The minute we're born, the doctor slaps our little bottoms and the nurse enters our information into a computer database. This is something that we have to accept in this digital world. Let's call it the Matrix. Yes, I like that, too. At any point in time, our entire lives can be opened like a book or a computer folder. Everything that we were, are, and will become exists in this folder and its subfolders on computers around the world. All it takes is for someone to compile this information to get a detailed view of who and what we are.
This is the "Big Brother" that we've all talked about - someone is always watching and always listening. This is the very purpose of Bush's unwarranted wiretapping on American citizens. Every step we take is tracked - cellphone, email, computer, internet, credit cards, etc etc etc. Every letter I type in this very blog post is dynamically screened to weed out for specific words - bomb, kill, anthrax, suicide, allah, islam, bush, and so on. In fact, I may have just set off some red flags in Dick Cheney's basement.
But, today, I read something that gives me some comfort.
Sarah Palin had her email accounts hacked. Politically, this didn't reveal much so far. It seems these were just personal email accounts that she may have used for government business. Of course, this leads to other potential implications of wrongdoing. Pastebin, Wikileaks and Gawker all have something related to Sarah Palin's email being hacked which you can see for yourself - screenshots, pictures, emails. But, that's not what this post is about although it's a strong example.
See, a group, or pseudo-group, of hackers known as Anonymous did the dirty work of breaking into Sarah Palin's email. It gives me comfort because it lets me realize that there is someone out there, a group of someones, with the ability to fight fire with fire. It's similar to the slaughter of the Native Americans as they tried to fight gunpowder and spheres made of metal with bows and arrows made from wood.
We live in a true Matrix and we've got to be able to fight back digitally. We, the people, need hackers as the government has hackers and as corporations have hackers that can be, will be, and have been used against us. This hacking lets me know that not even government officials are safe from the system they've developed. There is always someone out there watching and listening. And, those kinds of individuals exist on both teams.
However, I do fear, as an ordinary individual, that this loose group of digitally savvy individuals has no set conscience, rules, ethics, or laws. But, that is the nature of those that live in secrecy. We have to trust that there is some good and hope that there is more good than bad.
Update: Please be sure to check out the comments to this post by "Anonymous". The name doesn't imply that it is a representative of the group Anonymous. The name only shows up because the person didn't identify themselves. But, it's important to get a better understanding of the positive value of hackers from a true hacker's perspective.
This is the "Big Brother" that we've all talked about - someone is always watching and always listening. This is the very purpose of Bush's unwarranted wiretapping on American citizens. Every step we take is tracked - cellphone, email, computer, internet, credit cards, etc etc etc. Every letter I type in this very blog post is dynamically screened to weed out for specific words - bomb, kill, anthrax, suicide, allah, islam, bush, and so on. In fact, I may have just set off some red flags in Dick Cheney's basement.
But, today, I read something that gives me some comfort.
Sarah Palin had her email accounts hacked. Politically, this didn't reveal much so far. It seems these were just personal email accounts that she may have used for government business. Of course, this leads to other potential implications of wrongdoing. Pastebin, Wikileaks and Gawker all have something related to Sarah Palin's email being hacked which you can see for yourself - screenshots, pictures, emails. But, that's not what this post is about although it's a strong example.
See, a group, or pseudo-group, of hackers known as Anonymous did the dirty work of breaking into Sarah Palin's email. It gives me comfort because it lets me realize that there is someone out there, a group of someones, with the ability to fight fire with fire. It's similar to the slaughter of the Native Americans as they tried to fight gunpowder and spheres made of metal with bows and arrows made from wood.
We live in a true Matrix and we've got to be able to fight back digitally. We, the people, need hackers as the government has hackers and as corporations have hackers that can be, will be, and have been used against us. This hacking lets me know that not even government officials are safe from the system they've developed. There is always someone out there watching and listening. And, those kinds of individuals exist on both teams.
However, I do fear, as an ordinary individual, that this loose group of digitally savvy individuals has no set conscience, rules, ethics, or laws. But, that is the nature of those that live in secrecy. We have to trust that there is some good and hope that there is more good than bad.
Update: Please be sure to check out the comments to this post by "Anonymous". The name doesn't imply that it is a representative of the group Anonymous. The name only shows up because the person didn't identify themselves. But, it's important to get a better understanding of the positive value of hackers from a true hacker's perspective.
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