Dangers of Computer Technology

Writing in 1997, when internet technology was still in its early childhood stage, author Baldacci ponders those issues which we continue to ponder today. Indeed, he becomes a bit of a prophet through the character of Lee Sawyer, promoting the fear that, as technology becomes increasingly prevalent in the workings of government and industry and in the lives of individuals, the dangers of information passing to the "bad guys" increases proportionately. He envisions scenarios in which "hackers" will have the ability to access public and private records to the extent of gaining control through theft and blackmail, not to mention the additional loss of individual privacy. On a global scale, moreover, he wonders about the eventual ability of one country to engage in cyber attacks upon another. Faced with current technology, Baldacci was indeed a prophet, as modern societies cope with identity theft, access to private...