At some point in the life of a person in this age of the digital transition it becomes clear that one has to take control of the footprint he or she leaves as a legacy. Much is said about privacy; but, the other side of that coin is exposition.  As the questionable ethics of popular social media sites reveals itself and the plethora of criminal elements accelerate their predatory practices on innocent users of communications technologies the narrative about the usefulness of the Internet changes. The innocence and hopefulness of the early founders of the technologies and protocols that has made the Internet happen have been replaced by a weariness and cynicism by those now trying to defend that vision.

For those of us that have been there from the beginning, it has been a wild ride;   dial-up modems, floppy disks, lawsuits against predatory practices by rapidly growing companies, software released too early in barely functional form, the promise of an information super-highway, the introduction of the “smart” phone, the dominance of global technology companies whose power is beyond many nation states.  But the societal transformation is what is most profound.  The mental illness, drug addition, prevalence of guns, and rise of nationalism that barely cloaks a pent-up bigoted and misogynistic anger that reflects the distortions caused by the polarization of our modern society. And this state of affairs has been, in part, nurtured by foreign forces hostile to the values and traditions of a liberal and educated society.

My life embodies the hope of the early Internet.  I have benefited greatly from the opportunities that been brought by improved communications, cross-border trade, friendly international relations, and reduced travel restrictions.  As a person educated in the social sciences including sociology, psychology, history, economics, cultural geography and other disciplines I can easily see how nation states veering towards an egomaniacal authoritarianism ignorant of such sciences and away from democracy are taking us on a trajectory that will be disastrous for future generations.  As a person who lives and works in a world of the natural sciences that govern the physics of the world I can easily discern between fact and fiction. I have not fallen prey to the mass hypnosis that has captured the modern mind and distorted the collective imagination of so many people who are tied to their television sets, radios and smart phones.

I am, instead, a global citizen.  I am one who lives in the hope that the cultural excesses and political machinations I am witnessing in the early 21^st century are a short blip in the historical development of modern society.  I am one that defends the rights of innocent victims from predatory practices of threat actors whether they are motivated by geopolitics, nationalism, commercialism, criminality, or egoism.

It is no accident that the rise of globalism as an ideal for improving the lives of millions of people on the planet was popularized during the growth of the Internet.  The convergence of these two global forces at a time when the digital divide became blurred has been a defining factor in the conditions we see today.  But now we are facing an even more insidious threat; the manifestation and growth of an ethical divide.

The prevalence of ‘hacker’ communities that are willing to sell their souls for monetary or political gain is the scourge of modern society.  They prey on innocent victims financially, emotionally, psychologically, politically and ideologically.  They steal identities, money, privacy, pride and reputations.

It is easy to withdraw; to become intimidated by the plethora of malware and non-malware threats that we all encounter in our digital lives.  It is easy to stop talking and communicating with one another.  It is easy to wall ourselves off or seek out only those of similar mind and spray out blame and innuendo against those not in our siloed world.

But I will not.  I hereby stake my claim as a global citizen and one who has made a conscious decision to aggregate my own digital footprint, my own life lessons, my own insights and thoughts and dreams and ideas. I am making a stand against fiction and for fact.  I am affirming the simple truth that all human beings have basic rights to life, liberty and justice. But beyond that, they have the right to be respected and honored and not victimized.  I denounce leaders that do not stand for these ideals and, instead, promote violence and hatred and, with their actions and words, create chaos and discord in society.

This is my story.