Issues+Online

toc

The web is a boundless and limitless source with information that is widely available. What is ethically correct or acceptable amongst different groups accessing the internet is still being defined. With the Internet increasing its amount of available content, many are concerned about the way this information is being used by others. Innovative ideas of transferring and accessing information efficiently and effectively are making it easy for people to copy information beyond their own fair use. There is also a wide group of people questioning the morality of the actions that occur on the web. Authorities are being questioned as to if they are taking a strong enough stance on these matters. The laws being created for the web are global, resulting in the regulations being broad and possibly impede in the growth of the internet.

Issues occurring on the internet deal with property, specifically file sharing, safety, pornography, plagiarism, privacy and protection.

=Piracy Issues=

The problem with file sharing, or peer-to-peer, is that people don’t always ask for, or receive, permission for the file they are requesting. Media-oriented companies are mainly suffering from these copyright infringements. Compression technology provides and easy and fast way for people to infringe their copyright in a matter of minutes or hours. People are receiving copies of the movies, songs, programs and even operating systems free from other people using programs such as Bittorrent and [|LimeWire]. They are receiving entertainment without proper reimbursement.

Exactly what is being done about this? Many laws are being created in favour of the media companies. Because of copyright issues, the rightful owner of the property is allowed to take compensation from the infringing parties. In other words, they may sue the person that illegitimately reproduced their intellectual property. The laws being made about copyright infringement however are far too [|broad and strict]. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) added a new section (S512) to the copyright act in 1996. This law has been taken advantage of by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), where they argued that there is an “inadequate privacy protection” with technologies like Bittorrent or (at the time) Napster. The copyright owners use peer-to-peer clients like these to collect and track IP addresses to sue those infringing their copyright. However, one such incident that was taken too far was when they even [|sued a 12-year-old] for copyright infringement. The maximum fine could have been as high as 150 000 USD per song she uploaded. These online regulations are far too strict and should be revised in such a way that severity of the situation is looked at when they download or upload. Noted law professor, Michael Geist, fears similar legislation could be introduced in Canada. He feels this will erode civil rights, as copyright infringement is first and foremost a civil matter, not criminal.

=Pornographic Issues=

From soft-core to hard-core, from young to old, all different types of pornography can be found on the Internet without even searching. The problem with this is that kids are seeing these images at a young age when they are very incorrigible. An even greater problem is that pornography is being created and circulated when participants did not give permission for this material to be on the Internet. This exploitation mainly targets women, and can be seen happening mainly to celebrities such as the infamous //[|Paris Hilton Video]//, or the [|DK Puram School Scandal Video]//.// This is not a problem that targets women exclusively. It also happens to children. Child pornography is being published online and it is easily accessible to anyone.

What is being done to prevent women and children from being exposed online in this unlawful and degrading manner? Many companies have created solutions for parents to keep kids from seeing objectionable content. Some examples of these programs are Norton Internet Security and NetNanny. It is hard to keep children from seeing these images since they are so pervasive online, however. In extreme cases, such as publishing pornography without the subject’s consent, many police forces are trying to rescue children from being abused by creating fake kiddy porn sites and tracing IP addresses. It is impossible to track the multitude of indecent advertisements. The Internet has lowered the barrier of publication to such a point that it is impossible to stop amateur video from reaching anyone who wants it. Even [|tracking down child pornography is hard] because it could take months before the perpetrator is found, and the abuse stops. As much as the Internet can be an extremely useful tool it can also be a dangerous place for unsupervised children. Parents should be cautious and aware of their children’s usage of the internet.

=Racism Issues=

It is easy and fast to distribute hate messages online because the transfer of information and pictures – is quick, cheap and easy online. Any viewer can easily access the Internet and will be able to browse the Web. It is especially easy for children and young adults to come across racism material online. Also the “Web's flexibility, ease of mass customization and use of low-tech tools, enticement of downloads, appeal of clip-and-paste banners, the dynamics of unexpected pop-ups, the scope for merchandizing” allows for unregulated and unrestricted access to information (Bojin & Rajagopal).

For example the Ku Klux Klan has a massive Web-based presence. They can spread news much quicker online through, newsgroups, mailing lists, Internet relay chat (IRC) channels. News can travel faster because it is inexpensive and adaptable. Hate messages and racism can travel much quicker online than it can on TV because the television is monitored by a group of people. Everything one sees and hears is filtered through but when it comes to the Internet, almost anything can be put up including things that are inappropriate. There is no one to monitor your actions online therefore this can create utter chaos. This is why racism can be delivered faster and much more heavily on the Internet (Bojin & Rajagopal). Racism is a big problem, which is very much expressed online. Hopefully there will be a day when society will not be plagued by this horrific ordeal and learn to live in peace within one another.

=Plagiarism Issues=

There is an abundant amount of information on the Internet, enough to allow someone who knows nothing about a topic to pass information off as their own. This is happening at many educational institutions. With so much information to be found on the net, it is sometimes impossible to find out if someone has plagiarized an essay, or stolen some information off the web to use it in a project.

Papers are being retrieved electronically via spider bots to gather databases of supposedly legitimate work. Each phrase in a student’s essay is compared to this database to see if it matches up with anything else on the web. Companies such as “[|TurnItIn.com]” exist to help instructors track down offenders. When students submit their work to the professor, however, it automatically indexes the students’ intellectual property. There is no way for a student to get around this program and give it straight to the instructor. All work submitted to TurnItIn.com is added to their own database, thus expanding their offering and profit, without compensation to the submitter. A [|McGill] student who disagrees with the plagiarism detector argues that “it’s offensive to most students who are honest and work hard to create original material.”

=Privacy Issues=

There are many incidences regarding identity theft, crackers and invasion of personal information – banking information, SIN number, and other personal information. These issues are readily addressed on the internet, heard on the news and read in the news papers. People are afraid of providing personal information on the internet or even visiting different sites since it increases identity theft. These fears exceed to sending and receiving personal information online or even visiting sites and having their [|activities logged and used by someone else]. Programs, like key loggers and activity trackers, can send passwords, contact information and other personal information to external and undesirable sources. This can be a reason for people abstaining from interactive technologies and thereby becoming or remaining distant users. Many are still afraid to use the internet for personal benefits such as paying off credit cards, buying products online, searching for information or using e-mail because they are afraid of being scammed or people stealing their personal information and then using it for their benefits. With the internet still being defined and protection laws being implemented there are still many insecurities. These insecurities restrict technological advancements with the readiness and availability of information.

What is being done to keep information private? Many companies have started to invest in encryption software. This ensures that only the intended users have access to the desired information. This makes it difficult for interceptors and crackers to decode and view the information. Other companies have invested in other security measures to identify and/or require permission for access. Firewalls, offered by companies like [|Zone Alarm], [|CheckPoint], and Micro Trend PC-Cillin, are used to fend off and identify unwanted intruders. Not only can businesses use these defense systems, they are also available for personal users. Where privacy may become a sticky issue, however, is when software is made available to the government and businesses to monitor certain levels of security infringements and breech business policies. This would monitor employee and criminal uses and flag certain activities. Parents are also held responsible for what their children or others do with their personal computer and thus they should know what is happening or what is going on their computer. Although there have been serious advancements in protective systems there is still room for improvements.

=Protection Issues=

As information is uploaded, downloaded, sent and received users have become more protective of their information and aware of invasion issues. Viruses and hackers have made it a necessity for users to learn how to protect themselves and their information. [|Viruses and spyware are easily obtained] through internet surfing, downloading, and checking e-mails. This makes it pertinent for users to protect themselves with antiviral and anti-spyware software, like Norton, Adaware, and PC-Cillin. These softwares require frequent program and definition updating since hackers are developing new and more harmful viruses and spyware. Firewalls are used to protect user information from being accessed, modified, or deleted by restricting user admittance.

How can users be sure that they, and their information, are protected? As protective software develops and becomes more effective, viruses also develop in ways that the software does not protect against. This means, for a user to stay protected, they must keep their software up to date and be smart about their internet usage. Scanning their computer regularly with antiviral and anti-spyware software will ensure this for the users. Personalizing the firewall settings will give users the added security of protection, as it will disallow any unwanted activities. This will also disable others from editing, adding or deleting files and information from the user’s computer without their permission. Auditing other users’ activities on the computer will also reinforce safety and protection. Finally, monitoring access to the user’s computer whiles seeking remote assistance or remotely accessing information will let the user prevent hacker trespassing.

The Internet does not discriminate against information. Piracy, pornography, plagiarism, and the lack of privacy and protection would all be able to exist, even without the Internet since it simply acts as a medium. It is up to the users to filter and determine the morality of the content they choose to put online. The moral compass of its users determines the ethical direction of the Internet.

=Bibliography=

Associated Press. __12-Year-Old Sued for Music Downloading__. September 09, 2003. Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,96797,00.html Bojin, Nis & Rajagopal Indhu. __Digital Representation: Racism on the World Wide Web__. Available at http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_10/rajagopal/#r4 [accessed from 26 February 2006]. Caruso, David B. __Combatting Kiddie Porn__. April 6, 2003. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/06/tech/main547996.shtml NDTV Correspondent. __MMS scandal sparks off debate__. November 28, 2004. NDTV. [|http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?...] Recording Industry Association of America. __Recording Industry To Begin Collecting Evidence And Preparing Lawsuits Against File "Sharers" Who Illegally Offer Music__. June 25, 2003. Recording Industry Association of America Online. http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/062503.asp Reuters. __Paris____Hilton Sues Over Internet Sex Tape__. February 9, 2004. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/02/09/paris.lawsuit.reut/