Internet will crash in 2006 -Finnish professor to STT

18.10.2004 at 10:36

The internet will crash in 2006, goes the bleak forecast by Professor Hannu H. Kari of the Helsinki University of Technology.

He added in an interview to the Finnish News Agency (STT) that the demise of the internet is very likely when current indicators are considered.

Prof Kari said his vision is not even the worst case scenario, which says the internet will likely crash significantly earlier.

The explosive growth of computer viruses and unsolicited email has contributed to the coming crash. The next phases are the deterioration of computer grid reliability and an increase in the manipulation of internet content, the professor spells.

Finally, the entire system will crumble to bits as the sheer bulk of rubbish circling around in the net exceeds the public pain threshold, confidence in information retrieved online plummets and attacks do away with reliability, Prof Kari, known for his pessimistic internet forecasts, said.

Further, when the internet is no longer operational for business purposes, one has to time warp back 10 to 20 years and make do without information networks, he continues.

"The problem is that we have so many ill-meaning people who intentionally seek to do harm. Earlier, the internet has coped with the excess baggage and the additional needs because everyone wanted the same things and behaved well," Kari recalls.

Preparedness is the best weapon to guarantee future security on the internet, Kari urges.

"We cannot stick our heads in the bush and tell ourselves that everything is OK. We simply have to start from the premise that we have to undertake pre-emptive decisions."

/STT/