Here we are, Christmas Eve. Family is home for the holidays. Festive lights shine bright. Ornaments are on the tree. And soon, stockings will be stuffed and presents will arrive.
What do I want this year? Well, assuming I have been nice and not naughty, I of course want to spend time with loved ones and I wish for health, happiness and peace.
And when it comes to tech, I want a world in which governments can prevent terrorism while not over monitoring citizens by too aggressive and zealous surveillance.
I want a world in which we can shop online without having our identities stolen and without being bombarded by advertisements.
I want a world where people can speak freely on the Internet as part of civil discourse without harm caused by defamation and hate speech.
I want a world in which people can reach out to others via social media without being inundated with the trivial and without being stalked by others.
I want a world where the Internet provides business opportunities for fair entrepreneurs without scams and schemes lurking behind certain emails and Web sites.
I want a world in which we can navigate from Point A to Point B without others always knowing our precise whereabouts.
I want a world where kids learn how to use technology to further their education and interests but where they also live in the actual here and now.
Along those lines, I want a world in which people actually put down their devices, look up and around and actually breathe. Indeed, perhaps we could have a moment in which we all turn off our devices and computers and just relax. Instead of the 60’s mantra, “tune in, turn on,” we could live briefly by the motto “tune out, turn off.”
Happy Holidays.
Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod’s columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s law firm or its individual partners.