Is being Interconnected with technology dangerous?
We have all seen the Terminator films where Skynet, a highly advanced artificial intelligence system is made self-aware and creates Judgment Day through the interconnectivity of technology because it deems the human race dangerous. From this kind of thought, does being interconnected with dangerous make it dangerous for us?
In Lecture 6 of my Unit, the class was focused on the discussion of being interconnected with technology. It is obvious as the years pass us by just how advanced we are becoming due to the rise in technology. I still remember the days when internet was starting to rise, but we barely used it because it was so slow and there was not much need to be connected. I remember back when I was a child (1990 onwards) we had dial up for internet, a fat and bulky Panasonic television, and a thick computer monitor with large floppy disks with less than 2mb of storage. In the current year of 2017, we have fibre optic internet, 85-inch smart televisions, USB’s, and hard drives with over two terabytes of storage.
Our interconnectivity with technology now allows us to connect with the internet through many different ways such as a Smart TV, Blu-Ray Player, Xbox One, Playstation 2 as well as our smartphones and watches. In relation to how we interact with the internet, an issue arises with just how connected we are.
A discussion from John Palfrey sums up a list of perils because of interconnected systems. He states “Security and privacy risks are the most common problems that flow from unchecked levels of interoperability (Palfrey 2012).” As this is the main issue of my post, I agree with Palfrey that security and privacy are a big issue. Being interconnected can create a domino effect of problems, especially when it comes to the internet. Imagine using the internet on your phone to log into Facebook, but you also use your laptop to connect to Facebook as well as connecting through the Smart TV to Facebook. If the owner of the phone was still connected to the social media platform and it was stolen, thieves would be able to access personal information. The same situation using applications for bank accounts such as Netbank for Commonwealth Bank.
According to the Isaca, “Processes have to be designed, developed, implemented and utilised (ISACA 2010, p. 36).” In a world where our technology always changes, it has to be made first in order for change to occur. This is a risk to users who are interconnected through various technologies, it is up to us to determine just how secure and private we want to be when it comes to being interconnected with technology.
List of References:
Palfrey, J. (2012). The Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems. MIT Technology Review. [online] Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/428657/the-perils-of-highly-interconnected-systems/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2017].
ISACA (2010). The Business Model for Information Security. 1st ed. [ebook] United States of America: ISACA, p.36. Available at: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Cv_Jq_23iEsC&pg=PA35&dq=interconnectivity+technology+security&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiqueetwcXTAhXOFsAKHQV_AdwQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=interconnectivity%20technology%20security&f=false [Accessed 27 Apr. 2017].
