(this page is part of the Family Guide to Digital Freedom, 2007 edition. Please do read that introduction to know more about the Guide, especially if you mean to comment this page. Thanks)

All the Digital Dangers described in this book are interrelated global problems which require local pressure to find a proper solution.

Today there are still many differences which make some countries less Digitally Dangerous for their citizens than others, but there is also a very strong political pressure to make such countries conform only to the interest of software and entertainment multinationals. There is, for example, an official blacklist of countries that are believed to be persistent offenders of copyright, patents, trademarks and other related regulations. In the long term, having the same or very similar laws in every country is unavoidable in some fields and it is also (potentially, at least) a good thing. This is true, however, only if all citizens push to make this standardization happen in the right way for the common good.

What now?

This book does not and cannot contain complete descriptions of each Digital Danger and its solutions. More exactly, some specific technologies mentioned in this book are still very young and in active development, so it may very well be that they turn out to not be the best solutions. That’s no problem.

What matters is to be aware that all the issues discussed in this book are already affecting your life and that of your children. Reading this book is just the first step. Its main purpose is to help all parents and teachers to understand that, unless they start acting today to protect from the Digital Dangers their own interests and civil rights, together with those that their children may not have tomorrow, adequate legal and technical solutions will never be developed and used.

It is also important that you don’t feel scared or intimidated by technology. Remember: in many cases, you don’t even have to use it yourself unless you wish to: you just have to make sure that its usage is regulated in the best possible way. Common sense, a bit of good will and a sense of responsibility are all you’ll need to achieve good results.

If you still feel scared and intimidated by the digital world, remember that your political representatives at any level are probably in the same boat as you are, but their task is to solve your problems, even in this area. Let them know without doubt that you will also consider how they fight Digital Dangers before voting the next time.

In any case, no matter which way is the best for you and your family, please act and spread the word!

Don’t forget that there are forums and further information, links and other resources on this website. Please use them also to let me know what you think of this Guide and of the Digital Dangers, how you plan to fight them and what help you need to do it more effectively.

Marco Fioretti