INF103 Week 3 Discussion 1 Information Security and Privacy

The text begins the chapter with a great analogy, a computer is merely a tool and it is the user who decides how to use it. The example of how a carpenter and a burglar would both use a hammer, this is true of computers as well. The misuse of computers is why it is important to know about privacy and secure websites.

What should you know about website privacy?

The important thing to realize about privacy on the internet is that there are not a lot of sites that have full privacy. Modern browsers do offer you to use what is known as incognito mode which essentially blocks the browser from saving information.

How do you know when an online transaction is secure?

There are several indicators to secure transactions, the first is to fully trust the website URL. In the text it states that certain websites will begin with HTTPS, where the additional S stands for secure. Some sites often display some sort of padlock display that ensures that your information is safe as well. I would not consider any of these to be 100% effective but I would never trust a site that does not have either of these.

Why is Anti-spyware software important to my online security?

Spyware is a tricky program as it is installed without any knowledge to the owner of the computer and it collects information about them. Anti-spyware is a necessity before even browsing the internet. The anti-spyware is designed to detect and eliminate any unwanted spyware found on your computer.

References

Bowles, M. D. (2013). Introduction to digital literacy. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/