Dangers of the Internet | Essay

Dangers of the Internet Es claimAbstractThis es order presents a hypercritical debate on whether the Internet is as breakneck as the corporal domain of a function. First, the uncommon dangers posed by the Internet ar discoverlined. This is followed by an trial run of al to the highest degree of the major threats to well(p)ty that argon present in the natural world exactly non in the realistic world. In the conclusion, the musical composition also looks into how the realistic world might shape in the future.Is the demesne of Net arrive ated Com retching as Dangerous as the Physical World? macrocosmIn cyberspace, no mavin hears your screams.(Merkow and Breithaupt, 2000)Modern confederation depends on the applied science of networked computing more than(prenominal) than ever. Whether it is the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), or opposite less well-known networks, tribe around the world depend on it for multifarious reasons from work and autographtainment to essentials of purport such as life support in medicine. Networked computing arrive aters easy access, a large gunpoint of anonymity and while this presents us with unique opportunities, it also presents us with unique dangers. In light of the increasing use and even dependence on networked computing, it is pertinent to examine the social, sensible and ethical dangers presented by it. This essay critic altogethery debates the issue of whether the world of networked computing is as dangerous as the corporal world.The Dangers on the InternetPreying by PaedophilesOne of the most disturbing crimes on the Internet today is grooming. Child grooming is an act where a paedophile will befriend a pincer, or form an propose relationship in order to lower a childs sexual inhibitions. Grooming will initiate from chat rooms knowing for children and teenagers and roughlytimes through netmails, where an adult will pose as a teenager, but will often move into using instant message service s so that the paedophile rouse talk the victim into displace images and even using a webcam. research conducted by the earnings Research Unit at the University of Central Lancashire states another of the frequent topics concerned online grooming and in particular, ways in which to avoid detection (OConnell, 2003). turn this statement gives concern that paedophiles whitethorn be able to escape without notice, the idea goes on to say, Throughout each of the stages there ar clear and slow identifiable differences in the patterns of behaviour of the individuals. The stages that ar talked approximately here are known as Friendship forming state where the paedophile will solely spend time getting to know the child, Relationship forming state where the paedophile will start to demand questions about things such as drill and home life, Risk assessment stage where the paedophile will ask the child questions like who else uses the computer, Exclusivity stage where the victim is encouraged to trust the paedophile, and cozy stage where the paedophile will ask the child about antecedent intimate experiences.Bullying and Other Negative Electronic RelationshipsThe virtual world is home to some spartan negative and destructive electronic relationships. Cyber bullying, one of the more common ones, is mainly targeted at school pupils in auxiliary to actual physical and verbal bullying. Carnell (2007) points out to evidence that many pupils are being targeted in their own homes, by phone texts, silent calls, on instant messenger, and by abusive websites and forums, some set up with the specific intention of causing humiliation and embarrassment. This shows the severity of cyber bullying in society today.Griffiths, M.D. (1998) offers the following explanation. The Internet is easy to access from home or work. It is go quite affordable and has always offered anonymity. For some volume it offers an emotional and psychical escape from real life, and this is esp ecially consecutive for individuals who are shy or feel trapped in unhappy relationships. It is also true for individuals who work long hours and have little opportunity for social life. Electronic (or internet) relationships started off when chatrooms were introduced and genuinely boomed since the creation of Instant Messaging. A person sack enter a chatroom, use an alias, and can talk to other members without revealing their true individuality. However, this raises an important question. If you can do all that without revealing your true identity can you really trust the person you are talking to? whoremaster you be certain that they are being honest with you? or so say that its not real and therefore they dont really worry about it, while others suggest that Internet relationships have a way of tapping into deep feelings and its easier to get hurt. Katz and Rice (2002, p286) suggest, students are opposition and dating on the internetthey even have monogamous relationships this way, notice others who might ask that they will not go out with them because they are dating someone. Various researches suggest that it is more common for young masses to meet and date people using the Internet and it is becoming more widely accepted as a social meeting point. This til now causes concerns about why people are choosing to use the Internet for this reason. some(prenominal) people feel more comfortable talking about feelings all over instant messaging, and this is especially true of shy people or people that feel trapped in an offline relationship.AddictionsThe Internet also has the notoriety of assist to create unhealthy dependences. The majority of UK bookmakers now run online websites in which people can make exactly the same bets they would in the betting betray, but from the comfort of their own home. The rate at which the online gambling indus quiz is commercialised today is astronomical. From 2005 to 2006 the sector has become the fifth largest adve rtiser online, jumping to 2.5 one million million from 911 million ads in the last year (Schepp, 2002). And this is without the likes of TV ads, magazine ads, and adverts on the radio. This means that the majority of people in society now crack online gambling as more acceptable than in recent years. anyhow the step-upd risk of fraud on the Internet, the online gambling also poses the serious problem of an easier way to get addicted. This is because it is comparatively easier to sit in battlefront of a computer and gamble than to walk to the nearest betting shop in the cold winter to make a bet. Gambling is however, scantily one of the addictions people are vulnerable to online. Mitchell (2000) uses the term Internet addiction to indicate the spectrum of additions that one is susceptible to on the Internet. He states that although there is some disagreement about whether Internet addiction is a real diagnosing, imperious Internet use has psychological dangers, and reports suc h behaviour can dissolving agent in the users having withdrawal symptoms, depression, social phobia, impulse control disorder, attention deficit disorder, etc.Viruses and HackingIn 2000, the cast of worldwide email mailboxes was put at 505 million, and this was expected to increase to 1.2 billion in 2005 (Interactive Data Corporation, 2001). Schofield (2001) points out that more than 100 million people use instant messaging (IM) programs on the net, and a growing number among them also use it to conveyance files. This number is obviously growing, but this example shows that online communication is becoming a overmuch widely used method of communication. Online communication such as email and instant messaging does not come without problems. Hindocha (2003) states that instant messengers can convert viruses and other malicious package as they provide the ability to transfer text as well as files. Viruses and malicious packet can be transferred to the recipients computer witho ut the knowledge of the user. This makes them very dangerous. As the use of online communication theory becomes more widespread, it is seen as an opportunity for people to gain access to the files on a computer. Hindocha (2003) gives the example of hackers using instant messaging to gain self-appointed access to computers, bypassing desktop and perimeter firewall implementations. This is a real concern for most users, especially as the instant messaging and email client software are trusted software for a home user, their personal learning stored on the computer, such as internet banking security details, identifying information that could be used in identity larceny, etc. are the risks. However, online communication software such as these are also often used in businesses also, and in this case, extensive records of financial information are vulnerable. Hindocha (2003) goes on to say about instant messaging systems, finding victims doesnt require examine unknown IP addresses, but rather simply selecting from an updated directory of buddy lists. This throws up serious concerns.Theft and FraudElectronic commerce faces the major threats of theft and fraud. Online theft commonly occurs in the form of identity theft, and less commonly, in a flash theft, for example by unauthorised access to bank accounts. Camp (2000) points out that while it whitethorn seem a gargantuan leap to transmute a bill of paper money for machine readable info streams, the value bound to the paper abstraction of wealth is simply a face of trust in the method of abstraction that is widely shared out and built over centuries. Money on the Internet is simply a different abstraction of wealth, and has similar issues with trust and risk as traditionalistic money, together with the additional dangers posed by the virtual nature of the environment. Because all communication on the Internet is vulnerable to unauthorised access, this means that it is relatively easy to commit fraud. Whe re legislation is not a deterrent, applied science is some none. Credit card fraud and theft, electronic banking theft, etc. are some of the more common crimes committed online involving money.What Makes It Safer Than The Physical World?Safe from present(prenominal) Physical HarmPerhaps the only upper hand the virtual world has is that its inhabitants are immune to the immediate threat of physical force-out one cannot be randomly mugged online. However, vulnerable people are equable susceptible to physical violence and harm, perhaps more to self-harm there are many websites that promote anorexia, suicide and self-harm, and this can leave a big impact on impressionable minds.Presence of Strong SafeguardsThe main honorableguards on the Internet are policing with the accompanying legislation, and engineering itself. There are organisations in place to deal with the abusive websites and forums, appropriate legislation to prevent child pornography, paedophilia, theft, fraud and a v ariety of other online crime. There is also a vast array of technology that can help keep adults and children safe online, from parental control software that can restrict the websites viewed by children, to anti-virus and coding software and firewalls that help prevent hacking and viruses and keep data safe.ConclusionStaying safe onlineIt is commonly accepted that the Internet provides us with opportunities that have been hitherto unavailable. many an(prenominal) sing the praises of this so-called information superhighway however, it is prudent not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the promising opportunities. citizenry should be made aware of the dangers lurking in the Internet, and be given the schooling and means to take steps to stay safe online. Just as children are taught not to speak to strangers in the real world, they should be taught not to speak to strangers online as well. Education in schools should include education about how to stay safe online just as children are taught that eating output and vegetables are healthy, they should also be taught that excessive online activities can lead to addiction, with respective(a) negative consequences. This is because the virtual world is not very different from the physical world in terms of people waiting to take utility of the weak and vulnerable, and also with respect to dangers such as addiction.The future of the virtual worldIn many ways, the virtual world is a reflection of the real world. After all, the people who inhabit the real world are the same people that also inhabit the virtual world. It follows therefore, that what people do and want to do in the real world, they would try to do in the virtual world too. Where the physical constraints of the virtual world restrict them, they would try to find ways to get around it. The rapid development of technology also gives rise to new means by which people can do things, beneficial or harmful. The development of virtual reality may mean that one day, people in the virtual world may not be immune to immediate physical harm either. However, the technology by itself is neither good nor bad it is the way the technology is put to use that creates positive and negative consequences for human beings. In the end, it can be said that virtual world is perhaps just as dangerous as the physical world.ReferencesCamp, L. J.(2000) Trust and Risk in Internet mercantilism Publication Cambridge, Mass MIT Press.Carnell, L. (2007) Pupils Internet Safety Online. Bullying Online online. Available at http//www.bullying.co.ukpupils/internet_safety.php (last accessed Aug 2007)Griffiths, M.D. (2002) The Social Impact of Internet Gambling Social Science calculating machine Review, Vol. 20, No. 3, 312-320 (2002) SAGE PublicationsGriffiths, M. (1998) Does Internet and computer addiction exist? Some case study evidence International Conference 25-27 March 1998, Bristol, UKIRISS 98 Conference Papers (Available online at http//www.intute. ac.uk/socialsciences/archive/iriss/papers/paper47.htm last accessed Aug 2007)Griffiths, M.D. (2000) Cyber Affairs. psychological science Review, 7, p28.Hindocha, N. (2003) Threats to Instant Messaging. Symantec Security Response, p3.Interactive Data Corporation (2001) Email mailboxes to increase to 1.2 billion worldwide by 2005 CNN.com (Available online at http//archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/09/19/email.usage.idg/ last accessed Aug 2007)Katz, J.E. and Rice, R.E. (2002) Social Consequences of Internet Use. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p286.Merkow, M. S. and Breithaupt, J. (2000) The Complete play to Internet Security fresh York AMACOM BooksMitchell, P. (2000) Internet addiction genuine diagnosis or not? The Lancet,Volume 355,Issue 9204,Pages 632-632OConnell, R. (n.d.) A Typology of Child Cyber Sexploitation and Online Grooming Practices. Cyberspace Research Unit UCLAN, p7-9.Schepp, D. (2002) Internet Gambling Hots Up BBC Online (Available online at http//news.bbc.c o.uk/2/hi/business/1834545.stm last accessed Aug 2007)Smith, J. and Machin, A.M. (2004) Youth Culture and New Technologies. New Media Technologies, QUT.