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Truth about computer security hysteria
Truth About Computer Security Hysteria

Another poll embarrasses the fearmongers (part 3)

Rob Rosenberger, Vmyths co-founder
Friday, 26 May 2000 ANOTHER POLL CONFLICTS with fearmongers' claims about the ILoveYou virus. (Special thanks to Internet user Jim Woodbridge for pointing it out to me.) An astounding 66% of respondents said "none" when USA Today asked "how many computer viruses have struck your PC in the last year?" Do you see the significance? Two-thirds of respondents never saw ExploreZip. They never saw its MiniZip variant. They never saw one of those 200,000 predicted Y2K viruses. They never saw ILoveYou, nor did they see dozens of variants based on ILoveYou.
Yet another poll conflicts with all the ILoveYou hysteria. What gives?
Come on, people. What gives? How can four surveys so greatly differ from what the media presented? ILoveYou single-handedly destroyed the Internet in case you didn't know it. "Economic terrorism," they declared. Tom Brokaw delivered a kneetear-jerking eulogy for the Internet exactly three weeks ago, remember?