Is the world truly facing a war on hackers?
This is your brain. Now this is your brain on drugs. Any questions?
If you are an 80’s baby, you may recall all the commercials on drug awareness. The egg in frying pan symbolizing your brain on drugs to scare you away from using marijuana, crack cocaine and any other controlled substance. Nowadays the commercials are designed to keep you away from crystal meth. In 2014, we face a new evil; however, this evil doesn’t sit at the street corner and wasn’t necessarily introduced through the U.S. government. Today we face a war for which there is no commercial to scare you straight as it is not a self-inflicted wound like drug abuse. Today we face the war on hackers.
The Internet is a machine of its own, with endless information at anyone’s disposal. For years the U.S. has tried to figure out how to create laws against cyber-crime, but too many loop holes have made this quest very challenging. In more recent years, there have been more and more cases of identity theft rings popping up out of nowhere, claiming the identity of innocent Americans. This new gang of cyber thugs have made something as simple as grocery shopping a suspicious task. If I use my debit or credit card, will I be comprised? – is the thought of some. However, efforts are in place to crack down on cyber-crime, thus initiating the war on hackers.
Enacted by Congress in 1986, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) has been put to the test with the acts of infamous names such as Eric Snowden and Aaron Hillel Swartz. But there are hackers hidden everywhere, with skillful hands for breaking and entering computer mainframes to lift valuable information. CFAA has been under scrutiny for excessive punishment when convicting people of cybercrime and cyberbullying. Violation of the act results in federal charges and conviction can lead to expensive monetary fines and time in prison. It may seem a bit much, but in the case of important information getting in the wrong hands and lives being at stake, what’s really excessive punishment. The average person hit with identity theft has to go through hell to clear their name and credit history. Most Americans cannot afford the loss of wages, housing and a credit line in this economy. Loosing ones identity is almost the equivalent to losing one’s life in this technologically advanced world.
The focus has been the Internet, but there are other ways in which the American public is comprised. For example, card readers on ATM machines is a rising issue. The recent hacking of Target and Neiman Marcus are just the companies that have come to the light; however, there are other big name stores that have been hacked. Millions of people have to sit on edge, waiting for a letter from their bank to say they have been breached. Companies such as LifeLock offer services to protect your identity, but the fact is that nothing is sacred. You have to protect your child’s identity these days, before their credit is screwed up beyond belief by hackers. Who’s to say they are indeed keeping their word?
You can google yourself and see all of your information readily available for anyone. Sites like Spokeo and PoepleFinder list your name, age, address, and even your zodiac sign and household income. It begs the question of who is really in violation. How can online directories expose your personal information so easily and NOT get charged with some privacy violation? The same exposure can lead to cybercrimes or something much worst if you have – oh say – a stalker. Either way, your information can be stolen for criminal purposes.
With that being said, what is your take on cybercrime and everyone’s personal information all over the web? How can the government truly put an end to cybercrime and identity theft?