The downside of interconnection

Frequent visitors to this blog or ArtsJournal more broadly may have noticed a disquieting warning awaiting them this week. Due to some malicious hacking, ArtsJournal’s web systems had been compromised with troubling code. Google noticed, and flagged the site as hacked. Web browsers with the capacity to block such flagged sites showed a warning message instead. Browsers without such capacity cruised on through.

For details on the ordeal, and the Herculean efforts to address it by AJ founder Doug McLennan, see his post on the subject here. Harrowing and exhausting stuff.

As of this morning, Google seems to have removed its flag, days after Doug scrubbed all the malicious code. And all seems to be flowing again. But lots of juicy questions remain.

For one, as Google takes on the task of policing the web, and serving as both judge and jury in what pages are blocked based on its investigations, what responsibilities should it also take on in the process? If their algorithms are quick to convict and slow to revisit the conviction, how many web sites will be off-line for days without recourse? Should Google be staffed sufficiently to assist and advise the convicted? And who represents the accused when they don’t have time, money, or expertise to be their own coding counsel?

For another, the Google flagging system, the built-in screening systems of the web browsers, and the breakneck evolution of scripts, plug-ins, content coding, and the like have a downside comparable to their upside. A policy or process vastly removed from your own work on the web could completely flummox you. A system or platform that offers new opportunities and impact for your organization could vanish or switch directions at a moment’s notice (witness the switch from free to fee by Ning, the social network platform, which left many nonprofits stuck with either a new bill or a need to move everything elsewhere).

There’s a saying in systems analysis: ”There are no side effects, only effects.” Claiming an effect is on the side simply means you didn’t frame your universe correctly. This week’s wrestling match between ArtsJournal and Google suggests it’s time for all of us to reframe.