Written by Knowledge and technology are rapidly expanding fields and while they have transformed our lives there is always a hidden cost, and often that is only discovered years later. Thomas Midgeley was widely lauded for his contributions: leaded petrol and CFC’s. Later we discovered people were dying of lead pollution; and the hole in the ozone layer.
Quantum computing, while still in its nascent stages, holds the potential to revolutionize computer calculations in ways we can barely imagine. While this seems entirely positive there are hidden issues that could severely impact the average person. One of these is that Shor’s algorithm and other techniques could be used to crack passwords on a global scale. Shor’s algorithm is a quantum algorithm for finding the prime factors of an integer. It was developed in 1994 by the American mathematician Peter Shor. It is one of the few known quantum algorithms with compelling potential applications and strong evidence of superpolynomial speedup compared to best known classical algorithms. In the wrong hands it could be an enormous security threat to countries, companies and individuals. Here are some basic considerations regarding quantum computing.
The Fundamentals:
Classical vs. Quantum: Traditional computers utilize bits, which can either be 0 or 1. Quantum computers harness qubits, which can be 0, 1, or both simultaneously (superposition). This allows them to explore numerous possibilities concurrently.
Harnessing the Weirdness: Quantum mechanics throws in another twist: entanglement, where qubits share a fate even at great distances. If you change one, the other instantly changes no matter the separation.
Revolutionizing Calculations: Unprecedented Speed: Superposition and entanglement enable quantum computers to tackle certain problems exponentially faster than their classical counterparts. This could involve optimizing complex systems, simulating molecules for drug discovery, or breaking modern encryption methods.
Solving the Unsolvable: Some problems are simply intractable for classical computers due to their sheer complexity. Quantum algorithms, however, could pave the way for solutions in areas like financial modeling, materials science, and AI development.
Examples of Impact:
Drug Discovery: Simulating complex molecules at the atomic level could accelerate the development of life-saving drugs by years.
Materials Science: By designing new materials with desired properties, we could create advancements in batteries, solar panels, and more.
Financial Modeling: Optimizing complex financial systems could lead to more efficient markets and reduced risk.
Artificial Intelligence: Quantum computing could enable more powerful AI algorithms with better learning and optimization capabilities.
Challenges and Future:
Hardware Limitations: Building and maintaining stable, large-scale quantum computers is extremely challenging.
Error Correction: Qubits are prone to errors, and correcting them adds complexity to algorithms.
Algorithms and Applications: While quantum algorithms exist, finding practical applications requires ongoing research and development. Breaking modern encryption systems with quantum computing could have a profound and far-reaching impact on privacy and online security, posing significant risks across various sectors.
Here’s a breakdown of the potential consequences if quantum computers are used to break encryption systems:
Increased Vulnerability: Personal Data: Sensitive information like medical records, financial details, and online accounts could be at risk of decryption, leading to identity theft, fraud, and blackmail.
Communications: Private messages, email conversations, and even secure calls could be intercepted and deciphered, compromising both personal and professional communication.
National Security: Classified information and military secrets could be vulnerable, potentially impacting national security interests.
Erosion of Trust: Reduced Online Trust: Users might lose trust in online platforms and services if their data is deemed insecure, impacting online commerce, communication, and collaboration.
Chilling Effect on Free Speech: Fear of data breaches and surveillance could lead to self-censorship and discourage the open exchange of ideas.
Economic Ramifications:
Financial Losses: Businesses could incur significant financial losses due to data breaches and cyberattacks, impacting investors and consumers.
Disrupted Online Commerce: Loss of trust in online transactions could hinder e-commerce and financial services, affecting global economic activity. However, it’s important to remember: The threat is not imminent: Building quantum computers capable of breaking encryption is still years away, giving time to develop and implement post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Mitigation efforts are underway: Researchers and governments are actively developing PQC solutions to ensure future communication and data security even with powerful quantum computers.
Quantum could also enhance security: Quantum cryptography based on principles like quantum key distribution can offer unbreakable secure communication channels. Overall, the potential impact of quantum computing on encryption is significant, but not unavoidable. Collaborative efforts in developing PQC solutions and embracing advanced security practices can help us navigate this future.
Quantum computing is not yet ready to take a mainstream role, but recent advances show a great deal of promise. You may say to yourself, the faster technology advances, the greater the benefit to mankind; but at what cost? The worldwide surveillance run by Google and Apple on mobile phones would be further enhanced by quantum computing and AGI, leading us further into a situation where we become even more dependent on them. Having observed the growth and extent of surveillance and the complete Silence from legislators and “voices” one can only presume it is here to stay.
If anyone else tried to implement such a system there would be an absolute uproar, so we must presume both companies, plus Facebook and many others, are co-operating with the military and intelligence communities to their mutual benefit. They are the predators, and we, the average consumer, are their prey. Numerous legal challenges over the years have failed to make any impact leading many to conclude the judiciary is “failing” in it’s duty and stated aims. Have the media been complicit in this? Obviously. The propaganda is relentless. And now there is nowhere else to turn.
This becomes a problem over time, but people often fail to recognise this. For example, many platforms insist that men can menstruate and make no attempt to label or censor such claims. Indeed, most AI platforms yield similar responses to the question “Can men menstruate?”
Google’s response is:
Having a period is not a feminine thing, and people of all genders menstruate, including non-binary people, agender people and even plenty of men! Menstruation doesn’t change anything about your gender, it’s just a thing that some bodies do.
If we have programmed AI to respond in this way to questions of this nature the truth is:
(a) not a priority
(b) no longer factual
(c) controlled by an agenda
(d) subject to revision
Comments?
Why are we programming AI to rewrite facts to suit an agenda? Facts should be factual, established, proven and verifiable; not lies promulgated to suit an over-arching world view. The following exchange with Gemini illustrates my point:
The Key Points don’t address the question – they promote an answer, and that answer is misleading. I wanted facts. Not misinformation. And there’s the point. If governments, Google Apple, Facebook et al. are to be the arbiters of truth should we not demand they verify facts – not feed us nonsense on the basis of a flawed agenda? Are we asleep? Are we sheep?
Why did we let this happen?
If our technology places us under centralised control and knows all our passwords and keys, gives us an ID and compiles our data, should we not be able to access and verify that data? At the moment we can’t, they can, and “they” control what others know about us. While there is human supervision, at the moment, these interactions will increasingly be automated, and the potential for people to be trapped in a discriminatory environment through no fault of their own becomes a real possibility. Is technology serving our needs – or just the needs of the rich/powerful owners of that technology? If robots take our jobs and we become “useless eaters” do the owners become the only ones who eat?
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