Shane Harris

A good introduction of the present realities of the Internet, posing considerations for where we take a technology which, after only 20 years, has become a integral part of our lives. If we continue to remain ignorant of the dangers posed to us, and the depth to which the military and governments have become involved, we have no one to blame but ourselves for shoving our heads in the sand. Snowden was our wake up call.

The book closes with the following: "Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

We shouldn't abdicate our responsibility to keep government overreach in check, despite promises of protecting the 'greater good'. Unfortunately, the government is deeply entrenched; removing them from the net is as likely as revoking a tax once imposed. Private industry will have powerful sway in balancing government abuse and invasion of personal privacy, unless they take the lazy route and collaborate for perks, like easy sales and kickbacks.… (more)

Things are going to get worse and the US government is going to increase its involvement with corporate contractors to try to fix it. That won’t be easy; for example, the Chinese can insert computer viruses through the electromagnetic spectrum to target recon planes. There are an unknown but large number of operating system exploits out there, and some rely on hardware issues, which can’t be patched with code. And even if the CIA’s own defenses are good, the VA Department’s aren’t, meaning many citizens’ information is vulnerable.… (more)