Cybercrime in tomorrow's hands-free voice-activated Web

By Dick Pelletier

      Futurist Ray Kurzweil, in his book "The Singularity is near", offers the possibility that computers will one day become self-aware, which will result in the melding of humans and machines. He sees this process well underway by 2025, as nanobots begin to surf bloodstreams to combat disease and alter our brains to increase intelligence.

      In a recent article appearing in The Futurist, "Cybercrime in the year 2025," criminal-justice expert Gene Stephens predicts that computer and Internet use will become seamless, as hands-free, voice-activated data entry and retrieval becomes commonplace between 2010 and 2015. By 2020, nanotech will increasingly impact cyberspace; and as we try to gain the most advantages possible from our new "wonder-net," dangerous security gaps will emerge that could turn into nightmares if not handled carefully.

      For example, in 2025, as databots are implanted in users' brains, secure firewalls must be developed to keep intruders from hacking into the 'bots and terrorizing recipients. "Could there be a more frightening crime than having your brain-stored knowledge erased or scrambled," Stephens asks, "or hearing voices threatening to destroy your memory unless you pay blackmail? Welcome to the world of mindstalking."

      This brings us to the long-ignored issues of who owns the Internet, manages it, and has jurisdiction over it. The answer now is: nobody. Can this powerful socio-politico-economic network continue to operate at random, open to all, and thus be vulnerable to bad guys? Attempts to restrict or police the web are met with idealists who believe that the Internet should always be free from "big brother's" interference.

      The Web is becoming more important every day. It will soon be the number-one means of communicating, conducting business, socializing, and entertaining. So what's the answer? Sophisticated biometrics and other web-compatible ID systems will help, along with multinational cybercrime units trained to catch bad guys regardless of where they hide in the world.

      But these are short-term solutions and could soon be outmoded by the ubiquitous wireless Internet with breathtaking speeds expected by 2020. With no computers involved – only signals in the air to handle all of society's social and economic activities – tomorrow's Internet will be exposed to a glut of new cybercrimes. Unless a spiritual, religious or humanistic values revolution occurs and humans stop stealing, killing, and hurting each other, cybercrime will thrive.

      So here’s the question: Do we tightly control all human interaction by holding individuals responsible for everything posted on the Web, or do we allow creativity and individualism to emerge by not setting boundaries and jurisdictions, leaving it much like today’s Internet?

      Choosing "total control" would curtail cybercrime and make the Web safe, but it would invade privacy, freedom of speech, and other liberties. Choosing "nobody-in-charge" allows a free flow of information and exchange of goods and services, but with a substantial threat to society.

      However forward-thinkers believe these issues will become irrelevant by mid-2020s when nanobots begin coursing through our brains to create true "immersive" virtual reality. The greatest threat then might be the difficulty in separating the virtual from the physical world. Psychologists warn that perception is stronger than truth: Cyberreality could offer a more attractive life than real reality. Welcome to The Matrix.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.