If You Are Reading This, You're Probably Safe From The Sept 30th Internet Blackouts

According to several media outlets, September 30th is the day that “millions of computers, smartphones and other devices connected to the internet, such as video game consoles, will no longer be able to connect to the network.” To blame is a particular security certificate that expires that day, preventing secure connections between some devices and the Internet. Affected devices will mainly be older ones running an operating system earlier than iOS 10 or Android 7.1.1, or older versions of Windows XP.

So you are probably safe, but the story had me wondering where these “millions” of affected devices are located and who will be responsible for helping to update them. Are they in schools, or senior homes, or Internet cafes in developing countries? Those least able to deal with these type of tech issues are the ones who are probably going to be most affected. And in this case, by what seems like an arbitrary choice by one programmer years ago to add an unnecessary expiration date to something that likely didn't need it.

The digital divide certainly surfaces in unpredictable ways.