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I agree, but it could never work

I agree with you, but your proposed solutions won't help. Passing laws and prosecuting individuals for this will accomplish nothing. Just look at the supposed "anti-spam" legislation, and state obscenity laws in place. They have done nothing to stop or even slow the problems, if anything they have gotten worse. Much of the traffic in these technologies occurs overseas anyway, or elswehere beyond the jurisdiction of the U.S. Government. The bottom line is that it is a problem that the government (any government) does not have the power or authority to properly address, and even if they did, the law-makers in Washington are even less computer and internet literate than the average 5 year old.

Putting pressure on MS may help, but in the end, I think education is going to be the key. Users should have a right to their privacy when online, but as any tech-savy person will tell you, there is no such thing as total privacy on the internet.

Take the example of owning an apartment or home. What steps do you take to protect your privacy? You may not list your phone number with the phone company, you may shut your windows and doors, keep personal belongings locked up, be careful with how you dispose of your trash, who you let into your house, etc. Why is owning a computer any different? If you don't want to get solicitations don't hand out your email address to every site asking for it (phone number). Use a firewall (door) and patch regularly (Windows users). Use passwords (lock up your valuables) and be careful of what sites you visit, what you download, and what you click on (who you let in). With just a little bit of computer "common-sense," 99% of the problem goes away, and that's about as good as it can get. If someone really wanted to break into your home, and they had any tool they needed available to them, they are getting in, and there isn't anythign you can do about it. The same applies online, even the most hardened system is vulnerable to a cracker with an abundance of patience, knowledge, and skills.

Posted by: tamuhockey   Posted on: 06/09/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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