Chapters 25 through 28 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 25: Death Watch

A death switch was installed in computers so that if a person died without having revealed their passwords, it could be accessed. The death switch activated if the computer was idle for a number of days. But the switch started to be misused by people. Some used it to find out banking and other private information about people. The process also allowed people to write emails that were scheduled to be released in the future, long after their deaths. Some began to use the death switch to prove they were alive long after they were dead by making automated on-line purchases and bank transfers, making it appear as though they were alive. For those still alive, it became a problem to figure out who was dead and who was alive. The emails and transactions created a...