Re: Reduced spam and increased security infrastructure? [Telecom]

On Dec 22, 11:46 am, David Clayton <dcs...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

How is a lay Internet user supposed to "educate" himself?

Read a book, newspaper, ask someone who knows about the subject, the
usual things people should do to find out about things they are
unfamiliar with - the Internet is no different from most other things in
life.

But parts of the Internet are so new and evolving so rapidly that
there is no easy "book or newspaper" that can explain the latest craze
or risks thereof. As noted, even professional organizations get hit
with destructive virus sabotage that catches them offguard. If
professionals can't protect themselves, how are individuals?

People see the Internet as an entertainment medium. Most of us, when
we watch movies, do not keep up with the technical advances made in
filming, sound recording, finances, lighting, special effects, or
other aspects of the movie we watch. We watch the movie and are
content to let the director work his 'magic' to take us to the place
he wants for his film.

Since the Internet, and its hazards, are constantly changing, it would
require lay users to keep up with a continuing education program. It
would be as if we movie viewers had to learn about the newest cameras,
etc. It would be as if we had to be careful since that new film could
physically jump off the screen and grab us, so we must be careful.

.. . .

My point is that the current situation is not good enough, and people
relying on "someone else" to always fix things/make the (current)
Internet safe is not just unrealistic but an abject failure of personal
responsibility.

I agree that individuals have a responsibility to protect themselves.
But I also feel that individuals can only do so much. We're not
living on an isolated rural farm totally self sufficient, our lives
today are dependent on things we has individuals have very little
control over and we need external protection.

When I get a prescription, I try to learn about it in adance. But
still I've relied on "someone else" (the govt) to have tested the
medicine to ensure its safety; that is something I simply cannot do
for myself, no matter how much I educate myself.

When I get on the road I watch for bad drivers to steer clear of
them. But I still rely on the govt to enforce highway laws in the
hopes people won't run red lights or drive drunk. I am glad the govt
has determined and mandated safety devices for my car to protect me in
case of a crash. No matter how careful I drive, I can't check every
other driver on the road for drunk driving; the govt's laws keep many
of them off the road.

[As an aside, while I don't care for certain kinds of DWI law
enforcement, I do know the fear of arrest has made many people either
not drink or designate a safe driver, so it has kept some drunks off
the road.]

.

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