COMMAERNTTARY
FACING PASSWORD FEARS
By Dick Crippen
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 139
Words do a lot of things.
Some words strike
fear into people, while
others bring laughter.
There are words that are sad and
words that are happy. There are also
words that tear down and hurt
people, while other words build up
and encourage them. Words should
not be spoken or written lightly, as they can generate emotions
and feelings in others that can be harmful. Words can be
dangerous and inflammatory when spoken in anger, and
especially when done without thought.
A word that upsets me and strikes fear into the hearts and
minds of many is “password.” Passwords have become a way
of life for using a computer, mobile device or streaming shows
on your television. We are told to protect them and keep them
secure. That would be easy to do if I could remember them all. I
even tried keeping a list, but there were so many cross-outs and
inked-in areas that I found it hard to tell which one I was trying
to read. This put me in fear of being “locked out.”
I get frustrated when I have tried so many times that a system
locks me out. I am sure that I got it right, so it is obvious to me
that the system got it wrong. So I blame the system when I get
to the company’s help line. It is a very humbling experience, as a
young happy voice tells me that he or she will solve my problem.
After roughly half an hour later, I find myself back into the site
I was trying to get to in the first place with a new password to
add to the collection.
You may not believe this, but
Skype was actually invented in
Estonia. I mention this because
once Estonia left Russia’s control,
it started from scratch and went
digital, and Microsoft ended up
buying Skype in 2011 for $8.5
billion.
If passwords scare you, think about this: in Estonia, when a
child is born, the child is assigned a unique 11-digit number.
That number serves as one’s digital identification from that day
forward. Estonians can sign a contract, vote and do any other
task you can think of by using their number. Medical records,
taxes and other data are digital. It is a mobile phone country.
I am sure at this point you may be thinking about George
Orwell’s big brother in 1984. Estonia is not fearful of that occurring,
but whether there is any validity to Orwell’s thinking, they have
something called a “block chain” in which they have complete
faith. So if the word “password” disturbs you, the phrase “block
chain” may well put you over the edge.
However, before you go over the edge, do one thing for me…
Change your password! 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick Crippen, a staple in Tampa Bay broadcasting
for more than 40 years, is a senior adviser for the Tampa Bay Rays,
and works extensively with the military. He is active in the world of
charity fundraising and sits on 11 boards for nonprofit organizations.
Dick Crippen