How to Prepare for Nationwide Cyber Terror

 In early June 2021, millions woke to a massive internet blackout as countless websites across the world went completely dark, including Amazon, CNN, and even the U.K. government.

The source of the outage was traced back to U.S.-based content delivery company Fastly. In a statement to the press, a Fastly representative described the outage as a "global disruption."

Unfortunately, with Russia facing possible sanctions from the U.S. should the Russian military invade Ukraine, U.S. experts fear a cyberattack against our country in response.

According to Fox News, "A top cybersecurity official Saturday warned that the U.S. is 'already in a warfare state' with Russia and said it should prepare for cyberattacks coming out of Moscow."

In the same article, R.P. Eddy, CEO of cybersecurity firm Ergo, says, "What is Russia's next move? [Its] very likely to increase cyberattacks. It's an easy move for them. That means U.S. states and U.S. private companies need to be taking this very seriously."

Take a minute to reconsider the chaos in June 2021 when Fastly suffered an outage. Then, several major websites, including government websites, went down for several hours, hindering business, communication, and more.

A cyber attack from Russia has the potential to do much worse damage.

Fox News explains, "The cyber expert pointed to the 2017 NotPetya malware attack on critical Ukrainian sectors including power grids, businesses and government agencies. But what started out as a component of a suspected Russian attack on Ukraine spread throughout Europe and reportedly cost billions."

A Troubling Upward Spike

This threat comes in the wake of other high-profile breaches like the Colonial Pipeline and JBS cyberattacks that shut down oil and meat production across the country. While these have been the most widely publicized incidents, they're just two examples of the many attacks perpetrated over the past few months.

January 2021 saw more data breaches than the entirety of 2017 – a record that was quickly topped in March 2021, which some have called "the leakiest month we've ever seen."

And while most breached data services have managed to recover relatively quickly, many in the security community are concerned that it's only a matter of time until a cyber attack causes a significant catastrophe. As former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta put it, "the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack…as destructive as the terrorist attacks of 9/11."

Why Is This Happening? 

We're seeing such a massive spike in cyberattacks this year. There are several reasons why cyber criminals and countries are turning to cyberattacks for subversive purposes.

Covid

The pandemic opened the flood gates to cyber terror. Cybercriminals quickly seized the opportunity of the sudden remote workforce and seized new security vulnerabilities. For instance, LinkedIn turned into a cybercriminal hotspot. In April 2021, they suffered a massive data leak that affected 500 million users with personal information scraped from the site.

t's Surprisingly Easy

Groups create and sell software, so you don't have to be a tech expert to execute it. Or groups of IT criminals can hire their services out to the highest bidder.

The Terrorists Rapidly Outpacing Governments Defenses

Governments and the bureaucracies that make them up tend to be reactive to threats. We saw this after 9/11, and we're seeing it now. The U.S. government is just now starting to work defensively rather than reactively regarding cyber threats, such as ransomware. According to IoT World Today, "U.S. Department of Justice in April 2021 created a ransomware task force, after declaring 2020 the 'worst year ever for extortion-related cyberattacks."

Bad Actors Are Emboldened by Recent Success

A bad actor is essentially an entity or group that attempts to breach a computer's security system. Bad actors may be cyber criminals, government-sponsored espionage, or cyber terrorists. The problem is that one group of bad actors could successfully breach a system and cause chaos while another group is already on the way to generating a different type of disruption.

Deep Instinct explains, "[Bad] actors are successfully staying ahead of the curve by constantly reinventing themselves. Each new barrier placed in their way becomes a learning opportunity, forcing criminals to switch tactics and target companies with new attack methods and vehicles. It becomes a game of cat and mouse, but one where the cat keeps changing form, so the pursued mouse is never certain of what it is defending against."

Small Governments and Bad Actors Have a Big Leg Up

According to the CEO of Fire Eye, "And I don't know if you will get people to agree to rules on espionage because of the asymmetry where most countries can't beat us with tanks, can't beat us with airplanes. But in cyber, maybe that's where they can make investments and beat us."

With the use of the internet, social media, and propaganda, countries like Russia and China are already well on their way to gaining footholds in countries like America.

They employ 5th generation warfare tactics to instill fear and create chaos without citizens realizing it is happening until the damage is done.

How to Prepare Today for the Inevitable

When it comes to prepping, you can't just lump cyberattacks into one big disaster. An attack can take many forms, and you need to be prepared for each. Here are some examples of cyberterror events that could occur on a national scale:

Power

One of the most enormous sitting ducks is the fragile U.S. power grid, which the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says is increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. A major power outage of just a few hours would cost untold billions of dollars in damage. A few days without power would cost many American lives.

The Fallout: Look back to the Texas Power Grid Failure in 2021. KSAT reports, "Four minutes and 37 seconds. That's how close Texas came to a catastrophic power grid crash during February's winter storm that would have left more than 25 million people in the state without electricity and wiped out cell service for weeks." However, it did leave millions of people without power during extreme winter weather, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.

While this wasn't a cyberattack, it could very quickly happen in any other state during the hottest or coldest months of the year.

How to Prepare:

• Invest in solar power tools.
• Purchase alternative light sources.
• Stock up on storable food.
• Know how to make clean water without power. 

[Related Read: Surviving a Year-Long Blackout: Lessons from Puerto Rico & the USVI] 

Oil

On February 1, 2022, Reuters reported, "Shell said on Tuesday it was re-routing oil supplies to other depots following a cyberattack on two subsidiaries of German logistics firm Marquard & Bahls this week." We already know this can happen here. A single leaked password allowed the largest petroleum pipeline in the U.S. to be hacked in May 2021.

The Fallout: We saw a lot of this play out with the Colonial attack, but next time could be even worse. People waited for hours to get gas after the Colonial attack, and prices skyrocketed. This was simply a ransomware attack, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

How to Prepare:

• Always keep your gas tank at least half-full.
• Stock up on long-term emergency food.
• Familiarize yourself with different routes.

Food Chain

Our supply is vulnerable for many reasons, as Covid laid bare. We could not get food from other countries as we were accustomed to, and transportation of food within the U.S. was crippled. Not to mention the many choke points in the supply chain that can lead to mass disruption. If cyber terrorists attack one of the critical choke points, such as the Suez Canal, we would be up the creek without a paddle.

The Fallout: Look back to the pandemic to see how difficult it became to find meat and consider what would happen if cyber terrorists attacked a significant manufacturer or blocked a choke point in the supply chain.

How to Prepare:

• Stock up on long-term emergency food.
• Start a hobby farm.
• Grow your own food.
• Begin a seed collection.
• Learn to hunt, fish, and forage for food.

Attorney Question of the Month - Armed Citizen Legal Defense Network

                                                               

 

This month our Network President Marty Hayes has asked us to explore the legal responsibilities of parents who fail to secure guns that are subsequently used in tragedies like the Oxford High School killings and injuries. Of course, the laws vary a lot from state to state, as does how strictly laws on the books are enforced. With Affiliated Attorneys all across the United States, our Network members will significantly benefit from discussing how criminal liability is assigned to parents of minors in school shootings.

We asked our affiliated attorneys the following:–

In your jurisdiction, are there specific laws pertaining to keeping firearms secured and out of the reach of unauthorized persons such as a minor child?

 

Have you witnessed or been a part of any trial, pre-trial, or other hearing where a parent or an adult has been criminally charged for a minor’s access to and/or use of a dangerous weapon?

So many attorneys wrote in to share their thoughts that we ran the first half of their responses last month and wrap up this question now in our February edition.

John Chapman
Kelly & Chapman
PO Box 168, Portland, ME 04101
207-780-6500
thejohnwchapman@msn.com

Maine has long had its “endangering the welfare of a child” law recently updated. If a kid obtains a gun from you and threatens or hurts someone, you need to prove your way out (affirmative defence).

Here’s our new law. It describes a BUNCH of ways to secure guns so kids can’t get them, and if they D.O. (with an axe, for example), you are not guilty.

4. It is an affirmative defence to prosecution under subsection 1, paragraph B‑4 that:

A. The loaded firearm is:

(1) Stored in a locked box, locked gun safe or other secure, locked space;

(2) Stored or left in a location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure; or

(3) Secured with a trigger lock or similar device that prevents the firearm from discharging; [P.L. 2021, c. 388, §3 (NEW).]

B. The loaded firearm is carried on the person or within such close proximity that the person can readily retrieve and use the gun as if the weapon were taken on the person; [P.L. 2021, c. 388, §3 (NEW).]

C. A child who, in fact, gains access to the loaded firearm gains access to defend the child or a 3rd person under the circumstances enumerated in section 108, subsection 2, paragraph A or B; [PL 2021, c. 388, §3 (NEW).]

D. The person has no reasonable expectation, based on objective facts and circumstances, that a child is likely to be present on the premises where the person stores or leaves the loaded firearm; [P.L. 2021, c. 388, §3 (NEW).]

E. A child, in fact, gains access to the loaded firearm as the result of criminal trespass by any person on the premises where the gun is stored or left; or [P.L. 2021, c. 388, §3 (NEW).]

F. A child, in fact, gains access to the loaded firearm as the result of a theft of the firearm by any person from the premises where the firearm is stored or left.

So, there are lots of ways of complying with the law. Note that there are also prohibitions on providing gunpowder and ammunition, as well as “air rifles.”

 

Joel W. Ostrander
Law Offices of Joel W. Ostrander
617 Wesley Ave., Oak Park, Illinois 60304
708-421-7259
joel.w.ostrander@gmail.com

Illinois law is as follows:

Ҥ 720 ILCS 5/24-9. firearms; Child Protection

Sec. 24-9. firearms; Child Protection. a) Except as provided in subsection (c), it is unlawful for any person to store or leave, within premises under their control, a firearm if the person knows or has reason to believe that a minor under the age of 14 years who does not have a Firearm Owners Identification Card is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor’s parent, guardian, or person having charge of the minor, and the minor causes death or great bodily harm with the firearm, unless the firearm is:

(1) secured by a device or mechanism, other than the firearm safety, designed to render a firearm temporarily inoperable; or

(2) placed in a securely locked box or container; or

(3) placed in another location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure from a minor under 14 years.

“(b) Sentence. The person who violates this Section is guilty of a Class C misdemeanour and shall be fined not less than $1,000. The second or subsequent violation of this Section is a Class A misdemeanour.

(c) Subsection (a) does not apply:

(1) if the minor under 14 years of age gains access to a firearm and uses it in a lawful act of self-defence or defence of another; or

(2) to any firearm obtained by a minor under the age of 14 because of an unlawful entry of the premises by the minor or another person….”

Please note this statute only applies if there is “a minor under the age of 14 years who does not have a Firearm Owners Identification Card is likely to gain access to the firearm.” Illinois requires any resident to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) to purchase a firearm or ammunition. T’s a background check, and since the state requires an instant assessment at the time of a firearm purchase, it serves as partial gun registration. Un dealers call the Illinois State Police and submit the name, FOID number, and whether the gun is a long gun or handgun. Illinois State Police give either an approval number (written on the bill of sale), rejection or deferral pending further review.

There is no minimum age for a FOID, but applicants under 18 must have parental approval on the application. o in summation, this statute only applies:

1. o minors under the age of 14, and

2. o minors under the age of 14 without a FOID

I have not had any clients who were charged under this statute.

 

James “Mitch” Vilos
Attorney at Law, P.C.
P.O. Box 1148, Centerville, UT 84014
801-560-7117
https://mitchvilos.com

Are there specific laws about keeping firearms secured and out of the reach of unauthorized persons such as a minor child in your jurisdiction?

These Utah statutes relate to parents who have knowledge that their child or “violent child” has possession of “dangerous weapons.”

§ 76-10-509.7. arent or guardian knowing of minor’s possession of a dangerous weapon

Any parent or guardian of a minor who knows that the child has a dangerous weapon in violation of Section 76-10-509 or a firearm in violation of Section 76-10-509.4 and fails to make reasonable efforts to remove the dangerous weapon or firearm from the minor’s possession is guilty of a class B misdemeanour.

§ 76-10-509.6. arent or guardian providing a firearm to a violent minor

(1) A parent or guardian may not intentionally or knowingly provide a firearm to, or permit the possession of a firearm by, any minor who has been convicted of a violent felony as defined in Section 76-3-203.5 or any minor who has been adjudicated in juvenile court for an offence which would constitute a violent felony if the minor were an adult.

As Utah’s “gun-law” attorney, I am unaware of any criminal statute that explicitly creates criminal liability for failing to secure firearms. however, a person in Utah could conceivably be charged with manslaughter, a felony, for “recklessly causing the death of another.” Likewise, if their conduct was held to be criminally negligent (more than ordinary negligence), they could be charged with negligent homicide, a serious misdemeanour. However, civil liability could arise under Utah case law for reckless or careless conduct resulting in death or injury from leaving a firearm unsecured.  .g. Utah Supreme Court has held that giving a loaded handgun to a very drunk person who shot herself could give rise to a civil suit for negligence.

Have you witnessed or been a part of any trial, pre-trial, or other hearing where a parent or an adult has been criminally charged for a minor’s access to and/or use of a dangerous weapon?

No, but as explained above, it’s not inconceivable if the conduct is shocking enough to constitute criminal negligence or recklessness. y alter-ego, Pancho V., always says, “Don’t become the TEST CASE!!!!”

 

Thomas C. Watts III
Law Corporation
8175 Kaiser Boulevard Suite 100, Anaheim Hills, CA 92808
714-364-0100
https://tcwatts.com

You might have guessed that California has such laws.

25100 PC states that “a person commits the crime of criminal storage of a firearm…if all of the following conditions are satisfied: The person keeps any firearm within any premises under the person’s custody or control. the person knows or reasonably should know that a child is likely to gain access to the firearm without the permission of the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the child obtains access to the firearm and thereby causes death or great bodily injury to the child or any other person.”

Improper storage is a misdemeanour. N injury can put you in prison for three years.

Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution- Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network

 

Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution

By Myron Magnet

Encounter Books 2019-05

ISBN-13‏: 978-1641770521

$13.63 on Amazon.com 168 pages, hardcover; $12.95 eBook

Reviewed by Gila Hayes

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas's opinions on the gun-free school zone fight in United States v. Lopez. And whether the Second Amendment applies to laws passed by local and state governments in McDonald v. Chicago endears him to the hearts of armed citizens. The broader philosophical basis of his opinions explains why he is such a valuable supreme court member. Justice Thomas has a fine autobiography in print. Last month, I chose to read Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution. Thomas is "one heroically self-reliant man." Thomas' thought processes as seen through the lens of the many supreme court cases he has influenced.

Magnet explains the founding father's vision for the United States Supreme Court, writing about their fear of an all-powerful central government and the "delicate balance" of a government strong enough to, in the words of James Madison, "make people do their duty." The founding fathers, he later explained, were determined to prevent the tyranny that comes from the "concentration of the several powers in the same department." Hence, they gave specific and limited powers to the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches of the new government. While the three branches of government still exist, he fears they are being destroyed by "a vast administrative state" in which "unelected, purportedly expert, bureaucrats make binding rules like a legislature, carry them out like an executive, and interpret and enforce them like a judiciary, all without a hint of separation of powers or checks and balances."

Against this rather bleak setting, Magnet introduces Clarence Thomas, who has written, "The reason I became a lawyer was to make sure that individuals who did not have access to this society, gained access." His story starts in the segregated South in the 1950s, where his self-made grandfather raised Clarence Thomas and his brother like his own sons. Reaching adulthood during the civil unrest of the late 1960s and early 70s, Thomas realized he could live in resentment and anger but abandoned it after seeing radicalism from the inside.

Thomas led Reagan's federal civil rights division for the education department and later headed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission despite his dislike for affirmative action. His focus was on protecting the individual, not classes or races. Actions in favour of one group inevitably harm another as he observed, "group favouritism violates the constitution, 'which says you are to protect an individual's rights no matter what.'"

Upon joining the USSC in late 1991, Thomas ran up against constitutional interpretations that were "a far cry" from the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Magnet expounds on the history of the court's departure from strict constitutionalism, detailing the failures of post-civil war reconstruction and the court's 1873 Slaughter-House cases, Cruikshank three years later 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson, all setting monstrous precedents.

Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution is not exclusively about race and supreme court decisions, although several of Thomas's most important opinions address affirmative action. He also decries the all-powerful bureaucracy of unelected agency heads. Magnet asserts that the supreme court has forwarded the work of Woodrow Wilson, who urged, "The period of constitution-making is passed now. We have reached a new territory in which we need new guides, the vast territory of administration." Franklin D. Roosevelt carried the idea of powerful administrative agencies to fruition.

Later in the book, Magnet quotes, "The New Deal, Thomas argues, marked an inflection point in government's subversion of personal responsibility. FDR's promise of freedom from want, in particular, redefined freedom from 'a right to self-provision and self-determination' to 'a right to make demands on government and society for one's well-being and happiness,' for housing, a minimum income, and other such benefits."

Congress also bears responsibility Magnet continues, explaining that, "The constitution lodges all legislative power in congress, which therefore cannot delegate its lawmaking function elsewhere," to say nothing of empowering those independent agencies with legally-binding rulemaking, and agency-level tribunals with administrative judges acting like "real judges" (also in violation of the constitution) enforcing agency policy and overseen by the agency head. "Worst of all, the regulatory agencies may presume anyone they charge to be guilty unless he proves his innocence, and he has but limited standing and scope to appeal the agency's decision to a real court," MagnMagnettes, adding later, "Part of America's current predicament" is a "permanent, unelected" government that is "unanswerable to the people."

In the name of desegregation, magnMagnetlines supreme court decisions that also greatly exceeded the power assigned to the court by the constitution. "Busing, affirmative action, and abortion are but the three most glaring areas in which the justices have made law from the bench, with no constitutional license to do so," he writes. Compounding the errors, courts are loath to return decisions that disagree with earlier courts' decisions. According to Thomas, however, the justices "are obligated to think things through constantly, to re-examine ourselves, to go back over turf we've already plowed, to torment yourself to make sure you're right."

Magnet cites Thomas's work on McDonald v. Chicago as "a textbook demonstration of his method of judging. Here, with his characteristic skepticism toward stare decisis, he utterly repudiates the US Supreme Court's most tragically wrong and history-changing decisions of them all, the Slaughter-House Cases and the United States v. Cruikshank."

"The right to keep arms is fundamental to our nation's particular scheme of ordered liberty and system of justice, the court ruled, and therefore, through the venerable doctrine of 'substantive due process,' which holds that the fourteenth amendment's due process clause goes beyond procedural safeguards and makes some rights so basic that no state can withdraw them, both the second and fourteenth amendments prohibit Chicago from banning residents from keeping handguns in their homes." While Thomas in his concurrence was strongly supportive of the McDonald victory, MagnMagnetlains that his opinion was that the court should instead "straightforwardly to apply the fourteenth amendment's privileges or immunities clause as its framers meant it to be understood."

Thomas is particularly critical of the "rights revolution," through which authority figures ranging from teachers to police officers cannot prevent disruptive or destructive behaviour. This is the worst of judge-made law, Thomas exclaims. It subverts law enforcement by expanding "reasonable" expectations of privacy rights to free expression. It sends a message to lawbreakers and model citizens that there is no benefit to complying with the rules. Through sweeping decisions restricting policing, schools and civic organizations, local communities are denied self-government by activist courts.

Thomas is unusual as "a certain kind of character to be capable of, and to cherish, the liberty that the constitution protects," MagnMagnettes. Despite venomous opposition by civil rights leaders, Thomas insisted on "my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as though I was an intellectual slave because I'm black...I will not be consigned the unquestioned opinions of others," Magnet quotes, adding that he finds in Thomas's words an echo of founding father James Madison, quoted as crying out against "making laws for the human mind."

Thomas's belief that with freedom comes responsibility for "the use he makes of his liberty and the consequences of his pursuit of happiness" is always present in his concurrences and dissents, which explains why many in the civil rights movement hate him. While Thomas has publicly acknowledged his identity as "a man, a black man, an American," MagnMagnetntifies him as "the independent citizen who thinks for himself, does for himself, relies on himself, and, not incidentally, fights for the right of others to enjoy the same liberties."

Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution is not a long book written for lay readers. Nonetheless, I found reading demanding, challenging me to pay close attention. Magnet puts a lot of effort into explaining the background of USSC cases and underlying issues. Sometimes, reading a few pages now and a few pages later as time allowed, I had difficulty separating MagnMagnet'skground detail from Thomas's words from speeches, interviews, concurrences or dissents.

I learned a lot from the history of our US Supreme Court fights over free speech, property rights, abortion, and state rights. I especially appreciated quotes detailed with summations from Thomas's own writings. I have been guilty, I think, of celebrating favourable court decisions won through any reasoning. I now have a new appreciation for Justice Thomas's insistence on doing right in the right way.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What It Is and How to Prepare

                                                                   

 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What It Is and How to Prepare

In school, you studied the Industrial Revolution. But did you research the Second or Third ones? Are you aware that we are currently going through the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Since the first Industrial Revolution, humanity has strived to improve through new technologies. Now is no different.

However, today’s technologies radically affect every facet of our lives – in good and not-so-good ways.

During the 2021 South by Southwest tech conference in Austin, Texas, billionaire Elon Musk told the crowd, “Mark my words, AI (artificial intelligence) is far more dangerous than nukes. […] I am really quite close to the cutting edge in AI, and it scares the hell out of me. […] It’s capable of vastly more than almost anyone knows, and the rate of improvement is exponential.”

According to BuiltIn, Stephen Hawking said something very similar a year prior. In his words, “Unless we learn how to prepare for and avoid the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization.”

As long as human beings live and breathe, we will continuously improve life. That’s not a bad thing – as long as we prepare for the risks these changes will bring.

Defining the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” was coined by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, in 2015.

Britannica explains, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution heralds a series of social, political, cultural, and economic upheavals that will unfold over the 21st century. […] The Fourth Industrial Revolution’s technologies, such as artificial intelligence, genome editing, augmented reality, robotics, and 3-D printing, rapidly change the way humans create, exchange, and distribute value. As occurred in the previous revolutions, this will profoundly transform institutions, industries, and individuals.”

Essentially, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a conglomeration of all the internet-based tools we use in everyday life and the workforce. It is everything from automating data systems to using Siri on a smartwatch to 3D printing organs to using digital currency to playing virtual reality games in your living room.

The History of the Industrial Revolution

The First Industrial Revolution lasted from roughly 1760 – to 1830. It began with the introduction of mechanization for production. It also introduced steam and water power.

The Second Industrial Revolution lasted from 1870 – to 1914 and introduced new sources of energy: electricity, gas, and oil. It also brought about mass production. Additionally, this revolution brought about automobiles, planes, and communication tools such as the telephone.

The Third Industrial Revolution – also referred to as the Digital Revolution – started around the mid-1900s with the emergence of computers and digital technology and the creation of the internet. The use of electronics and information technology led to automated production.

That brings us to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, built on technologies from the Third Revolution.

Driving Forces of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution builds upon the automated production of the Third Industrial Revolution and the Digital Age.

In his book The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Klaus Schwab writes, “It began at the turn of this century and built on the digital revolution. It is characterized by a much more ubiquitous and mobile Internet, by smaller and more powerful sensors that have become cheaper, and by artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

An innovation (or innovations) has powered every industrial revolution. In the First Industrial Revolution, it was steam power. Today, it is the Internet of Things (IoT).

Trailhead explains, “In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we’ve got new innovations pushing us forward, in the form of the cloud, social, mobile, IoT, and AI. Pair those with higher computing power and big data, and here comes the next industrial revolution.”

The Good That Can Come from the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Like the previous industrial revolutions, many good will come from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The World Economic Forum suggests, “Like the revolutions that preceded it, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life for populations around the world. To date, those who have gained the most from it have been consumers able to afford and access the digital world; technology has made possible new products and services that increase the efficiency and pleasure of our personal lives. Ordering a cab, booking a flight, buying a product, making a payment, listening to music, watching a film, or playing a game—any of these can now be done remotely.”

Here are a few more examples of the good that will come.

More efficient and productive: As technology advances, many processes can be completed significantly less time. This means people and industries are more efficient and effective.

More free time: As new technology makes specific tasks more efficient, it frees up the time humans would have spent working on jobs like automating payroll.

Better assessments: With advanced technology, scientists and doctors perform less intrusive and more effective checks. In addition to new AI and robotics, data mining to find comparative results will make it easier and faster to get results for patients.

Convenience: One of the ways society will recognize the positive effects of this revolution is through convenience. The ability to turn your lights on and off while you are away from home and have television shows recommended to you based on your previous viewing experience are examples of modern-day convenience.

Warning: The Not-So-Good That Can Come with the Fourth Industrial Revolution

While there is plenty of good to be expected in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is wise to consider the potential for the not-so-good.

There has always been pushback against new ideas, specifically those threatening people’s livelihoods.

For example, during the First Industrial Revolution, according to The History Channel, “The ‘Luddites’ emerged as a violent force against changes in the textile industry. Raids on textile workshops became a nearly nightly occurrence in Nottingham since a labour uprising by highly skilled textile artisans began in November 1811.”

The textile artisans were hurt and angered that their livelihoods were threatened by machinery. As a result, they rioted.

History tends to repeat itself, so we should not be surprised if similar social unrest occurred during the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The most acknowledged negative effect of this revolution is the potential for mass job loss due to human beings being replaced by automation and AI.

According to the World Economic Forum, “By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. Roles in areas such as data entry, accounting and administrative support are decreasing in demand as automation and digitization in the workplace increases.” Disrupt can be interpreted as job loss.

As a result, many experts believe the Fourth Industrial Revolution will widen the gap and result in even more inequality between the rich and poor.

This increasing inequality could result in social unrest, similar to the Luddites of the First Industrial Revolution.

In addition to personal security fears due to social unrest, people will also have security fears due to cyber hacking and confidential data being shared without their consent.

According to Research.com, “Schwab predicts that issues involving loss of control over personal data will only intensify as the Fourth Industrial Revolution continues.”

How to Prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is therefore not a prediction of the future but a call to action,” according to Britannica.

This is your call to action to prepare for significant changes.

Be Aware, Stay Alert. The best way to prepare is to stay aware. Take notice of how the Internet of Things is changing things around you. How much are you using IoT? What data are you providing to AI?

Prepare to Be a Lifelong Learner. Multiple experts believe that the best way to ensure you keep a job in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is to prove you are a willing lifelong learner. Technology changes quickly, and you must be willing and able to learn and adapt.

Learn new skills to do a different job if your job becomes obsolete. The trades are difficult for AI to replicate – plumbers, electricians, snowplow drivers, construction workers, first responders, and the list goes on and on.

Build upon the skills you already have and learn new skills relating to your strengths. Are you applying those strengths to your community and those immediately around you?

Make Yourself Invaluable. If you don’t want to lose your job to a machine, you have to show your employer why you are more valuable than a machine. What can you do that a machine can’t do? Are you creative or a critical thinker? Can you take data and break it down into a way people (not computers) can understand?

Use Safe Cyber Practices. Make safe choices when using the internet. See How to Protect Your Digital Privacy – Including Your Address.

Recognize this as a call to action, friends. Change is happening faster than ever. Stay alert and prepared.

A knife + 4 men + home invasion Jason Hanson - Black Bag Confidential

                                                                

You know I believe that the best weapon to protect yourself is a gun…   If someone is trying to smash through my front door in the middle of the night, I want a pistol, shotgun, or AR-15.   But sometimes, home invasions happen so fast that you can’t get to your gun.   Maybe the home invasion takes place in the evening when you’re in the kitchen, and all you can grab is a knife.   That’s certainly better than nothing, and it saved the man in the following story…   One morning, he was at home when multiple men broke into his house – 4 criminals in all.   All he had was a knife, so he started stabbing like crazy to defend himself.   One of the intruders had a sawed-off shotgun that the man could wrestle away from him.   The man then fled his own house with the shotgun in hand and called the police from a neighbour’s house.   One of the intruders died from the stab wounds, and the homeowner was okay.   Now, 4 against 1 is definitely not a position anyone wants to find themselves in.   But criminals travel in packs (birds of a feather), and my home invasion plans always assume there will be multiple intruders.   This is why my gun holds more than 18 rounds and is not a single-shot and why I have a spare magazine with it.   This is why I have rapid-access safes (with a gun inside) throughout my house.   This is why I use Speer Gold Dot hollow point ammo because I want the best ammo in my gun to stop multiple threats.   This is why I also have knives stashed throughout the house, just in case. (Those magnetic strips and gun magnets work fantastically to hold your utensils.)   So, as you’re taking a look at your home defence plans…   Make sure you’re prepared for 3 or 4 intruders, and you’re not relying on a one-shot Derringer.   And don’t forget to stash knives around like this deadly beauty here.   With many desperate people today, you don’t want to take any chances that you won’t be able to defend yourself, no matter who busts through your door.

Stay safe,   Jason Hanson   Former CIA Officer   Editor, Spy & Survival Briefing   Editor, Black Bag Confidential