21 ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGIES : BLESSINGS AND CURSES..........

My previous blog update regarding my Yahoo e-mail and Facebook page being hacked into overnight, has had me thinking all day as I deal with the frustration of addressing it, about the wonders of the technological developments of the current age from the internet, e-mail, ever more sophiscated computers, cell phones, i-phones, blackberries, i-pads, and i-pods, which along with global satellites and cable, have made communication innovative, instantaneous, efficient, and effective. The positive benefits derived from these advances are a major blessing in making both the work and recreation of our lives more efficient and enjoyable. That is the result produced by honest and honorable people who use the new technologies for the common good and not manipulate it for personal greed. Dishonest and criminally minded persons however, see it as a means to an end, reaping an illicit benefit from others by hacking and hijacking the technology for their own illegal gain. This is the curse many of us who us who use these advances are forced to confront, when like myself, we discover our personal accounts compromised by others with self serving agendas. My circle of personal friends on Yahoo and Facebook received a bogus message from a hacker very early this morning claiming he or she, is me and feigning to be stranded in Edinburgh, Scotland needing 1,300 pounds to pay my hotel bill and get home. Yet here I am in Sacramento, not stranded or in financial need, sorting out this snafu, with my access to both accounts, blocked for at least 24 hours. Yet as of mid morning, the hacker was still appearing on my Facebook page impersonating and chatting with others in my name. At least one of my many friends who has called me in concern about this malfeasance today, said the hacker was chatting with her pretending to be me. I am a glad Yahoo e-mailer and Facebooker, and I will not abandon them, but I do think that the safety, security, and privacy controls, must continue to be advanced and upgraded to make it increasingly more difficult to compromise online social network pages. And the criminals who invade the privacy and personal possessions of others online should be prosecuted. The same is true of interlopers who vandalize and steal from schools, churches, and businesses, in our communities, whether it be tagging, breaking windows, theft of resources, or the stealing of copper wiring, which is so wantonly occurring, and increases during the summer. All of us must be good neighbors and report suspicious activity taking place around us. The dishonest and criminal must be dealt with with the certitude of punishment to discourage others from even attempting this kind of malfeasance. In The Words Of Jesus,...SIN NO MORE..........Fr. Troy