Why aren’t more Americans paying attention to Anonymous?
The U.S. government has often received criticism for the NSA’s systematic cyber-spying on the American people. The central question at the crux of that debate has long been “What, if any, freedoms should we as a people sacrifice in order to ensure safety. What Anonymous is showing us is that the answer to that question might be less than we think.
Why hasn’t the U.S. employed its multi-billion dollar security and intelligence force towards hacking the bad guys’ computers instead of the one I’m blogging with? Chinese and Russian hackers have robbed Americans silly over the past five years; where’s the NSA’s response to them? Almost adding to drones, ICBM’s, and bio-chemical weapons, Anonymous and other hacking-oriented individuals could emerge as the new face of the highly interpersonal wars we post-modern societies are engaged in. Think about it: from your man-cellar or your bunker, with a mommy-made sandwich by your side, you can either take out scores of terrorists and their families or you can wipe out their ability to recruit, buy weapons, sell drugs, etc.
If the U.S. government were smart, they’d start employing people like this. We should invest in the types of education and work programs that teach people these computer sciences and put them to work protecting the most unforeseeably unpredictable frontier out there: the wild, wild web. We could keep Americans safe without bringing up nude photos and sexy text messages up for the whole workplace to see and laugh at, but that would require a smart U.S. government, as I said before.
"Chinese and Russian hackers have robbed Americans silly over the past five years; where’s the NSA’s response to them?"
ReplyDeleteIf the government told you, they'd have to kill you.
"If the U.S. government were smart, they’d start employing people like this."
They do. Check out https://www.nsa.gov/careers/career_fields/mathematics.shtml .
I must admit that I am ignorant to this matter. I have only heard of Anonymous on Twitter and the not-so-intelligent website Barstool Sports. Regardless, I find the ideas you bring up here extremely intriguing.
ReplyDeleteUsing hackers for the protection of the country is an interesting prospect. When i think of hackers I typically think of things being stolen, viruses being planted, and various other negatives. Using people with those specialized technical skills to protect us would be a great way to produce positives - whether they are behind the scenes or not.
One question that I have is this: What exactly did you mean by the line, "What Anonymous is showing us is that the answer to that question might be less than we think" ? I think my confusion stems from the term 'less'. Perhaps if you expanded on that thought with one more sentence it could clear up my confusion.
Overall, I found that this piece peaked my interest on a subject that I have no familiarity with, which is what you want to happen to a reader like me. Good job, Jean-Jacques Perterburger (solid name, too).
-The Toothless One