Cleland: America’s getting worse – here’s how to fix it - Boston Herald

How tin truthful galore things beryllium going incorrect successful America astatine the aforesaid time?  Only 1 cause-effect dynamic is arsenic universal, and clip and exertion are coincident. That cause-effect is the 1990’s net “unaccountability” argumentation and its outcomes.

It causes worsening due to the fact that approved anarchy online empowers atrocious actors with impunity. It’s wide due to the fact that everyone uses the net for everything, everywhere, for life, enactment and play. It’s lasting, fixed that 5 administrations, 13 Congresses and 17 Supreme Court justices person neglected to support radical from online harms and crimes since 1996.

America’s approved anarchy online has worsened the nationalist outcomes of each six purposes of the U.S. Constitution: “… form a much cleanable Union, found Justice, insure home Tranquility, supply for the communal defence, beforehand the wide Welfare, and unafraid the Blessings of Liberty …”

America has go little united, just, peaceful, secure, flourishing and blessed since the 1996 U.S. net unaccountability argumentation imposition without the consent of the governed.

Less united: Social media progressively polarizes Americans.  From 2000 to 2020, Republican and Democratic partisanship has skyrocketed 160%, according to Pew Research.

Less just: There is nary justness online due to the fact that determination are nary rule-of-law rights oregon entree to justness online. Approved anarchy online regresses America to primitivism, wherever radical and minors are defenseless prey for predators.  Cybercrime is retired of control. Only 0.3% are prosecuted.

Less peaceful: Social media facilitated an unpeaceful transportation of powerfulness successful America. Algorithms beforehand “anger” 5 times much than “likes.” Social media fame has incited a 300% summation successful U.S. wide shootings from 33 from 1982 to 2002 to 100 from 2002 to 2022, according to  Statista.

Less Secure: Most Americans are victims of cyberattacks, cyberbullying oregon cybercrime.  Surrendering sovereignty online immunodeficiency and abets our adversaries — China, Russia and cyber criminals — with impunity.  China has hacked and stolen many of America’s astir invaluable secrets. Russia disrupts America with impunity via ransomware, cybercrime and interference.

Less Flourishing: Offline, a idiosyncratic is simply a surviving quality being with humanity and rights; online, a idiosyncratic is simply a non-living thing, a merchandise oregon information without humanity oregon rights. Social media is causing teen slump and suicides. Last year, 100,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl poisoning due to the fact that 97% of pharmacies online are illegal.  From 2000 to 2020, U.S. gross home product’s mean yearly maturation complaint halved compared to 1960 to 2000.  The 1996 communications instrumentality to beforehand contention implicit monopoly has perversely promoted overmuch much monopolization.

Less Blessed: There is nary liberty, equality oregon justness successful anarchy. Internet unaccountability argumentation rejects the Golden Rule of “treat others arsenic you privation to beryllium treated” that astir religions and ethical traditions judge successful immoderate form.  It has been replaced with a Rotten Rule of “do what you privation to others.” This approved amorality demoralizes.  From 2000 to 2020, U.S. big religion rank fell 33%, from 70% from 1940 to 2000 to 47% successful 2020, according to Gallup.

Knowing the origin of America’s chaos is knowing the cure for America’s chaos. The solution is restoring law authorization implicit the net successful U.S. policy.  That means: Same rules and rights offline and online. Equal extortion nether the law.  Illegal offline, amerciable online.

Scott Cleland is enforcement manager of the Restore Us Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit that educates the nationalist astir net accountability problems and solutions/InsideSources