MALWARE:Malicious computer software that interferes with normal computer functions or sends personal data... to unauthorized parties over the Internet

My laptop took a dive on me last week. Right in the middle of writing an important piece everything froze, including my heartbeats. I'm not very good at computer repair and depend a lot on my friend Joe, whose business, Geek Network, responds at a moment's notice. He is amazing.

I called Joe and within five minutes he had identified the problem and had me back at work on my writing. He told me that I had a malware problem. We downloaded a new piece of software and off I went on my piece.

Malware, I am told is a malicious entity. That really ticks me off. It means that someone, someplace in the world, has introduced a disabling mechanism into my computer just for the fun of it. That person gets nothing out of it other than the pleasure of knowing that I have been disabled by his/her invasion of my private laptop. That is sick.

I've been thinking about malware all week. I can't begin to understand the technology of it, but the concept is clear. Obviously, some people get pleasure out of disrupting things. Get where I'm going?

You're right. I'm thinking about political malware. I don't know if there is such a term, but I'll risk that for the sake of this blog posting. Political malware is material introduced into the political process for no other purpose than to disrupt the flow of governance. It can take numerous forms:

* Gossip about a person in government which is untrue, but juicy.
* Frivolous amendments to serious legislation.
* Filibustering over a minor disagreement with legislation.
* Inappropriate ideological objections.

This isn't a complete list, but you get the point. Political malware may be introduced by a nasty legislator, but it is encouraged and promoted by talk radio and TV which incites the public and promotes ignorance at the expense of progress. Add to that the expansive use of personal communication tools like Facebook and Twitter and you have a combination that potentially can do serious damage. The legislator or talk show commentator can claim that the source is anonymous, out there in the public, unable to be identified, thus protecting his/her back.

As with computer malware I have to wonder what motivates the use of political malware. I suspect it is a striving for power, in this case the power to destroy. As I said earlier...that is sick.



Definition:The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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