Week 4: Lister C

As I mentioned in week 1’s blog, the idea of negative aspects of the internet need to addressed. Various ‘dangerous materials’ such as pop ups, spam, fraud and children’s safety all make you question how safe the internet really is. Views around the safety of the internet are highlighted every day. These ‘materials’ are easily accessible on the internet as you can access them much easier on the web than in real life. For example in real life a 16 year old can be asked for ID proving their age when wanting to buy an 18 rated DVD , whereas on the internet many sites just have a pop up or a block saying ‘Only access this site if you are over 18’ but still allow them to continue you as there is no way to determine how old they actually are.

Most users don’t realise that they have to have software such as antivirus software, firewalls and blocks to prevent these ‘dangerous materials’ being explored by the wrong people. Luckily nowadays anti-virus software is offered to you when puchasing a computer. There are also adverts on the TV, radio and the internet warning you of the dangers of the internet.This just goes to show that the so called ‘freedom’ of the internet isn’t always a good thing, as the wrong people can access things that they shouldn’t. It also implies that companies and businesses are trying to overcome this negative aras of the internet by warning you of the various security issues. Ideas based around identity fraud, bullying and paedophilia can also be mentioned here as these too are seen as ideas of dangerous materials. People can easily hack your computers and find personal information out about yourself such as bank details, your address etc and use them to in a negative way. It is weird to think that the ‘freedom’ that you have on the internet actually can be negative when it comes to people accessing your details and using them against you.