“And These are the People in Your Neighborhood . . .”
As much focus as cyber crime gets in the press these days - from e-mail scams to identity thefts - it is also important to note that technology has not just helped criminals, it has also hurt them.
As more and more databases of information go online, it is becoming increasingly difficult to escape your past. Before the 1990’s, if you committed some little offense somewhere in your youth, you could safely forget about it and no one would ever find out (unless you do something big like run for president (oWi) or governor of Indiana (My Stoner-Dude Mitch)).
Now, any minor thing is permanently embalmed in the electric world, ready for anyone to locate and terrorize you with.
No one knows this better than the sex offenders. Bearing that label means everyone hates you, and even when you’ve “paid your debt to society,” you will be singled out, watched, and harassed. Online sex offenders lists have contributed greatly to this.
Today, the News-Sentinel announces their own: www.news-sentinel.com.
