From the Editor
Private Eyes
"Private eyes, they're watching you. They see your every move. Private eyes, they're watching you, watching you, watching you…" Those catchy Hall & Oates lyrics keep playing through my mind these days. Not much, it seems, can be kept private. Funny how just 15 years ago we thought we could travel the World Wide Web in privacy. While sitting at our desk in our own home, we could converse with strangers on another continent as quickly as co-workers in the next cubicle at work-or family members across the country. We could "window shop" for the latest in home décor and apparel. We could research diseases and medical treatment. We could find the weather report, receive instant news reports, do our banking and check our credit reports, listen to music, and make hotel reservations.
What's happened in the past year, however, has caused me to fear the presence of unseen attackers each time I log onto my computers and left me fiercely trying to protect the privacy of my personal and office network from intruders. I've felt violated by identity theft; tricked by phishing; harassed by pornographers and salespeople; and criminally assaulted by spyware, adware, and viruses. All the while, despite my protests, my personal communication and business has become more and more dependent on the Internet. The technology intended to make us more productive has necessitated additional processes and resources to protect our way of communicating.
I cringe in disgust when reading about the users of pornography and online sex clubs and am heartbroken for the victims. When unacceptable "private" actions become public, marriages are destroyed, ministers and priests topple from their pedestals, physicians lose their licenses, educators lose their positions, politicians are forced to resign, those enlisted in the military are court-marshaled, and often arrests and lawsuits follow. Lives are destroyed. Not just the guilty, but family, friends, and acquaintances all suffer degrees of pain. The bombardment of unsolicited advertisements has led many to feel safe to browse the sites in "privacy."
Columnist Jonathan Alter wrote in a recent Newsweek article: "Why are the most ambitious so often the most self-destructive, willing to jeopardize everything for some sex? And can we learn anything from their folly to bring better balance to our own lives?" Character flaws that allow not only those in public office but the neighbor next door-of both genders-to exercise appalling judgement to participate in "private" actions has certainly been made easier by technology. In years past, sometimes-elaborate disguises were used to minimize the risk of being seen walking into an adult bookstore or cruising for a "date." At first, only an alias and an active imagination were thought necessary to remain anonymous when visiting an online porn site. Not anymore. Prosecution is easy with a computer-savvy detective.
So with Spamguard in place and Internet security so tight some of my friends' messages can't get through, I cautiously drive the World Wide Web as defensively as driving on the highway. The "eyes" may not be human, but private eyes are watching every move. TPW
What's happened in the past year, however, has caused me to fear the presence of unseen attackers each time I log onto my computers and left me fiercely trying to protect the privacy of my personal and office network from intruders. I've felt violated by identity theft; tricked by phishing; harassed by pornographers and salespeople; and criminally assaulted by spyware, adware, and viruses. All the while, despite my protests, my personal communication and business has become more and more dependent on the Internet. The technology intended to make us more productive has necessitated additional processes and resources to protect our way of communicating.
I cringe in disgust when reading about the users of pornography and online sex clubs and am heartbroken for the victims. When unacceptable "private" actions become public, marriages are destroyed, ministers and priests topple from their pedestals, physicians lose their licenses, educators lose their positions, politicians are forced to resign, those enlisted in the military are court-marshaled, and often arrests and lawsuits follow. Lives are destroyed. Not just the guilty, but family, friends, and acquaintances all suffer degrees of pain. The bombardment of unsolicited advertisements has led many to feel safe to browse the sites in "privacy."
Columnist Jonathan Alter wrote in a recent Newsweek article: "Why are the most ambitious so often the most self-destructive, willing to jeopardize everything for some sex? And can we learn anything from their folly to bring better balance to our own lives?" Character flaws that allow not only those in public office but the neighbor next door-of both genders-to exercise appalling judgement to participate in "private" actions has certainly been made easier by technology. In years past, sometimes-elaborate disguises were used to minimize the risk of being seen walking into an adult bookstore or cruising for a "date." At first, only an alias and an active imagination were thought necessary to remain anonymous when visiting an online porn site. Not anymore. Prosecution is easy with a computer-savvy detective.
So with Spamguard in place and Internet security so tight some of my friends' messages can't get through, I cautiously drive the World Wide Web as defensively as driving on the highway. The "eyes" may not be human, but private eyes are watching every move. TPW