Washington Human Rights Summit sponsored by Freedom House and Human Rights First February 18-19. He told me his organization offers software he called “security in a box” to help human rights activists protect themselves and sidestep Internet controls imposed by authoritarian governments. He acknowledged that such security is only good for a year or two before the Internet censors figure it out. Even so, Front Line’s efforts buy valuable time, he said, for Internet freedom.
But other speakers at the summit complained that all too many Internet users living under repressive governments have come to accept Internet controls — if they can shop, play games and find most of what they want. This “bread and circuses” approach seems to work as well today in some parts of the world as it did in ancient Rome. Are we all in danger of becoming too complacent?
Yes, I think people can be too complacent. The information on the internet should be available to all. The internet is another form of written communication along with print–i.e newspapers, magazines, etc. I think some things should be carefully monitered or banned that could cause common harm such as pornography, bomb making directions, etc..
i agree with you barbara, owners should really be careful on their products or accounts online, it must be monitored and if somethings wrong report to the expert immediately because hackers are everywhere. they really knows how to hack everything…
lots of people now a days really knows about computer but, not all knows about operating software…we really need to be careful in all accounts we had because hackers are everywhere…they are expert, even if you had a password that really difficult they can get that.