We’re finally past Moore’s law. Gordon Moore claimed,
decades long ago, that the number of transistors which could be placed on a
microchip doubled every eighteen months, and because of that, the life cycle of
a tech product was eighteen months before a replacement with improved tech was
practical.
But, technologists discovered that the S-curves of new
product replacements were each built on top of the previous product’s S-curve,
making the life cycle for a practical replacement less and less. This placed a
severe impact on product testing cycles. From a one-year testing cycle several
decades ago, tech products have gone to nearly no testing cycle now, with the
only exceptions being the FDA and the cycles for operating systems like
Microsoft Windows. Most tech products are now tested by customers, after
purchase.
With no testing cycle, “zero-day” flaws have become more
common. A program that you bought might now sit in your computer, and contain
bugs that make it easy for a hacker to exploit. If you install it, soon, your
bank account might get hacked, and your identity might be stolen. As you sit
and wonder what has happened, the IRS sends you a letter requesting you return
the refund they claim they sent you… but you never received. Suddenly, your
home is set for auction. Banks want you to repay credit cards you never applied
for or received.
Over a hundred-fifty million Americans have had their
identities compromised. Almost all of us are unaware of their “problem.” The
hospitals, banks, stores, utilities and other companies that permitted the identity
thefts might not have even reported the problem. As a consumer, you have little
recourse.
Technologies that might have prevented the thefts are often left
unimplemented, because they cost too much, need their own testing cycle, or
require personnel the company no longer employs.
In the United States, our own government is pro-business,
anti-consumer. The people we elect to represent us have little interest in what
happens to us; after all, only our votes count. Since crypto that might help us
has been deemed to be able protect terrorists, I believe our representatives
have been more responsive to intelligence agency requests to “back door” our
computer products, even though this makes us easier targets for hackers.
Technologies will continue to evolve and become more
complex. Corporations will continue to squeeze all the cash they can from the
development cycles of their products.
In order to remain safe, it’s incumbent on us, the
consumers, to find ways to protect ourselves. Remember, caveat emptor! Buyer
beware!
