Knowledge, Power, and Vulnerability: Navigating Education and Cybersecurity in Modern Society
In our everyday lives, education serves as an indispensable aid in achieving various goals. As children, we perceive schooling differently, ranging from seeing it as an unpleasant obligation to absorbing intriguing content and developing skills loosely connected to academic learning—such as fostering community and relationships. Knowledge has also become synonymous with social division; we often relish positioning ourselves above others and reluctantly regard those who are more highly educated. Knowledge creates a comfort zone upon which we build our careers and families. We can arguably agree that education is one of the most crucial pursuits.
Historically, those with knowledge held power. From basic literacy and numeracy skills, people leveraged education to enrich themselves while conditioning social status. As long as these abilities were utilized for the common good and brought prosperity to the masses, they were positively received. However, in a world without education, deception and theft were easy. Many fortunes were amassed through the exploitation of the masses, deepening class divisions. Not long ago, women, people of color, or those with different beliefs had no opportunity for education. Even today, despite what seems like significant societal awareness, some cultures restrict the right to education based on gender or social status. Amidst all this, there's a faction that eagerly welcomes a return to medieval-style schooling, where only elites had the chance to pursue knowledge.
What causes the lack of consensus today regarding equal access to education? It's simplest to attribute this aspect to politics, which is synonymous with power. Governing, regardless of the political system, poses a significant challenge, and the continuous population growth makes managing the masses a monumental task. Imagine a utopian society where the vast majority are equally educated. How many uncomfortable decisions would be met with protests, and maintaining peace would border on miraculous. So, should maintaining a low level of knowledge be deemed sensible for the greater good? Not. It's merely the easiest path to success.
At this point, it's pertinent to address civilizational development. Technology serving humanity isn't just a tool for improving life; it's also a miraculous means of maintaining desired social effects. However, technology is also a kind of leash and muzzle. Today's technical professions can't imagine life without computers, lasers, or satellites. Where once a group of people worked on a single project, now one person armed with a calculating machine can do it faster and with less effort. The difference is that this person cut off from technology, suddenly isn't a specialist in the field anymore. They're blind, deaf, and mute. This is how modern education works, too.
We embark on learning immediately after birth, systematically from daycare through preschool, school, and high school, to higher education. This entire educational continuum aims to create the most productive individuals and to identify and amplify our predispositions. Today, education is increasingly tailored to a single direction, under the assumption that one can only be a specialist in a narrow field. Of course, exceptional individuals who excel in multiple spheres still exist among us, but appropriate selection is challenging. This stems from issues with various educational systems offered by states, language barriers, or still-existing differences in the development of various regions worldwide. While some excel in this area, others chase their tails without spectacular results, leading to chaos that fosters manipulation and abuse.
Throughout history, the structures of governance were based on a balance of power and fear. Rulers had more freedom, and appropriate indoctrination made society accept this state of affairs as the norm. With increasing awareness, these mechanisms were refined. Fear-based governance could compel even large populations to tolerate certain rules that would otherwise be unacceptable. Add to this appropriately directed education, where facts are often adjusted and tailored to the needs of those in power, and we have a recipe for a new feudal system, regardless of what we call it today. Someone tells us what's good and what's bad, and we often accept it uncritically.
Based on education and media, which have taken on the role of messengers, we create trends, doctrines, enemies, and friends. Simply guiding a young mind through all stages of education, coupled with the daily influx of stimuli from television and computer screens, yields a collective army that thinks and acts according to a predetermined script. Differences emerge at the initial stage. Depending on the ideology we follow, we flaunt different reflexes in adulthood. This gives us a sense of free will and independence, but is it so? We're directed and conditioned in one way or another. How difficult is it to change the trend? I believe each of us has experienced social exclusion and seen how actions contrary to the environment negatively impact functioning within the group.
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Current authorities aim to maintain a suitable element of chaos for easier manipulation of the masses. Although it sounds like a conspiracy theory, even the most blind among us experience moments of doubt, and anticipated events are often labeled as déjà vu. However, the fact remains that we're easily manipulated and readily accept commands uncritically just to make our lives a little more bearable.
Since the 1990s, we've witnessed the emergence of a new branch of educational support—internet development. While networks existed earlier, the '90s saw a tremendous increase in accessibility for the average user. Suddenly, anyone could access the knowledge available online, acquiring what was previously difficult to obtain. Life quickly verified this, revealing that anyone could become an expert and inundate the world with their wisdom. Over time, it became increasingly challenging to sift through the flood of information to find value. White might not be white anymore, and a circle might be a square. Subjectivism and charlatans have taken over the internet. We can't defend against this, but we can act to improve data transmission security. Previously, there were only a few websites we wanted to search for knowledge; today, there are hundreds of thousands, and it's impossible to maintain an adequate level of caution without appropriate support. And here we reach network security.
The development of wireless transmission and the transfer of a significant portion of activities to mobile devices has opened doors for those wanting to capitalize on our naivety or ignorance. Interestingly, when asked who these people are, the vast majority would answer—hackers. It would be good if such simplification closed the topic. An identified enemy is easier to detect and stop. However, it turns out not every hacker is a malicious individual, and we are susceptible to systemic abuses offered by governments, businesses, or organizations recognized as for the public good. Today, every institution wants to collect data, use it for its benefit and doesn't necessarily inform the user about the entire process. If we counted the number of clicks on agreements to collect cookies, and logins to various servers, and provide sensitive data facilitating identification, we might conclude that we're quite lenient when it comes to respecting our privacy. Assuming that nobody wants to harm us is naive, and unfortunately, it's time to start warning about the consequences. It's a bit like sexual maturation. We have the first conversation with parents about sex, but nobody warns us about all the risks involved, and the temptation is strong, with various brakes often not functioning. We must be aware that the data we gather can be used against us at any time. Someone could buy weapons on our account, take out a loan, drain our account, or simply discredit us as individuals. We freely give away our names, surnames, ID numbers, photos, or biometric data left and right. With today's technological capabilities, an average person can steal our lives, and it's solely up to their imagination, even in a criminal context, what harm they'll cause.
We can't turn back time or technological progress, nor do we want to. Therefore, we must learn to cope. Trust alone won't get us far. Here, it's worth noting the correlation between online security and education. Why is there practically no education on how to safely navigate digital spaces? Interestingly, there are many campaigns around us aimed at raising awareness of how naked and vulnerable we are. Yet, as a remedy, ready-made solutions are offered, from antivirus software to firewalls to advanced logging systems, all meant to protect us. These tools are supposed to ensure our safety. But who verifies that? A significant portion of society can't grasp how security systems work, so they must rely on trust. As I tried to show earlier, such thinking invites trouble. Since preschoolers with smartphones are commonplace, why aren't there educational systems in place immediately to teach how to avoid problems? What's safe and what's not? It's not about coding or technological education but about creating protective measures. If we don't allow a child to stick their finger in an outlet or throw people into the water to see how many can swim, why don't we follow the same pattern and teach what actions to avoid online? As young people become more aware, this knowledge can be developed so that they can safely and consciously use technological conveniences in the future. Once again, we see the same patterns. Keeping people in fear and ignorance is easier because such individuals are more susceptible to buying goods or ideas. Therefore, a corporation will say we're in danger and sell its product as the solution. It's basic marketing, but unfortunately, it works. Why don't we talk about securing the person rather than their equipment? Today, identification relates to machines, not the individuals operating them. However, since protocols have been established to offer just that, to avoid revolutions and costs, we'll continue with lies, claiming that the adopted assumptions work. They don't and won't. Remember, humans are at the end of every initiative. Humans create machines and software, so another human can create a nemesis to gain an advantage. We've brought AI as a gift, but it learns from human errors and, thus subject to the same limitations. A faster machine works for a moment on one side, but the others will soon have it, maybe even better. We're chasing our tails, unwilling to admit that what we're chasing is our own.
So why isn't there proper education? So that the masses don't demand changes and improvements in their lives. Ignorance is bliss for business because knowledge can be used for enrichment. Many try to change the world, but in the general media noise, their voice is unfortunately very quiet, and without appropriate financial support, there's no way to overcome barriers. Many times in our newsletters, we emphasize the power of the crowd. By demanding changes, we create cracks in existing structures and give opportunities to those who have something else to offer. Our goal is to restore the idea of a secure individual. Protecting the human, not their equipment. The human is the most valuable asset because, for now, humans make discoveries that change the world, and this asset is largely dormant and intimidating.
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