Internet: Compromising Personal Privacy

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Recommended: The impact of the Internet on people

A part of the American dream for a lot of people is the right to have privacy. Americans are constantly worrying about the Government taking away personal the personal privacy of citizens. But people may not realize that in society today a person’s privacy is tested when it comes to using the Internet. Although the Internet can be fun and is convenient in many ways, there are many dangers associated with it. Including, but not limited to, Spyware affecting a person’s computer, the threat of credit card theft, the dangers of uploading personal photos onto the Internet, and also the dangers of putting personal information on a social networking site. These actions can cause a person’s personal information to be stolen, money can also be stolen from a person’s account, or his/her life can even be put in danger. People take these risks every day without being aware of it and it is timed people are informed of the dangers he/she may be putting himself/herself in.

Some people may say that protecting a person’s computer or personal information is as easy as applying a password to information that needs to be private, but this does not always work. There is no easy way to prevent any of these items listed from happening to any person. The main reason is because, in some cases, it is not a person trying to take another person’s personal information, but instead, it is a computer program. These programs are known as Spyware. When using the Internet, Spyware needs to be something that every person is aware of. According to Microsoft.com, Spyware is used to describe a program that performs certain behavior, usually without receiving consent from the user of the computer. The main threats of Spyware are advertising, collecting personal info...

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...011.

Shuka, Sudhindra. “Web Browsing and Spyware Intrusion.” Communications of ACM 48.8. (2005): 85-90. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 April 2011.

"Spyware | Prevent Spyware | Unwanted Software | Microsoft Security." Microsoft.com. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .

Taraszow, Tatjana. “Disclosure of Personal and Contact Information by Young People in Social Networking Sites.” International Journal of Media and Politics 6.1. (2010): 81-101. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 April 2011.

Tynan, Dan, Tim Moynihan, and Tom Spring. “Identity Protectors: Who Can We Trust?” PC World 62.6. (2008): 105-112. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 April 2011.

Utz, Sonja and Nicole Kramer. ”The Privacy Paradox and Social Network Sites.” Cyberpsychology 3.2. (2009): 1-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 April 2011.

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