Every day, our lives are dominated by technology. Desktop computers have been replaced by sleeker laptops, cell phones are now Smartphones and breaking news is more likely to be found on social media than a regular news broadcast. For most of us, heightened access to technology has only made our lives easier.
But what happens when these platforms and systems become so complex, they are impossible to control? When this access to information leads to a security breach, incrimination or a public safety threat?
In this edition of the Weekly Wrap, we’re recapping recent news stories that feature technology as an agent of destruction. Take a look.
Over the past few weeks, reports of ISIS terrorist groups using social media to solicit new members have flooded newsstands, creating a new agenda for politicians taking the debate stages.
During Tuesday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump stated that he would be open to “closing” down parts of the Internet to help defend against Islamic State recruitment efforts. Trump stuck to his beliefs even after being booed by audience members, claiming “These are people that want to kill us, folks. And you’re objecting to us infiltrating their conversations?”
Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, introduced a different plan to combat radicalization on U.S. soil during a speech on Tuesday. According to CNN, Clinton’s strategy involves discovering and disrupting terrorist plots before they happen by working with Muslim-American communities directly. Similar to Trump, Clinton also proposed ending radicalization online by shutting down ISIS-inspired Facebook and Twitter profiles and removing terrorist content.
But even with increased focus from both parties on reducing ISIS-related Internet threats, the question still remains: Will it make a difference?
The New York Times reported Wednesday that “Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter used his personal email account to conduct government business in his first few months in office — including for at least two months after it was revealed that Hillary Clinton had exclusively used a personal email account when she was secretary of state.”
According to the article, Carter admitted to the allegations in a brief news conference, claiming, “someone in his position should have known better.” While there is currently no evidence to suggest emails sent from his personal account have leaked any classified information, further investigation of the account is underway.
Do you think society’s reliance on technology is leading us down a slippery slope? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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Erin O’Connor is an account executive at WordWrite Communications. She can be reached at erin.oconnor@wordwritepr.com or on Twitter, @eoc790
