Out of all the three readings so far, I found this one the most interesting. It brings up the question of security and privacy making me weary of my Internet usage. For so many of us, I think we don’t take the time to realize or consider how much of our personal information is safe on the Internet. Personally, I hardly ever give websites any personal phone numbers or addresses unless they require it. However, if a website insists on getting my personal information or seems “sketchy”, I make up a fake number and address to input.
I also have quite a bit of questions. As an internet user for 75% of my life (yes, including the rather annoying dial-up too), I never really understood what the “Internet” was and I’m sure a lot of internet users like me don’t really get what or where the internet comes from. To branch off, since I never actively sought out an answer to “what is the Internet?” I also never sought out an answer to “what is the cloud?” The cloud just seemed to appear out of nowhere and I am still confused as to what it is. Where does my data go? Does it just sit in the air? (My older brother thoroughly confused me when I was younger by saying we breathe in the cloud.) I feel like I need to understand these things before I can go further, but at the same time, I feel like no matter how many times it’s explained to me, I still won’t get it.
- When does “Internet security” become a breach of one’s internet privacy? What crosses the line and where is that line drawn?
- How is it (still) appropriate for the US to keep Internet surveillance on users outside the US?
- So many people break the rules by illegally downloading copyrighted material (i.e. music, movies, books, etc.), how does the government determine WHO should be investigated and convicted?
- How will these rules and regulations grow as time goes by? How will it affect the next generation of internet users?
NOTE: I also don’t know when it’s appropriate to capitalize the word “Internet.” When do you “Internet” and “internet”? I don’t even know, I appreciate the internet but it confuses me so much. It’s too much technology for my brain to comprehend.