Internet Information Server 5


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Internet Information Server 5

Internet Information Server 5

Some people do not feel comfortable including their home address and phone number in the local phone directory. But just because the information is not listed on paper doesn't mean it is unavailable. Privacy laws protect personal information; however, by simply using home internet service, a user may unknowingly place it up for grabs.

Internet Protocol Address

Every computer and device connected to the internet is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address which is used to identify online usage. An IP address can be "static", meaning it does not change, or "dynamic", meaning it changes periodically. Every Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses IP addresses as a way of tracking a user's browsing history and information she may have posted online (i.e. photographs and blogs). An ISP can use the information it receives and cross-reference it with internet web server logs in order to link online activity to a specific user account and potentially an individual.

Personal Information on the Internet

Cookies can be used as online storage devices which provide websites with a way of tracking a visitor's browsing habits. Each cookie contains information which is fed through the user's web browser, allowing sites to obtain information such as online purchasing details to better market advertising toward her personal interests.

"Incredibly detailed data about our lives are being harvested from online databases without our awareness, much less our approval." Nicholas Carr of the Wall Street Journal states, "Pretty much everything we do online, down to individual keystrokes and clicks, is recorded, stored in cookies and corporate databases, and connected to our identities, either explicitly through our user names, credit-card numbers and the IP addresses assigned to our computers, or implicitly through our searching, surfing and purchasing histories."

Privacy laws do not restrict businesses from utilizing services from websites such as www.tracemyip.org on their own sites, which allow a site to easily obtain information from visitors such as IP addresses, Geographical locations, and even real time web browsing history.

Phishing and Pharming

Phishing is a term used to describe emails or other online communication that provides a link to a false website that looks identical to a real one, such as an online banking or credit card website. Typically, these messages state that the user's personal information needs to be updated and informs her to click on a provided link. By accessing the false website and entering her login information, her personal information can easily be obtained by an unauthorized source.

Pharming is a similar technique, but rather than providing a user with a link to a false website, a virus is injected into her computer which automatically redirects her to a false site when she types in the exact address of the legitimate one. Because the false site looks identical to the real site, a user typically does not realize the difference until it's too late.