Implications and Security Issues of the Internet

1. Implications and Security Issues of the Internet By Neelesh Patel

2. Moral/Ethical Issues

3. Pornography Pornography is explicit material available to view over the internet. It can be accessed by anyone who has access to the internet. It can lead to people getting hold of content that may be unsuitable to users. Also content on the internet may then be misused and this can become a threat to those involved in the content and may put people at risk to things such as paedophiles. Content found on some websites may not be suitable for the users and may be illegal and disturbing. Pornography use can be prevented by setting high levels of security so they cannot be accessed on computers. Also monitoring computer usage to ensure that the user is not accessing anything they should not be. Computer administrators can also block certain websites to deny access to pornography content.

4. Examples • In 2006 a federal judge ruled in favor of the Cedarburg School District in a civil law suit which was filed by Robert Zellner. Robert Zellner was a high school science teacher who lost his job for viewing pornography on his school computer.http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/97345684.html • Gregory J. Azcueta a fifth grade harbor city elementary teacher was fired from Brevard country school for viewing pornographic websites on school computers. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-10-29/news/os-teacher-pornography-brevard-20101029_1_brevard-teacher-brevard-county-school-officials-clickorlando-com

5. Email and chat room abuse Emails and chat rooms are a common method of communication for socialising along with social networking site. They are used by many teenagers around the world and allows users to talk and communicate amongst each other. However there are disadvantages to the use of emails and chat rooms because things can be said over email to upset other people or offend them. Users may also get bullied over emailing or chat rooms and this could lead to the user becoming affected. Also there are security issues with identity as people may make fake accounts pretending to be someone they are not. As well as this users should be careful when exchanging personal information on chats and emails. Problems with email and chat rooms can be prevented by setting high security controls to prevent the use of chat rooms and only add people you know and like. Also set profiles on websites to private so that only certain people can have access to you.

6. Examples • Patrick Green was sentenced to five years imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl who he met in an Internet chatroom. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2002/01/01/the-year-ahead-is-the-internet-becoming-safer-for-children-2101792/ • The Internet Crime Forum (ICF) report, revealed that one in five of the 4.8 million children online in the UK have been approached by pedophiles in Internet chatrooms.http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/regulation/2001/03/22/police-not-enough-evidence-for-paedophile-crackdown-2085206/

7. Social Implications

8. Changes in working practices The internet has allowed businesses to allow there workers to work from home through the use of online networking. It makes work become more accessible as users can work whenever they want from the comfort of there home. It is also very convenient as it means the workers wont have to go out of there way to get to work and work done. However it may cause the business to have breakdowns in communication with its employees because they will be working from home and they wont see each other. Also distractions may be caused when working at home leading to less work being done.

9. Examples • Home working is certainly on the rise. A survey of firms by the Confederation of British Industry showed that the number offering at least some teleworking rose from 14% in 2006 to 46% in 2008. British Telecom was one of the pioneers. It began a telework scheme in 1986, and now has 15,000 homeworkers out of 92,000 employees. The company argues that homeworkers save it an average of £6,000 a year each, are 20% more productive and take fewer sick days. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11879241 • An example of teleworking would be a telesales employee working from home.

10. Increased addiction Users may become addicted to using the internet and may become too reliant on it. This is because the internet can be used for almost anything and it means that people don’t have to go out much in order to do everyday things such as socialize, shop and work. This is bad because users may become less socially active and may become totally reliant on the internet, this may lead to people becoming unhealthy and perhaps over weight because of there lack of exercise. Also constant use of computers may lead to problems in the future such as neck strain, eye problems and strain within the wrist. This can be prevented by using suitable techniques such as using a suitable chair with a neck support, keeping the computer at a reasonable distance and using a mouse mat with a wrist support.

11. Examples • An example of internet addiction would be someone who spends a majority of there days on the internet and decides to stay at home on the internet and not socialise or move away from the monitor.Internet addiction can be for many reasons for instance addiction to online shopping, facebook or games, etc.

12. Commercial

13. Better deals online The internet has allowed business to introduce online shopping. Along with online shopping comes special online deals that attracts and persuades users to online shop. This is bad because users may become persuaded to use online shopping and may get carried away with how much money they actually spend online and this could lead to debt problems in the future. Also the customers cannot be sure of the quality of the goods that they buy when shopping online. Price may influence users to buy goods instead of the quality and features of the goods. Users will have to use there credit card to purchase online and this can lead to problems depending on the security of the website.

14. Examples • Users can use price comparison sites to find cheapest deals online. • Users can manually compare prices from different stores. • Users can go on auction sites such as EBay to try and find bargains.

15. 24 hour shopping The internet allows users to do there shopping online. Shopping can be done any time during the day and will usually be delivered within a few days. Almost anything can be brought online from groceries, clothes, electrical goods, etc. The internet also makes it easer to find goods and services and therefore users tend to shop online because it is more convenient and easy, it also requires less time and minimum effort. This can be bad because it means users will no longer be going out to get there shopping and this reduces the amount of time people spend socializing and being active. As well as this customers have to pay using credit cards and this can make them more vulnerable to credit card fraud.

16. Examples • Users can order there home grocery shopping any time of the day and receive it next day. • Users can purchase goods online and can choose home delivery or in store collection to get the item.

17. Security Risks

18. Hacking In most cases a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks to gain vital information or to gain a sense of achievement. Hacking can lead to potential problems such as personal information being viewed, stolen or misused. This may include addresses, names, telephone numbers and bank details. It could also be content of a network that you may not want to be accessed such as personal documents. This is bad because this can lead to the misuse of personal information. You can help to prevent hacking by enabling a firewall on your computer or laptop, this will help to block hackers and viruses out of networks. Also use a anti-virus programme that will also try to block any hackers/viruses.

19. Examples •  In 2011 Sony’s Playstation Network was hacked. This lead to the Playstation Network being shut down for weeks so that Sony could try to fix the problems caused from the hacking. The hacking caused serious threats to users as bank account details, emails and home addresses could of have been found from this. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/apr/27/playstation-network-hack-sony • Thousands of accounts belonging to Xbox Live customers have been hacked into by online criminals who have stolen millions of pounds, it has been reported http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/Xbox/8906043/Xbox-Live-customers-hacked-in-fresh-cyber-fraud-case.html

20. Viruses A computer virus is a programme that can copy itself to various files of your computer and can affect the performance of your pc. A computer virus can seriously affect your computers performance and slow down your system. It can also lead to programmes not working properly as well as leading to data and content being lost on your device. Viruses can seriously affect networks and can cause them to not operate properly. This can cause serious problems in a work place that relies heavily on the internet. Viruses can be prevented by enabling a firewall, this will block hackers and viruses out of networks. Also use a anti-virus programme that will also try to block any hackers/viruses.

21. Examples • An example of getting a Computer Virus would be having one or more of the following symptoms… • Computer is running slower than usual. • The computer stops responding regularly. • The computer restarts on its own or don’t run as usual. • Computer applications not functioning properly. • Receiving error messages. Having a virus could lead to your computer failing to work correctly, loss of data or perhaps misuse of personal data.

22. Protection Techniques

23. Firewalls – Software and Hardware The use of a firewall can help to defend computers form any unwanted entry from hackers and software. It monitors all of the data that flows in and out of the computer and will only allow access if it is safe for the computer. Firewalls are a common us of protection as they come built in on most PC’s. They are built into PC’s so that they have some form of protection. However in many cases firewalls have been surpassed and have failed to do there job, this is why it is recommended to have some form of anti virus software as back up to help ensure that your PC is less vulnerable to any threats. They operate by ensuring that no unauthorized access Permits passed the wall. This helps to keep the PC safe from any potential threats that could harm the computer or gain access to personal information or content.

24. Anti virus software Anti virus software can be used to help protect your computer from getting viruses and can help make it less vulnerable to computer hacking. Anti virus software can allow users to scan there computer for viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and malicious software. Users can scan there computer regularly and can also change the settings of the software so that it scans regularly automatically. The use of anti virus and anti spyware software can help to keep your computer running at high performance levels, as well as protecting computer content that could potentially be accessed if there was no software installed. they help to identify any risks and threats when surfing the internet and downloading content online. They are designed to identify the potential threats and issues and warn the user of them, once this is done they block any access

25. Code of Practice A code of practise is a code set by the business that can guard against behaviour which can guard against behaviour which may be seen as a risk towards the network. • A good code of practise will include.. • A strong password • Regular password changes (e.g.. Every 3 months) • Avoiding suspicious emails from unknown senders • Not downloading suspicious files

26. Secure Payment Systems • When shopping online customers will want to ensure that there payments are secure and that there is no threats when purchasing goods online. There are many methods that users can use to ensure there payment is secure. • PayPal – PayPal is a trusted online business that deals with transactions securely. E.G. When purchasing something off a website (e.g. eBay) I can purchase the good by agreeing to buy the item. However when it comes to paying for the item and completing the transaction for the item users want to be sure that they can trust the website with their money. This is why people use websites such as PayPal to complete online transactions. PayPal is a business that runs online and deals with money transfers and transactions in a secure manner. • Prepay Cards – prepay cards are cards that contain a certain amount of money that has been transferred onto the card. They are similar to debit cards in the sense that you cannot spend over your allowance. They arwe a secure method of payment as it does not require you to enter your personal information such as bank details online when purchasing. This prevents the risk of credit card fraud. • HTTPS – these provide a secure encryption and authentication for users and prevents any kind of hacking or data misuse. These websites are secure and are often trusted by website users.