Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Network and Internet
Privacy.Concerns
The Internet has changed the way people live, learn, and communicate.
While the Internet offers enormous power to communicate and to find
information, it also makes us more vulnerable to invasions of privacy. The
Internet consists of vast amounts of data spread globally across millions
of websites; thanks to the sheer size and scope of the Internet, it's impos-
sible to know how all this information is stored and how private it is!
Here are just a few of the ways in which using networks and the Internet
can put your privacy at risk:
◾
When you use a search engine, the search engine site can gather
information about you based on the terms you search for and the
questions you ask.
◾
When you provide personal information on the Internet—such as
your name, address, email, and so forth—to a website, that website
can store the information and perhaps use it for purposes other
than those you intended.
Be aware of the personal information you make available online. That information may spread far beyond the
sites you contact directly!
CAUTION
◾
Your computer has a unique identity. Someone who knows this
unique identity can access your computer via a network and view,
change, or delete your personal data.
Data Storage
When you store data on your computer, you store it as files. As the num-
ber of files grows, it becomes harder to locate the data you want. This is
where databases come in. A
database
stores data in a way that enables
you to search for and locate it quickly.
database
A collection of data stored in a struc-
tured format, with the same facts stored about
each instance. A database stores data in a way
that enables you to search and locate it quickly.
There are millions of databases worldwide that, together, store billions
of files. Often, these files contain information about individuals. For
example, large companies have databases that contain information about
their customers. Similarly, social networks like Facebook have huge data-
bases to store the information about their users. If these networks are
vulnerable to unauthorized access, sensitive data for many people may be
compromised.
Most of this data is stored by private companies, and we rely upon them
to handle personal data with care. Everything should be based on the
principle of least privilege—that is, you give people minimum access for
the jobs they have to do. If you request data about yourself, that is all
you should see—no one else's details.
