Internet has made life easier for many due to several reasons. To name a few, it is easier, faster and cheaper to communicate using the internet. It allows access to a massive pool of information while creating a platform to share ideas and experiences. It is also a popular medium of entertainment with access to a vast selection of multimedia and is an avenue to conduct various business transactions. Hence, there is no doubt that internet has a significant impact on every part of our lives.
Although the internet has made life convenient by allowing us to do everything from shopping to corresponding online, it can have adverse effects on users if they are not careful when using the internet. Some of these issues include;
- Stealing of Personal Information: On the internet, the shared personal information of an internet user is accessible by other users. Hence one has to be very cautious of what they share in an online platform, whether it is your contact details or credit card information. Credit card information theft can easily take place when conducting financial transactions online. Although this is a common type of theft on the internet, it is not easily traceable.
- Inappropriate content: This is an issue that concerns mainly the underage internet users (children). As there is no way of verifying one’s identity online, determining whether the end user is a child or an adult is an impossible task. Access to such content has become easier even more with internet enabled devices such as cell phones, iPads, and tablets. Although these kinds of websites are not easily accessible, they often appear as pop-ups and add-ons in secure sites that may lead a child to accidently stumble upon such content.
- Viruses and malware: Viruses on the internet could lead to loss of important files on your computer, or your secure information being accessed by a third party.
- Securing information online: One should make effort to protect one’s personal information online. One way to do this is to share your details such as contact information, credit card information only with selected people. If you get an email asking for information from a company that claims to have an account with you, it is always recommended to call their customer service to verify its truthfulness. On social networking sites too, it is advised to use some amount of privacy, and not share personal details with the public.
- Protection from viruses: The best way to ensure the safety of your computer and data from viruses is to install anti-malware software. It is also advisable that you don’t open any emails unless you know who it is from, or click on any links received via email since this is the most common way of spreading viruses.
- Protecting from Inappropriate content: Parents could set up parental controls on the computers. You can employ the use of kid-friendly search engines, and block pop-ups to prevent the children from accidentally stumbling upon inappropriate web content. However, even this will not ensure their safety unless you make your child aware of safe internet usage.
There are also steps you can take to avoid these problems. If not entirely, at least the risk can be significantly minimized by following these simple steps.
Due to the increase usage of the internet in our daily lives, there is a greater chance that anyone may encounter various problems related to the internet. Therefore, it is important to take necessary measures to save your computer as well as yourself from these problems.
