Internet Privacy: Is it Possible?

My Definition of privacy is being able to seclude ones self from any unwanted attention from another person. Because privacy has always been and will always be an issue, it is often times taken advantage of.

Crimes that are performed on the internet that intrude on ones privacy have been labeled as “cybercrimes,” which would involve any crime performed electronically via the internet that is not physically visible until after the crime has been committed. In order to commit a cybercrime, personal or organizational privacy must be invaded. These cybercrimes have become a very big concern and show no sign of slowing down any time soon according to Gregory M. LambStaff of the Christian Science Monitor. An example of a cybercrime would be any form of identity theft, where ones identity is stolen through a social security number retrieved on the internet and used to make purchases.

Another form of privacy invasion on the internet involves self disclosure and the dissemination of ones personal life and attributes online for anyone to see. This has become an increasingly debated topic in the past two years due to the intensifying popularity of websites like my space and face book, which allow people to network to each other and share friends and experiences virtually.

The problem with self disclosure on the internet arises when people disclose too much information that puts them in danger. For example many pedophiles join these websites and pretend to be teenage boys and schedule arrangements with young girls within their residential area. It’s a sickening truth that has been featured on all news programs including NPR, which is one of the most respected news providers in the country.

Even though self disclosure on the internet can lead to dire consequences, it can be prevented, whereas identity theft for example is much harder to prevent.

It is obvious to all people, whether one is computer literate or not that cybercrimes are an increasingly menacing plague on society, which take millions of dollars away from the economy and pilfer money from citizens. More money is spent each year trying to prevent these crimes from happening. The fact that many of these crimes could not have been prevented by the average person, even if they were being cautious is what makes cybercrimes so daunting.

I saw a special documentary on hackers on the discovery channel and when one infamous hacker was interviewed, he said that there will always be a loophole in computer and network systems. He further stated that advances in firewalls and other security devices will only delay hackers from getting in; it won’t prevent them. This shows that if computers are built by man, then they can be taken apart by man.

As for my personal experience with privacy on the internet, I have none that are personal because I don’t disclose much information about myself online. I don’t have a my space account, nor do I have an instant messenger account. Although I have witnessed a security threat occur within the network of the company I work for, which is Best Buy.

Around a year ago, our whole company intranet was down due to a virus that made its way into the Best Buy server, causing all credit transactions to be manually overridden, called through and verified with the bank. You can imagine the long lines that customers had to wait in and the stress this caused employees. In fact many customers walked out, which I don’t blame them for doing. This caused the company to provide more labor for the four days our network was down, costing a lot of money in labor dollars and lost sales due to long waits.

This type of security issue is not uncommon within many organizations and corporations. Companies have to pay people to monitor the servers to prevent possible threats because the loss of money isn’t the only concern; the loss of client’s personal information is another huge concern. Losing client’s information has even occurred within the FBI. It is easy to see how these types of security threats can hinder the growth of the internet. An unknown author for New Age Media points out that “concerns over privacy and security are a major obstacle to businesses wishing to make wider use of the internet.” This author suggests that it would be easier and more cost efficient to use the internet for certain business operations, but if something were to happen, then it might depose the company.

Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz of the USA Today state that U.S. businesses lose 67.2 Billion dollars per year due to computer-related crimes according to the FBI. Individual citizens have lost 93.8 million dollars since 2005 due to stolen personal information.

In my opinion, the so called hackers of the internet are winning and we as citizens are losing. A couple of things can be done to combat cybercrime. We should educate young people, who are the ones mainly using computers about precautions to take when online and eventually that information will disseminate to less computer literate people. The government also has to fight back a little harder and close these so called “hacker forums,” that sell services that help in stealing peoples identities. Stricter sentences should be served to those caught.

I think cybercrime is here to stay, at least for my generation. But we can help the situation a little more than we have been by putting more resources towards stopping these people and encouraging children interested in computers to aim for a professional and honest career in the computer market.

References

Acohido, Byron & Swartz, Jon. (2006, October 12).Cybercrime flourishes in online hacker
forums.
Retrieved February 14, 2007, From http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/.

LambStaff, Gregory M. (2006, June 28). Does digital age spell privacy’s doom? Retrieved
February 14, 2007, From http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/.

New Media Age. (2006, March 24). Online Security: Customer Privacy. Retrieved February 14,
2007, From http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/.