Editorial – September 2024: Honesty On The Internet.

Hello everyone,

Give a group of humans any amount of freedom, and it’s bound to be abused. I’ve described the Internet as a global village in the past, so it’s hardly surprising it also includes liars and thieves who quickly learn they can hide their identities.

Look at the title above once more. ‘Honesty on the Internet.’ Consider the scam element, and it becomes a contradiction in terms. We should have prioritized honesty from the outset, yet enforcing it can be challenging due to the confusion between facts and opinions, and the lack of a reliable group to discern between them. Given the vast size of the Internet, it would require numerous teams, assuming they possess strong integrity, to maintain honesty. You can’t even program AIs to look because even it can’t tell the difference between truth and fiction. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Cross-referencing and being aware that identical text in different places might be suspect would be helpful as screens appear for you. One way to navigate the Internet and determine whether something is an opinion or an actual fact could be helpful, but it would still be a lengthy process. Proving something is fake in some subjects is harder, but the basics are never likely to change.

The belief that there would ever be problems like this with computer networks never reared its head in science fiction, mostly because SF writers assumed no one would abuse the system or use it as a chief plot element. At most, the cyberworld served as a backdrop for other issues. Who could have imagined what we have today in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, or even up to the mid-1990s, when the general public began to recognize its potential for business and shopping? Initially, people viewed the nascent computer communication system solely as a tool for transmitting information and knowledge. Considering how computer technology has permeated our lives in more ways than even science fiction writers could have imagined, it’s clear that we seriously underestimated its potential. The focus was on AI controlling nuclear arsenals, concluding that humanity posed a threat and that it was not suitable for organic sentient beings. Beyond that, nothing was considered worthy of story-telling.

Even with current SF, not much progress has been made regarding current computer technology and the Internet, let alone future developments. It’s almost as though someone found the off button and never turned it back on in SF. Although there has been some leveling off in recent years, it’s unlikely that real life would experience such a sudden change. Granted, things can change rapidly during the two-year period of writing, becoming possible, and getting a novel in print, but they can handle general trends. Even so, it does badly handicap the way people use it as an information resource. Previously, science fiction (SF) frequently served as a tool to scrutinize our society and provoke critical thinking, yet this perspective appears to have diminished in contemporary times. Whether this is the fault of the writers or publishers is debatable. Who is likely to take offense at any prediction? Some parties would, depending on the various groupings that exist out there. Equally, who wants to buy a book about a subject most are already probably familiar with already and would spot and debate anything wrong? The Internet is history in the making, and we users are all involved in creating it.

The genuine issue arises from the diverse global servers situated in various countries with varying legal systems, making it difficult to achieve uniformity and agreement. A few years ago, I was surprised to discover that the American version of the Internet differs significantly from the rest of the world, particularly in terms of the information available and the extent to which it can be accessed from other parts of the western world. However, because the Americans can’t access anything different on their servers, they don’t spot the limitations. So much for real freedom in the free world, and that’s just from certain servers, nothing to do with the governments, just the server owners. If you are reading this, it’s likely that you either don’t use these servers or are sufficiently informed to avoid relying on their search engines.

If you were to shut down the entire Net and require everyone to re-connect, including the various datelines across the world, the lines would be blocked. Even if the shutdown was staged, it would still pose significant problems. The Internet is interconnected with so many aspects of transportation and other utilities, as demonstrated in July, that even a brief disruption could cause extreme turmoil. Too many people have developed a dependency on Net usage that one would imagine mental breakdowns happening should it happen, let alone the suggestion before it happened. That could be a compelling story in its own right. If mankind died due to global warming, the Internet wouldn’t be that far behind.

Accountability is a common problem all over the world. It’s not difficult for people to have multiple identities and names online. The real challenge lies in connecting these identities when attempting to track down those who have committed crimes. Well, mostly. The global village network now has people who are proud of their malicious behavior, making them easier to track down. These same people would be just as foolish in the physical world out there. Both have their share of idiotic criminals; it’s the clever ones that are better at hiding themselves that will always be a problem. I’ve had a look at this problem in the past, but this time can suggest a viable solution.

What commonalities exist between PC, Mac, and other computer usage scenarios? We use our real names on our computer platforms because we are required to provide our bank details, which are essential for their integration. That means the protocols exist without giving away your credit/debit card. Therefore, each alias has a link back to the original account. Re-establish that link. Social media still allows you to use aliases, but tracking becomes possible if you engage in abusive behavior or commit any criminal acts. If someone manages to uncover you, it could restore integrity to the Internet. It might look like there are police on the internet, but only if they do something illegal. Laws might differ across the world, but there are common laws globally.

Would it ever be done? Therein lies the problem. We haven’t made any significant progress in nearly 30 years. So what kind of major online catastrophe would cause a rethink that hasn’t already happened? It’s a serious question when you read about all the types of abuse, racism, and terrorism already carried out on social media. People may face eviction if they go too far, but they also have a tendency to migrate elsewhere. Therefore, it would be necessary to enforce this rule universally, unless it is also considered a criminal offence offline in a specific country.

Of course, criminal activity is commonplace in places like the dark web, so I doubt we can completely eradicate it. However, at least we are aware of their locations. Regular users of the Internet require improved protection. The general population should enjoy the same level of protection as they do offline, ensuring a certain level of accountability. I say this with particular caution because there are grey areas when it comes to religious tolerance in some countries compared to racism, let alone punishment. However, if the Internet could regulate itself and explicitly state which actions are not acceptable, it would simplify the situation significantly. Undoubtedly, the majority of people adhere to this, but even with a mere 0.00001% of the population, there will still be a few million individuals who do not.

Once acceptable levels of behavior have been passed down through the generations, they will curb unacceptable behavior, as it will be shunned. Not everything is perfect, but no reality is flawless. Like any village, global or otherwise, the majority’s good behavior will bring about change. With accountability, abusers have nowhere to hide. Can this be more than a dream?

Thank you, take care, have a good night, and consider the implications.

Geoff Willmetts

editor: www.SFCrowsnest.info

A Zen thought: Breathe slowly.

What Qualities Does A Geek Have: Heavy thinking gives deep thinking.

The Reveal: We take far too much for granted.

Observation: Watch this clip from the film 2010: The Year We Made Contact’. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AGlG0YLGv4 Now both Bowman and Floyd leave the command deck, turn left and walk directly into the EVA pod section. There is one little problem there as the command deck is actually over the EVA pod section and at no time did they climb down to it.

Observation: Back to ‘Thunderbirds’. I wonder if Jeff Tracy is aware how threatening Lady Penelope was in ‘The Man From M.I.5’ or the fact that in ‘The Brink Of Disaster’ she killed the two felons who were shooting at her?

Observation: In ‘The Cham-Cham’, it does become pretty obvious that the Chas Carnaby Five aren’t actually playing all their instruments as the bass player has no stings on his instrument.

Observation: With ‘Security Hazard’, we do see the Tracys surrounding Thunderbird 2 when they suspect an intruder has invaded their base. Quite how they would have been able to see the base from inside the pod beats me. However, if it was an adult, what would they have done? None of them are really killers and I doubt if they would have been able to imprison anyone for long.

Observation: With the 1987 film, ‘Predator’, why didn’t the hunter kill the insurgents? Alright, the plot needed to show Dutch Schaefer’s team in action and maybe the hunter wanted to see how good they are, but like Harper’s Green Berets, it didn’t need bait to draw them in.

Feeling Stressed: Breathe slowly from the diaphragm. It’s the geek zen way.