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Americans More Worried About Cybersecurity Than Terrorism

Posted by Soulskill on from the that-there-internet-is-a-scary-thing dept.

TheGift73 tips an article discussing a new study (PDF) which found Americans are now more worried about cybersecurity threats than they are about terrorism. Here's Techdirt's acerbic take: "Well, it looks like all the fearmongering about hackers shutting down electrical grids and making planes fall from the sky is working. No matter that there's no evidence of any actual risk, or that the only real issue is if anyone is stupid enough to actually connect such critical infrastructure to the internet (the proper response to which is: take it off the internet), fear is spreading. Of course, this is mostly due to the work of a neat combination of ex-politicians/now lobbyists working for defense contractors who stand to make a ton of money from the panic — enabled by politicians who seem to have no shame in telling scary bedtime stories that have no basis in reality."

7 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. fearmongering by nurb432 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has always been an effective tactic for manipulating public opinion.

    He who controls the media, controls the future.

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    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:fearmongering by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And the minute they have even a shred of physical evidence, we'll reconsider the matter. Until then, it can be kept in the phylosophy and debate classes along with all the other religions that catholics seem to think don't deserve to be taught in schools and we'll keep science class limited to things science related..

    2. Re:fearmongering by Sperbels · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm talking a creator in a very generic system which is a fundamental thought process in the study of Philosophy. Very much like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes arguments. There is no particular Religion involved in the logic.

      A creator is plausible. But there is no evidence for one so it's not science. It's pure speculation.

    3. Re:fearmongering by cpu6502 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >>> price of education has risen, er, 270% in the last 15 years

      No the price of a college degree has risen. The price of an "education" has dropped to $20/month (cost of an internet line so you can download free lectures and textbooks and informative websites). I've learned more from these downloads than I ever did in college (which taught me a lot of stuff I forgot).

      --
      My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
    4. Re:fearmongering by poopdeville · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Um, this is a fallacy. Just because there are two choices does not make them equally probable. You might get hit by lightning tomorrow. You might not. Are the odds 50:50? (No)

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      After all, I am strangely colored.
  2. Fearmongering? by Hentes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hacking causes a lot more damage than terrorists ever did.

  3. Illiterate, donkey riding, half starved.. by Paracelcus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Illiterate, donkey riding, half starved, hyper religious nutbags with AK47's and common explosives have the most fearsome, multi trillion dollar super/mega military/intelligence/surveillance machine ever to exist, ANYWHERE at a strategic standstill! and even more this handful of inbreds (less than a thousand, Al Whastsa or so I've heard) so much so as to have made the Land of the FREE into the Land of the Spied upon/Groped, bugged and X-Rayed! Even if these guy's could commandeer some rusty Soviet era military boat, what are they gonna do? I'll take my chances and have my freedom back!

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    I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd