There are
a lot of articles, and press about Ad-Ware, Hackers, Spy-Ware and Spam.
I recently worked on a television interview and was, frankly, astonished
at the mis-information out there. Many computer users it seems, think
that their computers are somehow private or secure. They are not. If
hackers can hack the white house, Microsoft, and banks, they can certainly
hack you. The Internet simply is not a totally secure environment.
What we
are really talking about here in many cases is privacy. Simply stated,
privacy while you are online is virtually a technically impossibility.
Those that want fail safe privacy would be better off not logging on
to the Internet, or for that matter not using a credit card, health
insurance, life insurance, a telephone or the US mail.
Your e-mail
is easily intercepted and read, cookies are placed in your system and
yes unfortunately so is "spy ware".
You can
outlaw it, ban it, whatever you like, and it will still be there. We
need to realize that our computers are not secure as long as they are
connected to the Internet and take appropriate steps as we deem necessary
to protect ourselves. Anti-spy ware software is very effective as is
anti-virus software and firewalls, but too few people use them. We are
against Spy ware and other clandestine forms of gathering marketing
information, but we are also pragmatic. Wishing they would go away,
or legislating against them will not secure your computer. The Internet
is not "controlled" by any entity, it is in fact an example
of an effective Anarchy, there is no governing body, no Internet, Inc.
that controls it, it is a international system. Practically anybody
can connect with anybody else on the Internet. Its growth has been a
result of this freedom, and although governments can control their citizens
use of the Internet they cannot control the Internet itself.
Spy ware,
door to door salespeople, Spam, billboards and telemarketers are all
in some way an invasion of our privacy. And yet, 150 years ago living
in a small town in America you actually may have had less privacy. Imagine
back then, if you had an infectious disease they would put a red warning
sign on your door, everyone knew exactly what everyone else was doing.
Yet privacy is relative. What some consider "private" others
do not.
Recently
I read about a eMail company that had several of it's customers lists
"hijacked" and those lists were used to send out Spam. The
ironic
thing was that the lists taken were from anti-Spam companies. So tens
of thousands of people got Spam in their inbox from companies
that are actively against Spam. Don't always trust the "from"
line on that email.
Many groups
are actively pursuing legislation against Spam, and laws have been passed
in a couple of dozen states. They won't work. Spam is not sent by
responsible companies. The reason Spam exists is that it is profitable.
I expect that when a and if a Federal law is passed it will be about
as effective as the drug laws, or laws against prostitution. It will
cost taxpayers a bundle and do very little to solve the problem. Bottom
line, where there is a profit to be made people will do it.
As an Internet
user the eMA suggests that you make frequent back ups, employ a firewall
and antivirus software and use filters for Spam. These things are not
perfect, and do not provide 100% security, but then neither does your
car alarm, or locking your front door.
Contact
Robert Fleming at: fleming@the-ema.com
Permission
is granted to reprint this artilce as long as it is published in full
and contains the author's name and web address.