Homework Assignment 8: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Boston Bombing Charity Funds: The Good

Almost immediately after the Boston bombings occurred people were setting up charity funds for the victims in order to pay for their medial expenses.  Of course there were some dishonest people who set up fake funds, however many people set up real charities that have helped the victims.  There is a website Barstool Sports that is run by a man named David Portnoy.  He set up a t-shirt drive which donated all of the money that he raised directly to the victims.  Since this website is based out of Boston people were extremely passionate about purchasing shirts to donate their money.  These proceeds were raising by the minute so Portnoy announced on his website that he wants the owners of the Red Sox to match however much money he is capable of raising.  This website has ended up raising over $175,000 dollars for the victims.  This is a great example of how the Internet can work in a positive way because people can use it to help others.  By spreading the word via web that he was selling Boston themed t-shirts in order to help the victims, he was able to raise an extremely large amount of money.  This word would not have been spread around if was not for the Internet.  

http://boston.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/first-t-shirt-update-on-money-raised-by-the-stoolies-so-far/

Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: The Bad

The Colorado movie theater shooting was a tragic event that occurred in a movie theater.  A man by the name of James Holmes opened fire during the beginning of a midnight premier that killed and injured many innocent people.  This is an example of how the Internet can work in a negative manner because Holmes was able to legally purchase all of his weapons and ammunition online.  He purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition throughout a 60 day span before the shooting occurred.  This would have immediately raised a red flag if he had purchased these in a store, however he was able to make these purchases online without anyone noticing.  The Internet makes it extremely for criminals to purchase deadly weapons on the web.  It also assisted him in setting up a trap in his apartment.  He made many lethal bombs and had them set up to go off when the door was opened.  His computer was seized and officials found that he had been researching how to make these homemade bombs.  The Internet can act as a source of help to criminals and assists them on making extreme purchases as well as making illegal objects.  

http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-movie-theater-shooting-suspect-bought-guns-6000/story?id=16817842#.UYRoAc0_1Fo

Westboro Baptist Church: The Ugly

The Westboro Baptist Church is a Baptist church that is known for having extreme ideologies and performing acts of hate against single individuals or groups of people.  It has about 40 members and these people are mainly known for being entirely against gay people.  The Westboro Baptist Church is also known for picketing funerals of those who have passed such as soldiers, victims of large crimes, and gay people.  Just recently this church announced that they would be picketing the funerals of those who died due to the Boston Marathon bombings.  The church members announced over Twitter and released statements to local news groups that they would be doing so.  I think this relates to the ugly side of the Internet because these group members are clearly all in it for the publicity.  They love getting their name out there and threatening people, mainly to alarm the public and make a statement.  I think that the Internet is a great help to these members because they use it in an ugly manner.  They use the Internet in order to pose threats to the public in order to feel as though they an elite group.  They want people to know that they are against gays and also that they think "God sent the bombers" because Massachusetts legalized gay marriage.  These people are clearly crazy, however they are abusing the uses of the Internet to pose their threats and get their ignorance out there.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/21/westboro-baptist-church-picket-funeral-woman-kille/

Location Tracking

I would not support parents having chips implanted in their children for location tracking purposes.  Although this would help us find many children who go missing each year, I do not think the benefits outweigh the risks.  In going about doing this, children would have no say in being able to agree or disagree in having this done to them.  This could help the parents keep track of their children while they are young, however the child may not want the chip in them when they are older for numerous reasons.  This is an invasion of privacy because the individual would never be free from someone knowing their location at all times.  I would be completely against the passing of a bill in congress requiring ID chips in children under the age of 5.  I am also against the implanting of chips in a teen.  A teenager is old enough, to a certain extent, to know what they think is right and wrong.  If a teen disagreed with having this implanted in them I do not believe it would be right for a parent to force them to have this done.  I am against the implanting of chips in elderly patrons also.  Although they may be forgetful or suffering from a disease such as dementia or alzheimer's they are not of sound mind and should only be able to make a decision like this when they are completely healthy.  I do believe that elderly people in nursing homes should wear some type of a tracking device such as a necklace, pair of shoes, bracelet, etc. when they are not under complete supervision so they do not go missing, but nothing permanent.  

Cell Phones and Privacy

I am against the banning of prepaid cell phones and I do not think they should have to be registered for tracking purposes.  This could make it easier to track criminals down, but if they make tracking prepaid cell phones a law then criminals will naturally find a way to work around this.  By banning or making it necessary to register prepaid phones this is taking away rights from an average citizen.  Some people do not have the desire for a monthly cell phone plan, and others may not be able to afford one.  Prepaid phones are a great way for people to have a phone in the event of an emergency for a cheap cost.  I do not think this is a fair way of going about tracking down criminals because this is an invasion of privacy.  This is taking the law a step too far in numerous ways, law abiding citizens should not have to suffer the same repercussions of those who commit the crimes.  

Living in a Networked World Part 3A

In our living in a networked world class we have been covering the fundamentals of the Internet.  We have been learning about the background of the Internet, how and when it was created, the process it took to create it, privacy regulations, and much more.  We have now been assigned to create a blog on the website Blogger.