Teach
02-10-2017, 11:48 AM
“There’s somebody on the line, Ma,” I said. “Well, hang-up Walt. Wait till they’re finished,” my mother added.
It was the late-1940s. My family was then living on the third floor in a two-bedroom Boston apartment, suite #10. There were two other families living on that same third floor. We were all part of what was called back then, a party-line system. There were in fact three parties on the same telephone line (I don’t even think we had phone books on those days).
If the phone rang, you were never certain which of the three parties the call was meant for. What made things difficult was there was the possibility of eavesdropping. It would take very little for one or both of the other parties to listen in on your conversation.
Fortunately, about a year later, we each had our own telephone number. No more potential “listening in”.
Yet, in a sense, today’s computers and related electronic devices are the party-lines of the 1940s. I believe the computer and those related devices are the “Achilles Heel” of our modern-day communications.
Yes, you may have purchased computer protection services. And, without a doubt, it’s well worth the cost. Yet, it’s no iron-clad guarantee that your computer can’t get hacked (backing up your files can be a big help).
Most recently, there have been allegations (they’ve been corroborated by our intelligence agencies) that the Russians hacked into computers at Democratic National Committee headquarters. In addition, there are reports that the Russians are attempting to influence elections that are coming up in France. What countries will be next? Netherlands, Belgium, UK, etc.
Up to this point, it appears most of the hacking has been associated with “stealing” privileged information,” i.e., private emails. And, there is no doubt that the information that was obtained was used to affect the outcome of the presidential election.
Personally, I believe this is just the beginning. If there are electronics associated with actual ballot-casting or reporting election outcomes, those too can be altered and distorted. What I’m trying to say is that what we’ve seen thus far - as far as hacking in terms of election outcomes - is just the beginning.
It is imperative that our government and the governments of other democracies be proactive to head off what I see as an impending crisis. This hacking approach is very much a part of the playbook of those nefarious governments who seek to create chaos and confusion. And, in the process, cast doubts on the credibility of our electoral system outcomes.
Yes, as I think back to those rudimentary, early party-lines telephones decades ago, their “listening in” possibilities, in retrospect, were just “child’s play”. The seeds have been sown and are being nurtured as far as computers being used to interfere with election outcomes.
Today, we face much bigger “eavesdropping” crises with a multitude of frightening consequences. Where, in years past, it took an invasion or outright war to defeat and conquer another country. Today, just plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of a country’s citizens, not through belligerency or war-like actions, but through the use of everyday computers.
It was the late-1940s. My family was then living on the third floor in a two-bedroom Boston apartment, suite #10. There were two other families living on that same third floor. We were all part of what was called back then, a party-line system. There were in fact three parties on the same telephone line (I don’t even think we had phone books on those days).
If the phone rang, you were never certain which of the three parties the call was meant for. What made things difficult was there was the possibility of eavesdropping. It would take very little for one or both of the other parties to listen in on your conversation.
Fortunately, about a year later, we each had our own telephone number. No more potential “listening in”.
Yet, in a sense, today’s computers and related electronic devices are the party-lines of the 1940s. I believe the computer and those related devices are the “Achilles Heel” of our modern-day communications.
Yes, you may have purchased computer protection services. And, without a doubt, it’s well worth the cost. Yet, it’s no iron-clad guarantee that your computer can’t get hacked (backing up your files can be a big help).
Most recently, there have been allegations (they’ve been corroborated by our intelligence agencies) that the Russians hacked into computers at Democratic National Committee headquarters. In addition, there are reports that the Russians are attempting to influence elections that are coming up in France. What countries will be next? Netherlands, Belgium, UK, etc.
Up to this point, it appears most of the hacking has been associated with “stealing” privileged information,” i.e., private emails. And, there is no doubt that the information that was obtained was used to affect the outcome of the presidential election.
Personally, I believe this is just the beginning. If there are electronics associated with actual ballot-casting or reporting election outcomes, those too can be altered and distorted. What I’m trying to say is that what we’ve seen thus far - as far as hacking in terms of election outcomes - is just the beginning.
It is imperative that our government and the governments of other democracies be proactive to head off what I see as an impending crisis. This hacking approach is very much a part of the playbook of those nefarious governments who seek to create chaos and confusion. And, in the process, cast doubts on the credibility of our electoral system outcomes.
Yes, as I think back to those rudimentary, early party-lines telephones decades ago, their “listening in” possibilities, in retrospect, were just “child’s play”. The seeds have been sown and are being nurtured as far as computers being used to interfere with election outcomes.
Today, we face much bigger “eavesdropping” crises with a multitude of frightening consequences. Where, in years past, it took an invasion or outright war to defeat and conquer another country. Today, just plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of a country’s citizens, not through belligerency or war-like actions, but through the use of everyday computers.