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2003.06.11
Internet Terrorism
I admit, being someone who has always felt strongly about integrity and honor makes it difficult to understand the motives of the Hacker and Spammer. But, survival demands that you know your enemy well. So, I have put in the effort.
Not too long ago, I watched a documentary called "Hackers"--some of the dudes (didn't see any females) being interviewed claimed to be "good guys" and suggested they were different from the "bad guys." The "good guys" are resource for catching the "bad guys," because they know how the "bad guys" think.
"We test ourselves to see how clever we can be. It's all about the challenge. We have no intentions of hurting anyone," said one "good guy."
"It's important to exploit weakness, so that evolution and improvement can occur," is what I think another said. Reminds me of a movie I saw recently where a thief justified, "I teach people to appreciate what they have."
OK. So, let's entertain these excuses. So far, I haven't run into a single one of the "good guys." All of the hackers that hit my sites are definitely "bad guys."
So what are the "bad guy" motives? Some of the obvious are: theft, trying to defeat competition (should I be complimented by that one?), trying to kill something they are against, trying to add a notch on their computer post for bragging rights with their gang--"Hey man, look at how many people I utterly destroyed, today. Like, aren't I just so cool?"
Could one reason be: trying to make a market for virus protection/firewall software? That's about like saying thieves exist to make a market for lock-smiths and security companies, right?
The internet game has provided a global virtual connection in this wild and wonderful world. And it has created a realm where invisibility is very easy to achieve. And so, it seems that many who would NOT be criminals in the tangible world have found a "shot of courage" that permits them to somehow "justify" being (they wouldn't admit it) "criminals" in a virtual world--precisely because of this easy invisibility.
Only the really big "bad guys" that injure government or big business are going to get caught and prosecuted, tho. There is no structure in place to care for the small business or innocent individual--even if they might be the ones that proportionately get hurt the most.
So, when Pornotopia.com gets hit, we just lose. We lose bandwidth, rights to compensation for our content, downed servers, lost consumer confidence, etc. Ultimately, it is all a loss of money--road blocks to a better website and financial independence--one way or another. "Survival of the Fittest," they say. Well, we are still here, you Ass-holes!
The news is full of chatter about spammers, how detested they are and what a menace they are to society at large. Is their any legislation that will really work? Is any Law in the good ol' U.S. going to make the rest of the world comply?
What's in it for these spammer-butt-heads, anyway? If everyone hates them so much, are they really making any money? If they are making money, what idiots are buying? The same who buy the "National Inquirer?" Perhaps, these spam cooks are all the we-watch-Jerry-Springer-get-rich-quick-wanna-bes who also fall for envelope stuffing, pyramid scams, and get a free vacation schemes. Are they the ones trying to sell spam blocking software? How many messages like that do I get in a single day?
What if, spammers are just another version of hacker: let's see how irritating we can be to a whole bunch of people behind our invisible cloak, today.
I especially hate it when spammers send adult content and impersonations! Again, Pornotopia.com goes out of it's way to insure its client's of their privacy and the protection of their data. We are strongly opposed to ALL truly uninvited advertising thru email, snail mail or telemarketing! I am peeved that any stranger, and especially their kids, are offended by any of the adult content impersonation crap!!!
Do you see any "give me your email" or "opt-in" fields on this site? You ain't gonna! Still, I know people are afraid to communicate with us because they fear we will abuse them as they have been abused by so many other adult sites. I don't blame them, I feel the same way about almost Every site I go to--including the big business main streamers.
Anyway, you look at it: Spammers and Hackers are "Internet Terrorists." No one physically dies, No one is physically held hostage. But, if you have invested in a connection with this Virtual World--Watch Out! Your pocket book, your personal information, your children's exposure to inappropriate content and the health of your hard-drive are all at risk. These days, that's a pretty physically felt "ouch" from only a "Cyber-Punch."
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