Byte Marks
Post-Sept. 11 Net hoaxes proliferating

By Burt Lum

Caution is blowing in the wind. As much as we would all like to see life get back to normal, let's face it, this is the new norm. Six months, ago the world was evolving into a borderless village. With the attacks of Sept. 11, the threat of anthrax and the war in Afghanistan, the walls shot right back up. They're even higher than before.

The Internet still holds out hope that we can connect with others beyond our borders. E-mail and the Web know no boundaries, at least in those countries that support free speech. As a free-speech supporter, I am all for getting various viewpoints expressed, but I start to wonder when people propagate misinformation that generates more fear and apprehension.

Since Sept. 11, there have been a number of e-mails that prey on these uncertain times. Shortly after the attacks in New York and Washington D.C., many of us received a Nostradamus e-mail that contained a quatrain supposedly foretelling the tragedies. Troubled as we were after the attacks, the e-mail gave a sense of solace in how it was told in prophecy. Yes, in times of great sorrow, people seek answers and Nostradamus provides an answer, though this case quickly was proved to be a hoax.

The bombing of Afghanistan increased fears of terrorist retaliation. E-mails now circulating predict more domestic attacks. These are done in typical hoaxster fashion. The latest one to reach my inbox is by a woman who supposedly has a girlfriend who dated an Afghan. Before disappearing shortly before Sept. 11, he left a message for her to not travel by air and not to go to malls on Oct. 30. You can imagine the stir this created. It too, is a hoax.

In times like these, it never hurts to be a little cautious, but paranoia I can do without. I would hate to see federal security agencies going after the Internet. ;-)

Burt Lum, cyber-citizen and self-anointed tour guide to the Internet, is a click away at burt@brouhaha.net.