Never mind the fact that this kind of thinking is just so obviously stupid it also flies in the face of sensible thinking. The idea that we should have to have a license in order to use computers is utterly ridiculous I can’t believe that anyone would take it seriously.

Just because of gullible people Russel Smith, billed as Australia’s leading criminologist, is putting forth to the government the idea that first time users of computers should have to earn a license in order to access and use the Web. On top of that he feels that all hardware manufacturers and software companies should be required to devise technology that will make it impossible, or at least more difficult, for people to be defrauded.

In an interview with IT News Smith said

“At the moment we have drivers licences for cars, and cars are very dangerous machines. Computers are also quite dangerous in the way that they can make people vulnerable to fraud. “In the future we might want to think about whether it’s necessary there be some sort of compulsory education of people before they start using computers,” he said.

Additionally he says banks are being kind when they bear the costs of cyber crime especially when it comes to them compensating customers who he suggests are partially responsible because of something they have done that is either silly or negligent.

Thinking that by the act of making people have license will change the current situation of people being defrauded online then Smith is utterly delusional. In no case of anything in our society being forced to require licensing has it been shown to make people behave smarter. We have to have drivers licenses but we still have people doing incredibly stupid things – things that can actually kill real people.

If licensing was the answer to cure human stupidity we’d have to be licensed to have children so I don’t see this being forced the have a ‘computer license’ will save stupid people from doing stupid things.