Comments on: Don’t fear the Web http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/02/29/dont-fear-the-web/ Tue, 21 May 2013 04:28:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: S_Deemer http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/02/29/dont-fear-the-web/#comment-851 S_Deemer Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:11:02 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=640#comment-851 Until I read this article, it had never really occurred to me that a significant number of people had "technopanics." The last time I encountered a virus or bit of malware on my own hardware was on a Mac in 1993. I currently use OS X, Linux, and Chrome OS. While bad things do happen to knowledgeable people (see James Fallows' posts on his wife's compromised Gmail account last year), to a large degree, the net is as safe as you make it. I have installed various browser plugins to suppress ads and tracking, and I try not to do stupid things like transacting business over an open, public Wi-Fi connection. However, there are millions of people who either lack the ability or the interest to secure their computers, and they make companies like the Geek Squad profitable. Realistically, I'm more concerned about picking up a biological virus from a stranger in a crowd than I am about picking up a computer virus. Until I read this article, it had never really occurred to me that a significant number of people had “technopanics.”

The last time I encountered a virus or bit of malware on my own hardware was on a Mac in 1993. I currently use OS X, Linux, and Chrome OS. While bad things do happen to knowledgeable people (see James Fallows’ posts on his wife’s compromised Gmail account last year), to a large degree, the net is as safe as you make it. I have installed various browser plugins to suppress ads and tracking, and I try not to do stupid things like transacting business over an open, public Wi-Fi connection. However, there are millions of people who either lack the ability or the interest to secure their computers, and they make companies like the Geek Squad profitable.

Realistically, I’m more concerned about picking up a biological virus from a stranger in a crowd than I am about picking up a computer virus.

]]> By: Paats-W. http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/02/29/dont-fear-the-web/#comment-843 Paats-W. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:30:24 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=640#comment-843 my scond home is the high street computer shop; due to ongoing viruses etc... it is very entertaining to hang in the shop and hear customers protesting all day long , and swapping hacking/viruses stories; my scond home is the high street computer shop; due to ongoing viruses etc… it is very entertaining to hang in the shop and hear customers protesting all day long , and swapping hacking/viruses stories;

]]>