the solar winds are blowing

via Todd Richmond

The recent hack of multiple targets in the US points towards a growing crisis that presents on all levels, from individual to cities to states to countries to global. The ever-growing interconnected state of the world, driven by digital, is putting more systems, organizations, and people at risk. You don’t be the benefit without the risks. Microsoft president Brad Smith lays out their role in understanding and reacting to the compromises. The need for global cooperation is becoming more evident, but age-old issues of us vs. them remain as impediments.

But there is a related and perhaps deeper question afoot – does everything need to be connected? Does every aspect of the human existence need to be monitored, mediated, and reported on by some form of digital device? The military uses the term “air gapped” to describe systems that are so important that they cannot be put on a network for fear of hacking. Do humans need to rethink what aspects of their lives need to be “air gapped” in the digital epoch? The answer depends on the individual and their situation, but it certainly is a question worth asking rather than just letting things happen without thought or intention.