Soul hacking

I recall my reaction when my email account was hacked: fear that my friends might send money to a fraudster; frustration with the hassle and loss of time to deal with it; embarrassment that my name was on messages to extort money from anyone on my list; and anger about the intrusion and damage done.

At a deeper level, there was a sense of being wronged with no chance of remedy, no way to make it right and no way to hold anyone to account. That sense, which might be called soul hacking, is prevalent in many areas of life these days. Recent learnings about the lasting impacts of moral injury are applicable here. The prevalence of hacking slowly erodes public trust that we need in our communities. It contributes to the simmering, general anger in society that breaks out in verbal nastiness, and sometimes violence, toward people who are not directly involved in the injury. The term “slow violence” is being used by some to describe harm done by impersonal forces over time and out of sight.

The sense of being wronged without recourse is similar to what I hear from young people who have been hurt by online bullying. Having no recourse and feeling powerless is part of the harm done. Complaint mechanisms were promised for a new law for online safety that was supposed to be passed before the last election. After the troubles with other bills to regulate communications, C-11 and C-18, Canadian Heritage opted for more extensive consultations during 2021 and 2022 Two years of formal consultation and less formal debate have passed, and there is still no consensus on how best to deal with harm in the online world.

Duty to Act Responsibly

Reports on the consultation identify a core principle for a new law, “the duty to act responsibly.” But there is no agreement about whether to legislate broad principles or precise obligations; how to balance freedom of speech and risk reduction; or how to enforce reasonable standards for privacy and harm reduction.

One area of agreement is putting more onus on the providers of online platforms to reduce risks through “safety by design.” Canada can learn from European countries and Australia, who are leading in the use of “safety by design” to prevent online child abuse and allow young people to be active digital citizens. The other area of agreement is that public education and a culture shift will be as important as new legal tools to promote “the duty to act responsibly.”

Restoring Broken Trust

One benefit of my hacking experience was reconnecting with long-ago friends who called to see if it was a hack or if I needed help. That helped to restore my trust level. It also reminded me that people who are not responsible for the violations can contribute to restorative actions. I can do that for others. Rebuilding public trust may be an important contribution that Christian communities can make toward building a culture where “the duty to act responsibly” is an accepted norm.