Are the social media websites or video streaming blocked in your office or college? Ankit Fadia's book, can tell you how to find your way around all the barriers in the internet world. The 2-6year-old, independent computer security and digital intelligence consultant recently launched his book, How to Unblock everything on the Internet at the Flying Machine Store on Brigade Road.
Fadia claims that the book turned out to be a hot seller even before the launch. “We had to go in for a repeat print,” he says. Fadia who has also authored 14 other books on numerous topics related to computer and security, says that he has always been against blocking of websites in office and college campus. “What is the point behind such an act?” he questions. “Are we trying to say that our employees and students are not mature enough to handle the information that is out there on the world wide web?” asks an exquisite Fadia.
While studying in Standford University, Fadia says that he never witnessed any website being blocked there. “How is it that in countries like the United States, no websites are blocked? Is it because the student there are more capable to handle all the readily available material on the Internet? In my opinion it is probably the controlling factor in countries like ours and China, where the authorities like to be in total control. It is almost like dictatorship,” expresses the author. “Banning or blocking websites on the Internet completely is not the answer and is a step away from democracy and could silence free speech all together. We need to find a middle ground which allows a more efficient mechanism to remove offensive content from the Internet without blocking access to websites completely. China currently employs 40,000+ people to block content on the Internet. Hope India is not going to go the China way,” he expresses.
But on the flip side, if there are companies or colleges that wish to ban certain sites, won’t Fadia’s book go against their policies? To which he asserts that though the book does inform the reader about the required path to get access to any website in the world, it also gives a forewarning that advises them to use the methods
with discretion. Written in an easy-to-understand do-it-yourself manner that just about everybody (both non-technical people and technical people) can understand the book provides easy and step by step techniques to unblock access to blocked stuff on the Internet including social networks (Facebook, Twitter), video streaming websites (YouTube, MetaCafe), Sports/Cricket websites, chat, career sites and just about everything else. It contains over 50 different chapters that educate the reader from easy to advanced levels in unblocking blocked websites.
Fadia further exerts that in today’s day and time where technology is so readily available at cost-effective prices, it is impossible to constantly monitor web usage. But what about pornography, shouldn’t parents and employees be vary of adult websites? “By blocking adult sites at homes, colleges and offices, you cannot get rid of the addict or the viewer. In fact you will probably push him to frustration which would actually result in addiction. Instead, employers should gauge their employees well enough to assess if they are regular visitors of adult sites and avoid hiring such people. Parents on the other hand should educate their children about the positives and negatives of the WWW,” he says.
On a parting note Fadia says that he hopes to write fiction novel that would in time be made in to a movie. The plot needless to say will be based around Internet hacking. “Movies these days use a lot of technology. In fact a majority of the movies these days have hacking involved with the plot at some point in the film or the other. So it will be nice to have a film that centres around this very topic,” says Fadia.