How to Deal With Some Cyber Issues: essay for you in the New Year

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To All Newbies (and Oldbies, too):

A DISCOURSE ON AGENT PROVOCATEURS

and

HOW TO DEAL WITH SOME CYBER ISSUES

January 1, 2002 written by Nina Silver, Ph.D.

feel free to copy and post

Why This Essay?

This brief essay was inspired by two separate sets of circumstances. The

first was a recent onslaught of vicious messages written to various holistic

health lists by one person under the guise of several different people. (We

know it was the same person because one clever computer whiz tracked down

the addresses to their common source. Although we are not sure of this

message writer's gender, it is believed to be male; so for the sake of

consistency I shall say " he. " ) His messages were overtly vicious and

nasty-obviously penned to sow conflict, doubt and confusion about the

various health modalities that were being discussed, rather than to raise

legitimate and serious questions about the modalities because he was open to

learning. The second circumstance was a rather nasty message sent to a list

to which I don't even belong, whose writer signed my name to the message.

This essay is intended to provide clarity to some of the breaches of

etiquette that sometimes occur on the Internet.

Challenges of Cyberspace

Cyberspace provides a wonderful opportunity to network with other folks and

discover new ways of thinking and being. But there is a down side, too: in

many cases, it's impossible to know who we are dealing with. The Internet

user must trust that people are who they say they are-and what's to prevent

anyone from lying?

For a long time, " plants " or " agent provocateurs " have infiltrated various

groups for the purposes of collecting information, unnoticed. Provocateurs

also infiltrate to cause discord through personal attacks unrelated to the

stated purpose of the group. Finally, such people attempt to sabotage the

group through harshly worded challenges that appear to be related to the

material, but on closer examination are nothing more than thinly disguised

offensives. Innovative social and political organizations are very familiar

with this practice, and have dealt with agent provocateurs for years.

Why Cyberspace Sabotage

People innocently searching the Internet for answers and information may not

realize that sabotage can also occur in health circles, and on the Internet.

There are many reasons for this. Sometimes that reason is money. If you take

your health into your own hands and in many cases reduce your dependence on

doctors and poisonous drugs, the medical-pharmaceutical establishment will

lose money. (I want to make it clear, however, that in no way do I accuse

all doctors of being greedy or all drugs of hurting people. I personally

know some wonderful doctors who administer useful allopathic drugs in a

responsible and caring manner.) It is also much easier to brainwash people

who unquestioningly follow what they have been taught by the dominant

paradigm, than brainwash people who think for themselves. In addition,

sometimes individuals unaffiliated with larger groups, who feel hurt and

have no way to appropriately express their anger, target people and/or

groups in cyberspace for the venting of what now has become rage.

Whether the infiltration practices are well organized-suggesting that their

source and funding are industry, an established group, or government agency

that has a lot to gain through instilling doubt and discord-or whether the

infiltration is the work of a disgruntled and hurt individual who is

unaffiliated with a larger group-the result is the same: the instillation of

mistrust, doubt, and even fear in people who only wish to network with

others and expand the parameters of what they have been taught.

How People Sabotage Cyberspace

In cyberspace, there are many ways to sow discord. One way is through

hacking into websites, which requires considerable computer expertise.

Another, more common method is for a provocateur to continually attack ideas

on a list. There is nothing to prevent the provocateur from consecutively

signing up under a different name and address once the list owner bans him

or her. One way to deal with this abuse is for the list owner to moderate

the list-that is, personally oversee every single message before it is

allowed to be publicly posted. A provocateur can also attack individuals by

trying to ruin their reputation. It is very easy for anyone to sign up to a

list under any address and sign any name to their messages. Thus, anyone can

write nasty messages and pretend they are you by signing your name to their

messages. In a large enough circle, this is called " discrediting " someone.

In cyberspace, people who constantly display this and other types of

inappropriate behavior (and are usually kicked off lists as a result) are

called " trolls " -but to me, this word does not register the full intent of

the person. I think " provocateur " is an excellent description.

How to Deal with Cyber Attacks

In two-dimensional cyberspace, what might be a minor or insignificant act in

" real life " can assume exaggerated importance, since words on a page are

conveying *everything* about that person. You don't have the added benefit

of seeing someone's facial expression and body language or hearing their

tone of voice. This is why we must ask lots of questions if we see that

someone has committed an inappropriate act. Is this inappropriate act an

occasional occurrence? Perhaps the person woke up on the wrong side of the

bed with a headache that morning. Or does the person's behavior seem like a

general trend? What are the person's other messages like? And, a very

important question: did the person actually implement those acts? In

cyberspace, it's much harder to tell than in non-cyberspace. Finally, I like

to remember that even ill-intended people can, and do, change for the

better. Each situation is different, and flexibility helps us deal with

different people as the need arises.

Although the following suggestions are made with newbies in mind, I also try

to remember these guidelines myself:

* Continue to freely explore new ideas and ways of helping yourselves and

others.

* Use your discernment-consider the source of the information you receive.

Even if what you read is from a trusted source, try to evaluate that

information for yourself, or find someone who can help you evaluate it.

* Since it can be difficult to evaluate the vast overload of information

that is now available on the Internet, ask questions before jumping to

conclusions. This, after all, is basic scientific inquiry.

* This is truly an era of learning to empower ourselves with knowledge that

we feel is right for us. Share your ideas respectfully with others.

Thank You, Everyone

I am sincere when I say that it has been a privilege to get to know many of

the wonderful people on the lists I have joined. Being a member of a list is

a privilege; I appreciate the hard work required of a moderator to make

sure that a list is run smoothly. Let us all try to work together and put

our differences aside in this time of many challenges.

My best to you all.

May everyone enjoy increased health, wisdom, and an inner sense of serenity

this brand new year.

Nina Silver, Ph.D.