Heather’s World in Review

There is no question about it technology is what makes any country prosper. The more advanced technologies available can help provide countless progress in so many different fields of science. Cures for diseases, environment friendly energy consumption, and ultimately government defenses will be managed by how advanced technology becomes.

Now from my point of view, technology and imagination is all it takes to get anywhere in this world. When I read news such as a mainly China based cyber espionage network referred to as GhostNet, my little overactive imagination comes up with some of the wildest ideas. Maybe I have seen too many movies… People taking complete control over someone else’s computer? Hacking into government systems and having control over peripherals? It sounds like movie material to me. However, this is no movie. This is a very real thing. Over 100 countries have been reported to have been affected by this GhostNet network.

So, now what? I can only hope that our great country is prepared for potential attacks that could be started through the internet. I also have to worry about the security of the information we have stored on the networks. Too many movies or not, it is fact that technology has not been fully explored and the possibilities are endless given that each new thing created can be then built upon to create even greater things! Maybe I am just pessimistic and have no faith in mankind. When it comes to things like this and the experiences I have been through in my own life, I feel like I am justified by being paranoid by my thoughts.

While China has denied these attacks and has stated that they too have been victims of this cyber espionage, can we really put it past any government to harness the unknown potential of both the internet and technology connected? Logically, in a world such as ours where wars are still frequent and deadly, it would be wise to try to create such networks to gather information to help plan steps for making one’s home nation more dominate. As an American, I can see how just in the past fifteen years alone internet use has exploded in not only personal use but also government and corporate use. Just how safe are our networks today?

Maybe I can save more money each month by turning off all my systems each night. Maybe I can save a little sense of self by disconnecting from the lifeline of so many things these days.