We all use the Internet whether we like it or not. Consider that there are more than 8.97 billion mobile connections today, according to real-time intelligence data from GMSA. That’s more than the estimated population of Earth, which is 7.71 billion, according to estimates by the UN.
So how did the internet start? A number of factors came into play. The Internet technically started in 1983. This was because the ARPANET adopted TCP/IP. ARPANET was developed under the direction of the United States Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The TCP/IP protocol suite was designed in the 1970s by two DARPA scientists.
The latest version of TCP/IP IPv6 can provide the Internet with approximately 3,403 x 10 to the 38th power of IP addresses. For all practical purposes, this is close to infinity. This would allow all devices, be it your smartphone, toaster oven, microwave, car, anything that runs on electricity, and anything embedded in your body, that runs on electricity, could theoretically connect to the internet. This means, in theory, that everyone on the planet and all of their electrical devices could be monitored over the internet. This means that anything that is considered intelligent, since it uses a microprocessor, BIOS, RAM, and network circuitry, wired or wireless, can be connected to the Internet. Can you tell that 1984 is about to happen? You read the book and they probably made you read this one in high school or maybe college. The premise of this novel was very creepy.
Let’s face it, everything we do is connected to the Internet. Every time you buy something at the supermarket, the Internet is involved. All banking transactions are recorded on some solitary data server, which could be located anywhere in the world. Even when you use cash, this transaction is recorded somewhere on some server located in some server farm.
When you are driving on the highway and a traffic camera records you speeding, this is also recorded somewhere using the Internet. When he walks into a mall, everything he does is caught on camera, using the Internet to allow someone to monitor his every move. This is all recorded and saved forever or at least until the server crashes and no backup is made. Everything you say on social networks is recorded and saved in some database and will never be deleted. In fact, certain social networking giants allow us to use their software, knowing full well that everything you say and record becomes their exclusive property. You know who these social media giants are. But we continue to use your software and allow it to reside on our computers, collecting our personal insights and social feedback. No wonder some law enforcement agencies love these social media giants. Do you blame them?
By some estimates, there are 1,900 operational satellites orbiting the Earth, launched by 40 countries. How many of these are spy satellites? Nobody really knows, except the countries that released them. Think about it, the Internet can be accessed through the use of satellites. Certain search engines may give you access to satellite images that will show any town, village, or city in the world, from the perspective of standing on a street. This is not real time, but it is a long way off with the advancements that occur in computer technology and the Internet.
So we can see that the internet is negatively affecting us, as it can be and is being used to monitor everything we do. Privacy is going down the drain.
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