Week 7, #17 Technology

I think technology is wonderful! There are so many things we can do that were impossible a few years ago. I sometimes worry, however, about our vulnerability as individuals and as a society. So much of what we do depends upon computers and internet access, and we must be vigilant to safeguard personal information to discourage identity theft and protect our personal privacy. However, I believe that an even greater danger exists for society as a whole. As we have seen several times, virus attacks can bring major portions of the internet to a standstill. Banking transactions, airline travel, utility services, government, and other vital portions of our infrastructure, rely increasingly on internet transactions. The more dependant we become upon computers, the greater the impact such attacks may have. It is frightening to think that a highly intelligent, but mentally imbalanced terrorist sitting at a PC in a third world country could bring society to a standstill with a few strokes of a keyboard.