ABC avoids uttering the 'W' word

Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 18 August 2009 07:24

Opinion and Analysis

How does this relate to the average computer user - and by that one always means a Windows user? How does this poor soul avoid getting ripped off, how does this individual maintain some semblance of peace of mind given that he or she has no choice but to use a computer for many daily tasks?

Alas, the ABC had no answers to those questions.

I'm not saying that there should have been pointed criticism of Windows - phishing attacks can take place on many platforms. But an educated discussion about such things is what will help ordinary people to tread warily and avoid becoming statistics on a cyber crime graph.

Like it or not, the world is getting more wired, not less. People have to learn the truth about the systems they use and they need to know how to avoid falling victim to cyber criminals.

If the intention was to sensationalise without educating, then the venerable ABC did a fine job - for there were people from the Queensland Police on the programme who even talked about shutting down the internet altogether sometime in the future!

But as to the reason, for the most part, as to why the whole online world is dogged by these problems, the ABC stayed silent. As a public broadcaster, which lives off the public teat, one expects more.

The ABC isn't the only public broadcaster to display this kind of strange reluctance to deal with reaility - the BBC set a fine example some months ago.

The average individual on the street would have come away from viewing the ABC programme with the idea that he or she must avoid using computers and the internet altogether. If that was the intention behind the programme, then the ABC did a fine job.