The Internet has brought many advantages to its users but has also created some major problems. Most people believe that they are anonymous when they are using the Internet. Because of this thinking, they are not careful with what they do and where they go when on the "net." Security is a major issue with the Internet because the general public now has access to it. When only the government and higher education had access, there was no worry about credit card numbers and other types of important data being taken.
As a result, the ability to steal identities is easy and common. Identity theft on the Internet is a modern day crime that many net users are oblivious to and may result in serious implications. However understanding how to prevent such violations enables the user to retain enjoyment on the net as a whole. Many individuals use the Internet strictly for work, information and entertainment.They do not engage in online criminal activity nor do they readily provide personal information. Cautious about what they do supply, individuals seek security by enabling passwords and secret answers.
This information usually includes the user's name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and credit card data. There have been many reported cases of security failures at online vendors of products and services. Because of this publicity, most Internet users are aware that there is a potential for the information they provide to be exposed to the world whether by human error, careless security practices by a vendor, or a successful attack by a hacker. However, most users are not aware of the amount of personal information that can be collected without their consent when they do such ordinary things as visiting a Web page, opening a document, or reading an e-mail message. How can personal information be collected without the user's knowledge?
Internet voting already occurs in many places. It refers merely to voting from a computer that is under the control of election officials, usually in a specific precinct’s polling place. On the other hand, Remote Electronic Voting is the new prospect of voting over the Internet from a remote, unsupervised location (Alvarez 4, Rubin). This new prospect has sure advantages but many likely drawbacks as well. The greatest advantage that Remote Electronic Voting could provide would be ease of voting.
Also, the attackers can range vastly in knowledge levels; anywhere from engineers that are experts at code and how the protocols work to kids that use scripts (premade strings of code that are programmed to automatically execute a given function). These scripts are usually made by professional coders and are fairly easily accessed over the internet. Recently it was discovered that there is a flaw in a very common internet protocol that protects your personal information when you shop online. Anyone that was ever ... ... middle of paper ... ...l websites, auction sites, etc, and are sent to individuals with a link that directs them to a website that is infected with malware. These emails are sent with the intent to obtain usernames, passwords and possibly even credit card details when the individuals click the website link.
Information such as credit card numbers are stolen from the user’s computer and hacked into while the user is making transactions on the internet. This can lead to serious financial consequences for the person involved. How can privacy be invaded on the internet? Here are some examples of ways through which a person can give out personal information on the internet [2] 1. Filling out forms and entering various contests on internet sites.
Throughout the years, as the looming threat of identity theft grew, many people have tried finding different ways of avoiding it while still maintaining the freedom of the internet. However, as each of these methods are continuous beaten by online thieves, we have come to a point where censorship is our only option. When many people here the words censorship, they fear that it is a barrier placed to stop their expression of right or freedom. However, in this instance it is the wall that protects us from a world of hidden robbers who in a few strokes of the keyboard can hold our entire world in the screen of their computer. While it is not a favorable option, it is the only option we have left.
There are many problems surrounding the Internet and its current privacy systems, one of the biggest ones being the current user accountability arrangement. Currently, individuals are accountable for fixing their own privacy breaches. This means that if a problem occurred and a user’s privacy was violated, the user would be largely responsible for the majority of the restoring process, whatever that may entail. The problem with this is that individuals rarely know that a privacy breach has, in fact, occurred (Stefoff). Many skilled online scammers can steal a person’s personal information so clandestinely that the victim isn’t aware of the dangerous theft.
The information posted on the internet is Permanent. This includes comments written on blogs, pictures, and internet sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.” The internet allows people to send information from any location to share data and files. Several people around the world use the internet to transfer important personal information such as credit card numbers and passwords. Online predators try to attain vulnerable information on the internet so it can be used to gain access to citizen’s bank accounts or other personal information. People need to understand the dangers of freely placing large amounts of personal information on the internet through web sites such as Facebook, which basically gives out most of a person’s information on one site alone.
Identity theft is a concern for most who have access to the internet. This is exemplified by the widespread use of antivirus programs and password protection. To attain privacy, social security numbers and credit card information is treated as sensitive information, and is rarely given out online. However, most individuals would not deem their name, birthday, or relationship status as information that needs safeguarding. Due to technological increases in data mining, simple information can be used to determine intimate details about a person’s life.