Brian L alford

Shadows In The Ether Brian L alford

Shadows in the Ether is a cautionary tale of how technology can be exploited to do harm. It explores the problem of hacking and social media exploitation told through those that have been affected.
The Chinese have infested the Internet with the aim of disrupting the West. This is first discovered by uncovering the exploitation by criminal gangs who have coat tailed on the back of the sabotage. Whether this is with the support of the Chinese government is not clear. Perhaps they have let loose a demon they cannot control.
As part of a gambling scheme Chinese gangs are exploiting the Internet to persuade young girls to take their lives. Odds are placed on how and when they do this. The girls believe they are taking part in an extensive suicide pact with sympathetic soul mates and are persuaded to show their act live believing others would do the same.
The biggest selling security software run on hundred of millions of computers and phones has been hacked. This enables the gang to spoof social media conversations and befriend its victims. In the US the vendor of the product is sent into panic and moves to try to recover their damaged position.
Eventually the mechanism the gang uses is destroyed and they are put out of business....or are they? They will move on and find new ways to commit crime. The Internet provides a platform that allows rapid change. At this point the very nature of the Internet is questioned. If it can allow so much evil to thrive do its benefits outweigh its evil side? Why must progress allow evil to thrive?
Ether is a reference to ancient science that believed that sound was transmitted by an invisible ether in the air. Shadow is a reference to the underworld. In the 21st century the shadow of the underworld plays in the new ether that is the Internet.