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April 25, 2019 11:20 pm

Ask Slashdot: Would a Separate, Walled-Off 'SafeNet' Help Reduce Cybercrime?

dryriver writes: Imagine for a second that a second, smaller internet infrastructure is built parallel to, but separate from, the regular internet. Lets call this the SafeNet. The SafeNet, which does not allow anonymous use, is not intended for general purpose use like watching Youtube videos, downloading a Steam game, or going on Facebook. Rather, it is a safer, more policed mini-internet that you access through a purpose-built terminal device and use for security critical tasks like online banking, stock trading, medical data transfer and sending confidential business emails, text messages or documents or other things that you don't trust the general internet with. For example, if you are buying a $250,000 home for your family, you would issue the payments and documents side of this via the SafeNet with a SafeNet terminal device, not over the internet, with a generic computing device. SafeNet requires every user to be government photo-ID registered -- you cannot use SafeNet anonymously like the internet. The network knows who you are, where you are, and you can't hide behind VPNs, proxies or other anonymizers on this network. SafeNet also has a police force that can be alerted if you are hacked, tricked or scammed in any way. Would an internet alternative -- a smaller, separate parallel network -- like this reduce Cybercrime? Again, you wouldn't use the SafeNet for everyday crap like ordering pizza, buying movie tickets, or arguing over something on an internet forum. SafeNet would be used in situations where you are concerned that hackers, cybercriminals or other malevolent agents could get hold of your personal data, steal money from you, impersonate you, or snoop into your confidential communications. Other uses would include letting minors communicate with each other in a controlled fashion without exposing them to the big bad internet itself. Basically, in many situations where you deem performing a task over the larger internet as risky or dangerous, you could perform that task over a SafeNet terminal instead. Shouldn't an "alternative internet" like this exist in some form by now?

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