A Critically Realistic New Year To All.

Things Go Wrong On The Internet.

No other industry in history has had such an impact, grown as fast or involve such complexity as the internet, smart and mobile devices.  The next best example is the auto industry which equally transformed the nation. The difference is that it took the car industry 70 years to reach the dominance the internet has achieved in 20 years.

Moving at such a high speed, things are going to go wrong.

The first automotive safety standards were self-imposed by the industry in the 1930's when Ford made safety glass mandatory in all it's vehicles, GM started doing crash test and Chrysler recessed dashboard controls.  Government-mandated safety standards in the U.S. and in most of the world did not occur for another 20 years.

Was it appropriate for government to impose regulations? Absolutely. Was it right that consumers had input? Certainly. Until the government created a workable regulatory framework and the public collaborated on their needs, the industry took matter into their own hands.

So it goes with the internet.

Unfortunately, most safety measures, in almost every industry, are in response to knowledge gained through unfortunate incidents.

Today's internet looks and acts nothing like the internet of 1995, 2005 or even 2015! The speed with which government would have to enact safety regulations regarding today's internet is very uncharacteristic, if it is even possible.

The public is much more interested in finger-pointing and embarrassing companies than they are in understanding the underlying causes of the issues and the complexity of solutions.  They are not interested in understanding that solutions can, by themselves, cause more problems.

Solutions must involve the companies. Whether the companies, the public or government like it or not. If left unassisted, the companies will make their own decisions.

There is no magic wand, but there is an answer.

Responsibility - all the way around.

Companies need to take responsibility for the content on their services. Even if they are not legally responsible, they are still profiting from the content, good or bad. Public education is also critical. 

Users need to take responsibility for what they post. They need to take responsibility for being informed about the platforms they use.

Governments need to take responsibility for being informed and protecting consumers from undue threats and harm. Train law enforcement properly on cyber issues and develop laws to protect our vulnerable populations.

Our one voice can be a chorus, or it will be a mob.