Internet Privacy and Security: A Relative Term in the Eyes of Others
Imagine you’re signing up for a cool new website. The process is free, and you just need to put in some personal information. You happily type in your information, and click submit. You think you’ve just signed up for this cool new website, but the truth is you’ve most likely just given a company access to your personal information. In addition, they can then sell this information to other third-party companies all over the globe. No one wants this, however it inevitably happens. As the world turns towards the digital age, we take security for granted. It is not something many people think about, and it is becoming more of an issue. The idea of “internet privacy” is a deception that most people often fall for. The belief that you truly have all of your information privately secured away from hackers and other companies is just not true, no matter how secure it may seem.
Why is this becoming such an issue now? It turns out the cause is mostly a result of personal experience. According to a report from National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce “Perhaps the most direct threat to maintaining consumer trust is negative personal experience. Nineteen percent of Internet-using households—representing nearly 19 million households—reported that they had been affected by an online security breach, identity theft, or similar malicious activity during the 12 months prior to the July 2015 survey.” There is no doubt this is a common issue among many people; 19 million households equate to just over 15% of all households in the US. The bigger issue is the fact people who experienced breaches or theft had not been online for some time, meaning information previously given had been stored for a long time. “Forty-five percent of online households reported that these concerns stopped them from conducting financial transactions, buying goods or services, posting on social networks, or expressing opinions on controversial or political issues via the Internet, and 30 percent refrained from at least two of these activities.” (NTIA). The effect of a security/privacy breach can be devastating. It was a big fear in the days leading up to the election. According to the FBI, both Arizona and Illinois were suspected of having their central voting databases “probed” by hackers. Though it would not be the fault of the people both voting and hosting polling places, it could have skewed or altered data which could have affected the outcome of the election.
So what’s the cause? Who is behind these problems? Though it would be nice to pinpoint an exact source, unfortunately there are many, many different sources that can contribute o a breach. When people think of online breaches, they think of places overseas such as Ukraine or Nigeria. A typical red flag that tends to stand out in the eyes of the public is the US government. The government has been involved in many online privacy issues, but according to a report done by CBS News, “Congressional investigators say a huge majority of federal Web sites fail to measure up to the Federal Trade Commission's standards for Internet privacy, including the FTC's own site.” The FTC promotes standards that all online websites should follow in order to ensure maximum security of online privacy. If these standards are not adhered to, they can result in the stealing of important information. Who exactly is affected by this? It is not just limited to the general public. In a report written by NC State University, “One of [Ohio State University’s] break ins allowed [a] criminal to get 137,000 social security numbers. At Georgia Tech an intruder was able to steal 57,000 credit card numbers. Something similar happened at University of Texas in Austin when someone broke [into] a server and got social security numbers and email addresses of more than 55,000 students, former students, and employees.” Schools are a huge target of this type of privacy breach, and it can affect thousands of people in a multitude of ways. An example of this is credit card ratings. If people are putting charges under your social security number or credit card number, your credit rating goes down. This can ultimately affect your ability to get a job, own a house or car, or buy things using a credit card; the effect starts small and then grows into a much larger problem.
How could so many people be affected? Schools are just one example of large scale breaches. In 2013, Target experienced one of the worst security breaches in history; millions of credit card numbers and information were stolen through Target, which affected not only the customers whose information was stolen, but the whole ordeal ended up costing Target a total of $162 million. The interesting part of this case was the fact that the information stolen was not from online; it was through malware uploaded to Target’s Point-Of-Sale (POS) systems that tracked and received credit card information. This malware went undetected and was able to collect 70 million customer’ information before being uncovered. According to an article by US News, “So far [as of August of 2015], 505 data breaches have targeted businesses, government agencies and other institutions, exposing more than 139 million records, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.” Another example of this was the Ashley Madison website scandal where “The 30 million users of AshleyMadison.com thought they had some privacy – until hackers last week exposed their names, addresses and credit card payments.” (US News). The scale at which this information is exposed is terrifying, and many companies have implemented numerous methods of preventing hackers from being able to take people’s information.
With so many people becoming more trusting of the internet, there is reason for caution within websites. Personal information can become public information extremely quickly- and all because someone simply wanted to sign up for a website. Sure, there are some things that do still pose concerns and are not caught by online services that protect against malware, but given the way the world is going there are plenty of things to be done about it. Multiple companies, such as Verizon, have offered tips on keeping personal information and internet safe, including occasionally attempting to “attack your own network regularly to find holes in your security posture — preferably before the bad guys find and exploit the same flaws.” It is a dangerous, digital world we live in, and therefore we need to be more alert about online privacy and security than ever before.
Works Cited
Goldberg, Rafi. "Lack of Trust in Internet Privacy and Security May Deter Economic and Other Online Activities." Home Page. U.S. Department of Commerce, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Risen, Tom. "The Illusion of Online Privacy." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 25 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
"Web Privacy." Web Privacy. NC State University, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
@LifeHealthPro. "The 10 Most Expensive Data Breaches." LifeHealthPro: Life & Health Insurance News & Sales Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Sanger, David E. "Five Possible Hacks to Worry About Before Election Day." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Nov. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Picture Link: https://www.fraudtechwire.com/how-do-security-breaches-affect-brand-reputation/
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