Implications and Security Issues of the Internet By Neelesh Patel

Moral/Ethical Issues

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 disterbing to others. 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.

and chat room abuse s 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 s and chat rooms because things can be said over to upset other people or offend them. Users may also get bullied over ing 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. Also users should be careful when exchanging personal information on chats and s. This 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.

Security Risks

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.

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.

Social Implications

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.

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.

Commercial

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.

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.

Protection Techniques

Anti virus, anti-spyware 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.

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.