Imagine aspirin being replaced by a drug that can rid the body of pain, as aspirin can, but by solving the problems that give rise to that pain. Imagine further that the new drug, in solving those problems, can address, and halt or change, bodily functions that it should not address, halt or change. Imagine, for example, the new drug addressing the pain caused when a finger is partially crushed by someone who misses his target (a nail) with his hammer and, instead, smashes his finger. Further imagine that the same drug that successfully restores the finger (as opposed to simply lessening the pain caused by the smash) “cures” the problem by causing the body to release chemicals that lead to an infection or an even worse consequence. The issue would then arise as to whether the benefits of the new drug can be kept while at the same time the problems caused by it are removed.

An analogous issue troubles the usage of computers and information technology in commerce today. IT solves one or more problems but gives rise to others. Perhaps the most obvious and prevalent example of this phenomenon is how, as IT allows for global connections between users, or between users and data (i.e., cloud storage), it also makes itself increasingly accessible to those who wish to access such connections or data through hacking.