National security
Ransomware hackers stopped control of the Colonial Pipeline, the United States’ largest fuel pipeline, and severely disrupted transportation on the East Coast (Tribune-Herald, May 13).
With all the cries for increased cybersecurity on pipelines and other critical infrastructure, one wonders why the computer control functions on them are open to the internet. Before the internet existed, computerized control of energy, manufacturing and all manner of industry was well-developed.
With continuous connection to the internet, increasingly sophisticated computer security measures simply compete against increasingly sophisticated hacker cyberattacks. If the computers were disconnected from the internet, protection would not be absolute. Software upgrades would have to be installed using solid state devices, and a cyberenemy could potentially compromise these.
For example, in 2010, Iranian nuclear centrifuges were destroyed reportedly by Israel and the CIA using a computer virus delivered on a USB flash drive. Nevertheless, it is so much more difficult for hackers to disrupt critical electronic control systems isolated from the internet.
Why must everything be connected to the internet? You already know the answer if you have personal computers.
The technology companies want to send you advertising, they want to acquire your activity data and your purchase preferences, and they design our computer systems with planned obsolescence to maintain a fast computer purchase cycle.
For this, we tolerate a severe and continuing compromise of national security.
William Mautz
Kurtistown
Good cops, bad cops
I would like to respond to the letter by Renee D. Godoy (Tribune-Herald, May 14).
First, I would point out that the people who claim to “back the blue” already proved on Jan. 6 they view police as a political tool.
These “patriots” support bad cops. They attack good cops.
If bad cops carry out their personal ideology, which is to harm people of color, then they back those officers.
If good cops protect America, then these same people will happily attack those police officers, like the “patriots” on Jan. 6.
Demonstrators in America are not against police officers. Demonstrators in America are against bad cops.
The way to understand this is to understand police officers are people. Some people are good, some people are bad.
Good cops protect and serve. Bad cops provoke and escalate a minor issue into something worse. Good cops deescalate a situation so that the outcome is good.
When bad cops are protected by bad people, then they are being enabled to continue to do bad things.
It’s sad when some people are unable to see past their own personal ideology and see reality. The reality in America is that every police force has bad cops on it. Look the other way, and they will continue to harm, instead of protect and serve.
You don’t see daily articles in other countries about cops beating and killing their own citizens, except for places such as Russia and the Middle East.
Dennis Chaquette
Keaau
