Slowly but surely we are all being digitised..... Like all things digital, this means 'ones' and 'zeros'...
And believe me, quite literally 'one can become a zero' in no time in this increasingly digitized world!!....
You don't agree?... well look at the facts.....
Even in an emerging country such as India, every aspect of life is increasingly getting 'digitised', 'online' 'web enabled' and so on....
First to go were the stocks and shares..... the rules changed some years ago.... and physical share certificates could no longer be traded.... one had to get all their stocks 'dematerialised'...... so now all ones stocks and shares are held digitally in a demat account with the National Depository and traded on line.....using an id, password or PIN...
The same holds true for investments and trading in mutual fund units, ULIPs, pension fund units and so on....
If one is investing and trading in commodities...... sure, the same things apply....
Next in the list you have bank accounts... all banks vying fiercely with one another to open ATMs, offer internet banking and/or mobile banking services to customers.... now you can withdraw cash, view your accounts, update information, transfer funds, pay your bills and taxes, open FDs, order DDs, cheque books... all without ever visiting your bank....through the net or your mobile phone with only an id, password or PIN....
Let's look at the credit cards and debit cards..... again here too the same principles apply...
The list is practically endless..... one can book tickets, reserve hotel rooms, file returns, shop for groceries, gifts, music, books, holidays and so on...... if fact, order all kinds of products and services and most conveniently pay for them on the net......
The Government, we hear, is even proposing digitising of all property records....... and who knows a time will come in the not too distant future..... when properties can be bought and sold on the net as well.....
Do you need a digital signature?...... you can very well have one!....
Now, when I reflect on the flip side of these things.....I really get the jitters!!
One needs to remember umpteen login ids, passwords and PINs..... in fact one set each for every organisation or service one deals with......and if each family member has seperate accounts as is often true... then one's woes are indeed truly multiplied!....
Now that's just the beginning... for these passwords and PINs need to be compulsorily changed / updated every now and then in the interests of security....... and of course committed to memory!.... for there is surely peril in store if one were to jot these down on a sheet or diary, happen to misplace it and the said sheet or diary falls into the wrong hands....
Nor can these be safely stored as a file on one's computer... for viruses, worms or trojans lurk in wait to strike at unsuspecting folk....steal these passwords and pass them on to interested parties who then proceed to clean up your accounts!
Now do you understand the point I am driving at.....
what happens if one were to get amnesia!.....and cannot recall their passwords? Or worse still.....
What happens if one's passwords fall into the wrong hands and someone proceeds to steal one's identity?........
Then surely..... One would become a zero!!...
