A computer hacker is comparable to a driver who weaves back and forth across all the lanes, blocking traffic from proceeding. Immature people seem to get a heady feeling of power from preventing normal activity whether it is driving down the road or accessing popular Web sites. Eventually, authorities catch those characters and do us all a favor by removing them from the highway. One of the founders of this nation once stated that a civilized society depends on self-control exhibited by everyone in the society. That holds true even in the Internet Age.
Online anonymity seems to be seductive to some people.
The functioning of the information highway depends on the self-control of everyone at a keyboard. It s time for the kiddy hackers to grow up. Powell is the Agriculture Department s Internet and intranet Webmaster.