The Internet isn't insecure, people are
"Family looses everything on Internet swindle."
The media love headlines like these. It generates fear, which in turn sells newspapers. What is it about the Internet that has people so scared? Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of pitfalls -- everything from switch and bait tactics to credit card fraud to illegal gambling. There are people who spoof identities and companies who aren't who they say they are. Am I missing something? Haven't these crimes existed for ages and ages? Are these crimes something we should ignore? Of course not. Are these crimes worse because they are committed on the Internet? No. In fact, white-collar crime is, by its very nature, lacking in violence, a common element in many crimes. So what's my point? I am a die-hard promoter of the Internet. I want you to know my angle up front. I believe that everyone, including corporations, institutions and government bodies should firmly embrace the Internet. Instead of treating it like some sort of mysterious aberration, view it as simply one more tool, one more way to connect people, one more interface to the world's information. If we don't embrace it and become intimately familiar with all of its features, then many of us risk a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fear and ignorance of the Internet will manifest a self-fulfilling prophecy, and make all of our security nightmares come true. This is especially true for Japan -- a country notoriously slow to embrace change. It has nothing to do with technology. It's a people thing. So you think you're safe offline? A quick check of the National Fraud Information Center and the Better Business Bureau data and we can uncover all sorts of nasty stuff: pyramid schemes, prize schemes, international investment schemes, credit card fraud, telemarketing fraud, mail fraud and the ever popular "work at home stuffing envelopes" scam. Want some specifics? Consumers lose an estimated $40 billion a year through telemarketing fraud. Ninety-two percent of adults in the United States have reported receiving fraudulent telephone offers. The FBI estimates that there are 14,000 illegal telephone sales operations bilking consumers in the United States every day. Do you think that you're safe when you use a credit card at a restaurant? Thousands of credit card numbers are absconded that way every day around the world. We live in an insecure world and nothing is going to change that. Evil, and all of its inherent scams and rip-off schemes, is not going to go away. It doesn't matter whether we are offline, online, or in the next paradigm. We need to stop focusing on the Internet as a dangerous place. It's a people thing! Empowered Where did I find all the above information? Online! Here I sit in Japan, but in a few mouse clicks I am up to speed on a lot of the scams and alerts that are going on worldwide today. I am empowered by the Internet to avoid trouble and fight back. Information can be disseminated by companies, agencies, and individuals so quickly that a person or company offering questionable services or misinformation can be overpowered with information. Consumers can fight back with facts. I have been talking a lot about the individual, the consumer - but what about businesses? Aren't they at risk too? Yes. But they always have been. How do businesses deal with bad transactions today? They write them off as a cost of doing business. It is just an expense. They make this up with high volumes. Same thing holds true online. If a business has a high volume of transactions (and the Internet lends itself more readily to low price, high volume models) then bad transactions will simply be a small part of the cost of doing business - and companies will easily absorb those costs like they do today. If consumers insist on doing more of their business online, then companies will have no choice but to meet the demand. As the volume of transactions increase, the less each bad transaction affects the price. US businesses are starting to see that now. Japanese companies need to follow in their footsteps. It's only common sense Shop with credit cards - they protect you. Only choose credit card companies that limit your liability to $50 if your card is compromised or stolen. If you are worried about paying the $50, then get insurance for your credit cards. Push your credit card company to allow transactions without signatures so that you can shop online. I believe that people are inherently good. The number of good people so absolutely dwarfs the number of bad people in this world. Common sense and careful investigation of the facts is all it takes to do business in the 21st century. Nothing new. Those who continue to ignore the signs and walk in the unlighted streets of the Internet will continue to get ripped off - regardless of the method. So instead of moaning about how insecure the Internet is, lets just accept that it's a people thing and get on with business at hand. It's a big world out there.
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For more information
Better Business Bureauwww.bbb.org |
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Forest Linton is IE Group Product Manager for Microsoft Japan. His views are expressly and exclusively his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Microsoft.You can reach him at forest@gol.com.  |