Denika Anderson

2/29/14
Professor Altman
English 114B
Technology Gone Bad
Remember, remember the 5
th
of November (V for Vendetta). In the graphic
novel, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore the main character V is a former inmate of Larkhill
resettlement camp. While he was there he was a part of an experiment involving
artificial hormone injections. After an explosion, at the camp V seeks revenge on the 40
surviving workers from Larkhill. He adopts the name V and starts wearing the Guy
Fawkes mask and costume. The book is set in a dystopian future in the United
Kingdom. The hormone injections that V is injected with allow him to do several things
like excel in hacking, bombing, martial arts, and etc. There are several reoccurring
themes in the novel like controlling the internet, using technology to control the people
and using anonymity to ones advantage. When you see cameras on the side walk or on
the side of the building the cameras are there for your protection. People arent aware
of hacking, cyber bullying, or the negative side of having surveillance. Hacking is when
someone uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system. There are
several types of hackers like coders, administrators, and script kiddies. Cyber bullying is
one of the most negative things about the internet. When you post something that
another person doesnt like that person can attack your page and become a bully.
Although many people know about the negative side of technology, they should be
aware of the dangers of it because of surveillance, hacking, and cyber bullying.
There of several dangers of technology one of them is the NSA. The NSA is the
National Security Agency in the U.S that encompasses both Signal Intelligence and
Information Assurance products. According to IEEE Security and Privacy on June 30
th
a
British newspaper The Guardian reported on a secret U.S National Security Agency
program that collects domestic telecommunications metadata. The paper revealed that
PRISM a NSA program was spying on Chinese computers. The Guardian also revealed
that a monitored Internet caf eavesdropped on political leaders attending the 2009
London summit. Edward Snowden a former NSA agent leaked several NSA files
because he believes that some things need to be determined by the public. The leaked
information says that people knew about the NSA, but they didnt know the dangers of
it like being able to read text messages, e-mails, and wiretap phone calls. People are
entitled to their privacy (Snowden). The NSA is invading peoples privacy when they go
into someones email or listen to someones phone calls. They might say they are doing
it for the safety of the people, but everyone that is in the NSA doesnt have good
intentions. Surveillance is a problem when people go too far. They say that they use
surveillance for protection purposes only. That might be true, but when they are spying
on people in other countries for other reasons other than protection they have gone too
far. When they take advantage of people they have gone too far. People dont know that
every word they say is being listened to. When people know that they are being spied
on by the government they lose faith in their government.
Cyber bullying is one of the down sides of being on the internet. Cyber bullying is
the repeated use of technology to harass, humiliate, or threaten someone. According to
Education Digest Phoebe Prince went to South Hadley High School. She reportedly
dated guys that were supposed to be off limits to her. She was called several names
like whore and slut. She was bullied in person and on Facebook. She committed
suicide due to the cyber bullying. She struggled with depression and even attempted
suicide once before. Phoebes story pointed out one of the major dangers of technology,
the Internet. The Internet is only a dangerous place when people make it one. Bullying
is a serious issue that many people dont have knowledge about. Phoebe wasnt just
bullied over the Internet she was bullied in person. If people knew or if her parents knew
more about cyber bullying her death could have been prevented. More than 1 in 3
young people have experienced cyber threats online and over 25 percent of
adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the
Internet (bullying statistics). These statistics also help me prove that cyber bullying
makes the Internet and technology a dangerous place because of the attempted
suicides and the deaths behind cyber bullying. When you are on the internet you are
supposed to be free and unbothered. You shouldnt have to worry about someone
bullying you. Cyber bullying is bad because it has led to attempted suicides and
suicides. Terrorizing someone and embarrassing for enjoyment is and awful thing to do.
The person doing might not realize what kind of effects Cyber bullying can cause, but
that is still no excuse.
Something that people face every day by using technology is being hacked.
Hacking is a negative thing because it can cause a lot of damage. For instance when
someone hacks into your computer they can read all of your personal information and
steal. Stealing information can lead to several things like identity theft. Hacking is when
someone uses a computer to gain unauthorized information. Millions of pieces of
malware and thousands of malicious hacker gangs roam todays online world preying
on easy dupes (info world). Most people arent computer savvy meaning they dont
know how to protect their information. Millions of people use computers every day and
dont know that they are risked of being hacked. When you hack into someones
computer you have all of his or her information and data. You can see almost everything
they see on their computer. According to computer database most malware is
mundane, but hackers use innovative techniques and exploit systems. When someone
is hacking a computer they are using technology to their advantage. Hacking is when
someone uses it for a negative reason. For instance when someone uses it to exploit
another person or to be nosey and invade someones personal information. Not all
hackers are bad people they hack for different reasons. Black hat hackers have a lot of
knowledge about hacking and they use their knowledge for destructive purposes. They
break into systems and networks to gain money. They also destroy illegal confidential
data. These hackers could cause problems in your personal life because they can do
something like leak information and make it seem like you did it. Those are the hackers
people need to be aware of. Hackers use their internet knowledge for negative
purposes.
The internet is supposed to be a luxury that people can use anytime they want.
Like anything that has positive benefits there are negative benefits from using the
internet. You need to be very careful about what you put on the internet. Not a lot of
people are internet savvy. They arent aware of the hackers that try to use their powers
for negative reasons. Technology is one of the most creative things out their today.
When people like the NSA use technology and their knowledge about technology it
looks bad. It looks like they are taking advantage of people because people dont know
that that they are being spied on. Like Snowden said it should be up to the people to
decide if they want to have their calls listened to. Cyber bullying is one of those things
that people know about, but dont take seriously because they dont think it will happen
to them. People should be able to surf the internet and post whatever they want without
having to worry about bullies.


















Works Cited

Bullying Statistics. Cyber bullying Statistics, n.p. 2010.
Grimes, Roger A. "7 sneak attacks used by today's most devious
hackers; Most malware is mundane, but these innovative techniques are
exploiting systems and networks of even the savviest
users."InfoWorld.com 30 Sept. 2013. Computer Database. Web. 13 Mar.
2014.

Holladay, J. (2011). Cyber bullying. Education Digest: Essential
Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 76(5), 4-9.
Landau, Susan. "Making Sense from Snowden: What's Significant
in the NSA Surveillance Revelations." IEEE Security & Privacy, 11.4
(2013): 54-63.