Underbelly of society finds a way to do harm

Published 7:26 pm Monday, April 3, 2017

Like any innovation that comes to fruition with the intent of helping humankind, there is always that under-belly of our society that will figure out how to use it for ill gain or deviant designs.

In other words, the fire that cooks our food and keeps us warm can also burn our fields. 

Routinely we see instances where hackers have used their computer skills for ill intent. It ranges from mischief to  major felonies. Identities are stolen, securities are stolen and people are maligned in venues of vengeance or just plain meanness.

In Monday’s headlines came the news that a young girl was sexually attacked and the event was streamed live via the internet. Reportedly, many people watched and not one of them bothered to call 911. As someone in our Rants and Raves column today points out, that’s an indictment on our modern society.

Routinely we are warned by contributors to the Rants and Raves column that parents should be aware what their children are seeing and discussing on Facebook and other social media outlets.

While youngster may argue that such is an invasion of privacy, parents may argue as well that it is their responsibility to protect their children from predators and other devices that might put them in harm’s way. In some instances, parents may even be held legally liable. To say that they have a vested interest in knowing what’s going on in their children’s lives may be an understatement.

There’s a saying that goes along with modern technology: The good news is that an abundance of information is available to us with just the click of a few keys on our computer. The bad news is that an abundance of information is available to us with the just the click of a few keys on our computers.