Are these labtops enough?

Technology is easily taken for granted in this country. I am sitting in front of a computer right now in the library. If I don’t like the space I can simply move to another computer out of the hundreds available to me. If I don’t want a public computer, I can just go back to my room and use my laptop. With the gluttony of technology today, people including myself forget quickly how fortunate we are. An article written by the BBC “Uruguay Buys First $100 computer” reminded me of how economically disadvantaged the rest of the world is.

The article detailed the plans of a non-profit organization, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), in distributing cheap laptops to children in developing countries. The laptops can be purchased cheaply and can run on solar, foot pump, or pull string energy. Likewise, they are waterproof and highly durable. On first thought, I thought this was an awesome idea. People from economically depressed backgrounds should have access too. Yet, now I wonder if its really enough. Computers can be an amazing learning tool, but I am not sure if the laptops that are being distributed are. They do not receive internet connection, which removes much of the usefulness of computers since they can connect to other computers. Further, the article never mentioned if there were encyclopedias or other educational software stored on it. If it doesn’t, then another huge potential learning asset is gone. Besides educational software and the internet, there is not much computers can do as far as learning goes. I am sure the children who receive these love to play with them, yet it would be a shame if its only use was playing games or typing. In no way am I saying that they shouldn’t have access to computers, rather I am saying that maybe its not enough. It would be a truly great learning experience for these kids to be able to connect with the rest of the world, and explore what is outside their realm.

What makes something gambling?

One of the fundamental principals of the legal system is equality. Yet some state this foundational thought isn’t being applied to the internet. In an Associated Press article, “Poker Players Fight Online Gambling Ban”, poker players say the law restricting online gaming is unfair. They point out fantasy sports, horse races, and state lotteries are allowed on the web. I found this extraordinary interesting. I never thought about how these activities are a form of gambling. After some thought, I firmly believe they are.

In my book, gambling is any activity where there is risk and the potential to make money for leisure purposes. All of the above mentioned groups I would undoubtedly consider gambling. It is unbelievable to me that they are legal on the web. One of the reasons why gambling is allegedly illegal is because internet gambling can become an addiction and drain people’s savings. The same thing can happen in any other these other activities. After pondering the issue, I can not think of any solid reason of why this might be.

Perhaps when legislators were debating the issue, brick-and-mortar casinos fought and lobbied hard to have legislators shut down gaming sites (to obviously protect their services). On the other hand, these other gambling activities might have fallen under the radar for different reasons. Since the popularity of fantasy sports exploded since the creation of the internet, there really was no developed industry that had vested interest in fantasy players’ money. Therefore, no one lobbied hard to make it illegal. Also people with financial interests in horse races might have thought online betting would only bring in more revenue. Further, the Federal government is likely not to ban the fundraising ability of the states, so that could be why lotteries are still legal. These are just my opinions. Some people might even call them conspiracy theories.

Whatever the logic was in creating the laws, a double standard exists. Certain gambling activities are illegal, why some perfectly fine. I believe that the government in the interest of fairness should act one way or another. Either make all gambling illegal, or let the virtual dice roll.

Russian (internet) mafia

Its hard to stop the mafia, especially when they are on the internet. Russian Business Network, an internet domain name company loosely headquartered in St. Petersburg, Russia, has become a hub for everything illegal on the web according to the article “Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime” by Brian Krebs.

They allow clients to run child pornography sites, “phish” for passwords, and overall piracy. It has been extremely hard to shut this business down. They have no real legal identity which makes them hard to sue or prosecute. Likewise, they have ties with organized crime, and are believed to be bribing public officials. Also, according to experts Russian’s internet crime fighting is relatively weak which adds to the challenge of stopping the illegal activities. Furthermore, the company itself doesn’t break the laws; they just allow others to break the laws. All of these are challenging obstacles in stopping the company.

So what are people to do? Many internet service providers are simply blocking the websites for their customers. One security administrator said after they blocked the sites "Our instances of spam and infected machines dropped exponentially." So blocking the whole network seems like it’s a really good, and easy thing-but its not.

When an entire network is blocked, consumer groups start complaining according to Danny McPherson, the chief research officer at Arbor Networks. Should consumers be allowed to go to any website they want, even if that website potentially is trying to hurt them? There is no easy answer to that question.

Another potential problem is the company can just shut down, and reset up under a different guise. Therefore, endless blocking could occur and the problem never really be solved.

This is an extremely important topic for several reasons. First, in order for the internet to grow and develop, there must be laws that protect consumers rights. If a brick and mortar store is robbed, they can call the police who will investigate and act. Yet, imagine the same kind of store but only on the internet. If they are robbed by hackers, its harder for them to go after the criminals. If the problem becomes too rampant, then many will shy away from going into business on the internet. Likewise, innocent children are being exploited and used cruelly for profit and malice. A government has the duty to protect its youth. Lastly, others will look to this Russian company as an example, and go into illegal business themselves. Therefore, its important for governments and regulatory bodies to go after the perpetrators.

Digital health records: Good or bad?

The internet has obviously revolutionized the way information is stored, and the storage space is getting bigger. According to an article on CNN.com, “Microsoft opens personal health record site”, Microsoft is coming out with a new program that will allow people to store medical records online. Many insurance companies and other healthcare providers are creating their own programs. Also, both Google and Wal-Mart are hedging in on the potentially money making venture. Patients will be able to easily upload data onto the site, and manage it by having a feature that will allow them to send it to doctors or pharmacies when needed. In many ways, this can be a very good thing. Information will be readily available, and can be assessed quickly in an emergency.

Of course there are obviously thorny issues associated with these new software programs. Of course as with anything else related to the web, there is the dilemma of privacy. Consumers might be very reluctant to put sensitive medical information online. Attorney Reece Hirsch, of the law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in San Francisco states "There's a lot of emotional distress associated with inappropriate disclosure of that [medical] information." Therefore, it is extremely important the software creators put extra care into privacy. It is fundamental that the law does the same. Right now, Microsoft’s new program does not apply to state medical privacy rules. One reason is because the concept is so new, and another reason is because it is seen as a doctor just handing information over like in person but only electronically. If the legal system does not catch up, this can open a Pandora’s box of privacy problems.

Currently, identify theft is a huge crisis. Right now, hackers can ruin someone financially. With these new programs, they will be able to destroy one medically. A hacker could potential get into these systems and cancel prescriptions, delete files, share private information with outsiders, change data, or even change an address so prescriptions get mailed to them instead. When identity theft happens, it can take months to sort out the problem. A patient needing medical attention can’t wait that long.

Another potential dilemma is if a medical provider is trying to treat a patient who lets say hypothetically is unconscious. It would be a huge asset to the doctors (and the patients) if the doctors could be able to quickly and easily see the patient’s medical history without the patient’s formal consent aka having the patient type in his password and log on. On the other hand, there need to be safeguards to prevent anyone pretending to be a doctor to assess them. These and others are important issues in law that needs to be resolved before these digital medical cabinets become too big.