[debate] proposed topic: cyber crime is doomed

[rackow at mcs.anl.gov]

I think things will change, but there will still be cyber crime in 2059.
There is a serious culture change that would need to occur to make it
stop.  50 years is not that long.

50 years ago we were dealing with illegal drugs.  It wasn't to the
extent today.  There wasn't the amount or variety.  We still have that
problem.  The interesting fact is that there is now a proclaimed
billionaire drug lord that made the Forbes list.   Some will see that
as a viable way of getting ahead.  He did and isn't completely demonized.

Along the same lines in drug crime, in many of the inner-city gangs,
you haven't completed your right of passage until you've spent some
time in jail, knocked up some girl, and been injured in some way
(knife/gun/..) The laws have been embraced in rather unforseen ways.
Look at the comments from the various Rap artists (and I use that
term lightly) on what it takes for them to have obtained the status they
enjoy.

Bringing that back to the cyber front, the recent article on the 
kid behind the last twitter problems expects to get a job in
cyber security at some point.  He thinks he's proven he knows
how to exploit it.  Who better to hire than someone good at finding
holes?  Tie it into the movie "Hackers", were illegal was cool.

There was also the recent 60minute segment on Conficker.  They
were showing kids being honored as local heros for extracting money
from the white dog imperialists in the west.

For the most part, society recognizes the drug problems.  We have
adopted it as a fact of life.  There are costs associated with it
that we just deal with.
We are already doing the same with cybercrime.  Banks are charging
accordingly to cover their losses.  Much like commercial stores
have been charging to cover shoplifting costs since the dawn of stores.

>From the sounds of things, the banks haven't wanted to crack down
on some of the issues that lead to identity theft.  If they did so
it would be harder for them to get high-interest credit cards into
new customers hands.  They look at how much they are making off those
new customers vs how much they lost to cybercrime and make the biz
decision on what is their best coarse of action.

A directly related piece of sci-fi to consider is the Harry Harrison
Stainless Steel Rat.  In that future, crime is almost unheard of,
yet he excels in that space, turns out even sanctioned.

-_Gene

PS: I may be dead in 50, but I have my doubts.  People are living longer
   all the time.  My grandparents all lived well into their 80's.  Grandma
   just passed away at 98.  My great-grandfather just missed 100.  My
   parents are still alive and doing well, so...
   I hope to be "unemployed" in < 20 years, but I'd call it retired.

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