The world is a mean and ugly place. That truth is a major element in my prophetic message, but it’s also a practical reality we experience every day. While the virtual world of the Internet reflects some elements of our daily existence, it differs radically from life in meat space.
In our daily existence we live under God’s command to provide boundaries, to restrict human behavior in certain ways. God revealed an awful lot of useful guidance on human nature and behavior and how to balance between too much and too little protection. The Internet is virtually impossible to handle that way. That’s not to say God’s Laws don’t reach there, but the nature of the thing requires we find new and completely different ways to approach our duty to Him.
It requires I use my meat space pastoral presence to help those who approach the Net where no part of that restraint works. I can teach you in person, and I often write about it here and elsewhere. The most I can do is present a moral reference point so Net uses can refer back to it. As with God’s Laws on social behavior, I can shortcut an awful lot of silly crap by cutting to the heart of how we get it wrong on a very fundamental level. That’s what I try to do in my posts on Internet security. I don’t have time or resources to chase down every threat. Instead, I offer broad warnings that shortcut most of those threats.
In my computer ministry here in meat space, I tell folks they need to avoid using Windows if at all possible. I stand ready to teach Linux or other operating systems because they are stronger against all threats. By no means do I claim it solves every problem, just the worst of those problems inherent in computer use and the Internet itself. It’s a tall order to learn Linux or BSD, so I don’t push it hard. With most people, I try to offer the most common defenses for Windows. Then, I try to tailor my instructions to the individual client. I don’t tell them all the same thing because some of them simply are not equipped to understand much. In my mind, I prepare myself to answer more service calls for them, because they will most certainly have more trouble. There are other factors in how much trouble they’ll have, but you get the picture.
That’s the way it is with our fallen world. Real people trying to make their way through a broken world based on what they can handle. I try to offer my best estimate of their needs in terms of pastoral care for their computer use. I’m a Computer Pastor, if you will, which is completely different from being a pastor with a ministry presence on the Net.
It’s not as if the Net is some howling storm of demons seeking to enter your computer, but sometimes it seems that way. The threat is very real, yet totally virtual. Far stronger than the best computer technology is a personal resolve to do what’s right for your own place in the world and on the Net. I can’t give you that, only help you find it for yourself.
One of the things I tell my clients is that the single greatest threat is seeking entertainment on the Net. It can be done safely, but it’s the one sort of human activity most fraught with pitfalls because it is the single greatest character weakness in users as a whole. Netizens seeking entertainment are more likely to do something stupid than folks who tend to avoid seeking entertainment. It requires an awful lot more savvy to do it without getting into trouble. It is the one activity most likely to draw the most ill-prepared specimens of humanity, and the one element of the Internet most likely to get users into trouble.
So here we have an autistic lad seeking only a single song, and ends up in prison. He fell for a trap set by the FBI. That’s a bold accusation I make, but there is more than enough evidence. It’s been known for quite some time among computer security folks that various law enforcement agencies are like slavering demons eagerly seeking souls to devour and will break any and all laws, and try to break Internet protocols in the process. They will package underage pornography under innocent labels on the various download and peer-to-peer services and track who downloads those files. That many of their arrestees had no intention of breaking the law is never permitted into court evidence. I say this as someone who once worked in law enforcement: Cops have become some of the filthiest lying thugs on this earth, and the courts are backing them up.
It’s pretty hard for most people to learn the hard-bitten cynicism of an ex-police sergeant. Most genuine geeks and nerds have it in regards to the Internet, having learned it directly from the Net. They invest a lot more into their use of the Net, so it’s their home ground and they are privileged warrior class in the virtual world. Most users are slightly wary, but common sense will always be far short of the truth.
So it’s up to me to write pastoral posts and try to warn people. It’s why I write posts outlining how to get your music safely and legally, in ways the entertainment industry doesn’t like but can’t prevent. If it’s digitized, it is by nature free for all, but that doesn’t mean you grab the first thing that looks like what you seek. There are people out there who lividly hate you and delight in destroying lives for profit and their own entertainment. Yes, they are just that evil.
You might take an interest in Andrew’s case or the foundation in his name working to prevent future entrapments. It’s between you and God how you respond. The least you can do is pray for Andrew.
