Internet: Cyberlaw and Internet Dangers

Most of us would be lost without our Internet connection. We use it to look things up, pay our bills, keep in contact with others, and buy things, but there are dangers lurking everywhere. Here are some of the types of cyberlaw that exist:

Hackers are like burglars—they break in, enter and steal information or cause damage. Phishing is one of the scams that hackers use. They build websites that look legitimate, hoping that people will enter the personal information they need to access your information.

Cybertheft is the crime of illegal downloads. Anyone who has illegally downloaded a movie, music, games, or software is guilty of theft and violating copyright laws.

Identity theft is one of the largest cyber crimes. The target is financial accounts, social security numbers, and other personal identification. When cybercrooks get your information, they may use it to make purchases or drain your accounts.

Many people have been victims of a computer virus or worm, which is a malicious program that can damage computers, steal information, or gain access to systems. Others have been subject to invasion of privacy, which occurs when someone hacks into your computer and reads your emails, monitors your online activity, or sends emails in your name.

Cyberstalking is online harassment. The stalkers will infect their victim’s computer with malware and log all the computer activity. They may also contact the victim’s friends and colleagues to try to get more information about the victim or to pass rumors about the victim.

One of the worst cyber crimes is child pornography and child solicitation. Child predators spend time in chat rooms looking for victims, and unfortunately, are often successful.
You can avoid being a victim of a cyber crime by taking some simple steps to protect yourself. First, make sure you have installed anti-virus software on your computer. It’s also important to remember to update your software and perform regular scans of your system. You can automatically set most anti-virus programs to do these things on a schedule.

It’s also smart to turn on your spam blocker to keep unwanted messages from getting into your email. Your computer’s firewall should be turned on because it will also help keep the hackers from getting into your computer. You can use encryption for your important data to make it unreadable by hackers.

Another way to protect yourself is to protect your personal information, such as your name, social security number, bank account or credit card number, and home address by not giving it out on websites that you don’t know anything about. Only shop on websites that are secure. They have a VeriSign or TRUSTe seal, or the URL starts with “https”.

Have strong passwords that are at least eight characters long and include both letters and numbers. Don’t use real words, personal information, or your login name. If you write them down, keep them in a secure place, and never share them over the phone or over the Internet. Change your passwords often as well.

Monitor what your children are looking at. You can use parental control software that limits the sites your children can get access to. Both you and your children also need to remember that whatever you put online will be accessible to everyone around the world and is permanent, so you need to be careful what you post.

Also be careful about what you share online on social media sites, and the people you “friend” or allow to follow you. Predators are looking for people who unwisely give out information so they can steal your identity or stalk you.

If you believe you’ve been a victim of a cybercrime, it’s important that you report it to the authorities so an investigation can begin immediately. If you believe your bank accounts and credit card accounts have been compromised, call the bank and credit card companies and take the proper steps to close the accounts.

This article is in no way meant as a substitute for legal advice. It is a general article to relate facts about the law in broad terms. If you have questions about your personal situation, please contact an attorney for assistance.