User Guide

User’s Guide 57
Internet Security and Privacy
 NOTE: HTML is a set of comm ands designed to be interpreted by Web
browsers. An HTML document consists of content (prose, graphics,
video, etc.) and a series of commands that tell a W eb browser how to
display the content.
Privacy and security on the Web
Before the advent of the Web, Internet security usually posed a problem only
forsystemadministratorstryingtok eepmeddlesomehackersawayfromtheir
systems. When the Web arrived, the popularit y of the Internet skyrocketed.
Almost overnight, people began doing all sorts of potentially sensitive
activitiesovertheInternet,including:bankingandstocktransactions;sending
personaldatatoWeb sites;performingWeb searches;andorderingbooksand
clothes. Whilethe Web is responsible for makingthe Internet more accessible,
it also opens new possibilities for data theft, invasions of privacy, and fraud.
Why does Internet privacy matter to me?
Stepback andconsider therange ofsensitive transactionswe make every day.
Asanexample,considerasimpleATMtransaction:Weassumethatfollowing
conditions prevail whenever we use our ATM cards:
• Privacy: Only you and the intended recipient can access the transaction
information.ThePINyou usetoaccess yourbank accountprovidesafairly
highlevelofprivacy—aslong asyoudon’tshareyourPIN withothers,and
don’t leave your card lying around, your checking account balance is safe
from prying eyes.
• Integrity : Nothing can intervene and change the information during the
transaction. When we take twentydollarsoutofour checking account, we
have a reasonable expectation that the ATM will not add an extra zero.
• Trust: You can trust that the recipientis whotheyclaim to be; therecipient
cantrustthatyouarewhoyouclaimtobe.
Organizationslikebanksandinsurancecompaniesarelegally obligedtoabide
by federal statutes that govern the sanctity of your transaction information.
The problem with Internet is that it has not yet evolved into well-established
institutional mechanisms that guarantee the sanctity of your information.