The Cowboy and the Indian
Quote:
In the late 90's a woman came into my office in tears because she was very upset and offended by an email containing vulgar content and pornography. I think that was probably the day when I realized that there is a lot more to this than just packets being sent back and forth between computers. There are real humans at the other end of the packet stream with real feelings and emotions.
As current Information Security professionals, and future generations of Information Security professionals, you will need the upper echelons of our society; the judges and the politicians to help pass legislation that will help you do your job successfully. As things stand now, most of the legislation being worked on is being passed based no the financial implications of the outcome. We both know that this will not work. If all areas of our legal system based all their legislation on how large a financial impact someones crime will carry, all the murderers would be roaming the streets and the business executives would be sent to gas chambers.
In order for the upper echelons of our society to start passing legislation that is going to make a difference, they have to recognize that there is a real human element to computers and the Internet and that they are becoming an essential component of what identifies us and separates us from animals. In essence, they have to stop thinking of you and me as just another cowboy and indian in the wild wild west. The first step in making that change happen starts with you.
In our real lives, we need to abide by the laws and follow the established and understood rules of the society and cultures we live in in order to keep maintaining that there is nothing medically wrong with us and that we are fully fledged deserving and card carrying productive members of the community we live in. We need to take that attitude and behavior with us onto the Internet wherever we go. We need to stop using the Internet as an outlet in which we can vent our frustrations and do all the things we can't get away with in real life. Once we start doing that and leading by example, then and only then will the upper echelons of our society recognize that computers and the Internet are integral parts of what makes us humans and that it's not the wild wild west full of cowboys and indians anymore.
We are all in different stages in life, and some of you who have yet to enter my stage may not fully understand this. I have very young children who will one day grow up to use computers and the Internet. My dream is that when they do start using computers and the Internet, it will be devoid of crime, pornography, and all the other dark elements that have reared it's ugly head with the development and growth of the Internet up to this point.
Regards and warm wishes.