I refer back to my previous post about Googling for illegal or unethical purposes. Today, this story ran.
The lists of financial information include hundreds of card holders' names, addresses and phone numbers as well as their credit-card data. Much of the credit-card data that appears in the lists found by Google may no longer be valid, but CNET called several people listed and verified that the credit cards numbers were authentic. The query, the latest example of "Google hacking," highlights increasing concern that knowledgeable Web surfers can turn up sensitive information by mining the world's best-known search engine.
This gets me all heady and philosophical. Is it just that there are that many people out there who have nothing better to do? Would these people be doing this anyway? Or does the ease of the Internet bring out the dark side in people who would otherwise be law-abiding? More than anything, ease of use is bringing us down, man.
Several years ago, I had my credit card stolen once and used by some Ukrainians to order a bunch of stuff from the now defunct CDNow.* It was so easy for somebody to sit in a former socialist country and order things using the name of some faceless, greedy American (yes, I am). But I think there is a creeping immoral movement using the Internet to spread because of perceived anonymity. I don't write that lightly and I'm not a Bible-thumping street preacher, either. Traditional, real-world morality is being attacked by vague language, legal loopholes, and the facelessness of the Internet. It's seems so easy to commit crime online that I'm afraid it's going to get a whole lot worse.
Consider the new trend of cheat sites online (cheating as in having an affair). I read this article today and nearly fell out of my chair. Naturally, it makes sense that there are companies out there trying to exploit every potential market, but the lack of concern for commitment and family is like a slap in the face. The attitude that these sites all have in common is that if you are going to cheat anyway, pay us to help you. While not illegal, it does support my theory about Internet-based immorality.
So, I'm sort of a pundit at this point. I'm not offering solutions, I'm just pointing out what's wrong. Actually, my solution is to start with early education and teach values, ethics, and morality, but that won't happen because of the faction out there that wants you to belive there is no right or wrong.
* Note: Before you correct me, CDNow was bought by Amazon, so it might as well be defunct. It's not the store I once knew and loved.
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