Finally we're afraid of the Internet

Finally, we're afraid of the Internet.
Some 54% of Brits admitted being afraid of the Internet a few years ago. Americans are finally admitting it too, sorta, maybe.

That's the only conclusion we can arrive at after reading the front page lead story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "More criminals trolling the web." 

It took us about 5 days to try to figure out the story and why they ran it on page one.

The story (our comments in parentheses):
* Cyber fraud is up to $68 million a year  (this is peanuts)
* More criminals are trolling the web (this was undocumented, it could be the same or fewer criminals)
* The Milwaukee cyber crime unit has cyber fraud as its third biggest priority (and is leaving corporate cyber crime, which totals in the billions, alone; while focussing on petty thieves)
* Nigerian fraud is the ninth biggest cyber fraud, at 0.2%  (for the entire state of Wisconsin, this means that all the Nigerians have only fleeced a total of $2,700 out of the entire 5 million people in Wisconsin. Just one small town employer attempting to prevent a low income worker her workers comp. money is that amount).
* People have been defrauded buying 100 pairs of jeans online for $1,000 (hello? would not one buy 1 pair of jeans before going for 100 pairs on an unknown site?)

Online fraud is still a fraction of the total fraud. It is riskier giving someone your credit card in person at a retail store or restaurant, according to the statistics, than online.

Why all the fuss?  Instead of pandering to people's fear of the Net, our nation's media should be allaying the public's fears and moving us more quickly ahead into the 21st century.