*120058*
Педагогические науки/1. Дистанционное
образование в высшей школе
Tamara Stefanovska,
master's degree student
Tetyana Tarnavska, PhD, Associate Professor,
scientific adviser
National University of Life and Environmental
Sciences of Ukraine
Personal
Information Security
In
the global information society, more and more often people are conducting our
personal affairs online. Doing things online can offer convenience and widen
opportunities, but it can also lead to identity fraud or the misuse of the
information. Therefore, research in the field of protection of personal
information is of vital importance.
Personal
information is information or set of information about an individual who is
identified or can be specifically identified.
Some
websites offer users to provide personal information such as email address,
name, home or work address, or telephone number. Demographic information such
as zip code, age, gender, information about preferences, interests and favorite
activities may also be collected.
Personal
information is used to optimize the customer service performance, to simplify
the use of web sites and services by eliminating the need to repeatedly enter
the same data for research and analysis aimed at improving our products,
services and technologies, and to display content and advertising configured
according to the preferences and interests of the users.
Some
services allow the users to view or edit their personal information online.
Other people won’t be able to your private information, if you first log in to
the service. Methods of access to the personal information depend on the site
or service.
Users
can opt out of receiving emails from promotional materials from websites.
Some
websites consider it their duty to ensure the security of personal information.
To protect personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure, a
variety of security technologies and procedures can be applied.
Privacy and security are two things that
are hard to find on the Internet today. Many debates have risen concerning the
personal aspects of the Internet. Should we have privacy on the Internet? Or
should companies have the privilege to gather information about us? I believe
that our privacy and personal security should be top priority on the Internet.
Companies should not be able to invade our private life simply because we
visited their company website. However, privacy invasion has been commonly
linked with Internet use. Many companies are able to gather personal
information on those visiting their website, and also selling such information
to others for profit. As extreme as this may sound, this has become a
continuing trend on the Internet.
There are a lot of ways to gather personal
information. One simple way is thought e-mail scams. E-mail scams are very
similar to those that one receives over postal mail. They both promise some big
reward and in order to enter in this “contest” you must send in your personal
information. Other e-mail schemes include subject like “Get rich quick!”, which
only promise money, but end up being scams.
Another type of tool companies use to gain
our personal information is something called a cookie. A cookie gathers
information on what site you visit frequently and what your tastes are. This
can be a power tool for consumers, but severely invades our personal privacy.
On the Internet, our personal life is
simply marketable data. This is what bothers most people. Some people feel
threatened by every move they make on the web. They almost feel like one wrong
step on the net can ruin they personal and social life.
Currently, Microsoft and other businesses
are using a new form of technology to gather our personal information. Instead
of having to input your name, age, ZIP code, and other facts, this information
will now be stored on your hard drive. If any company decides to find out more
about the visitor to their site, they simply access this personal information.
This kind of technology could anger people.
Using today’s technology, people have
access to one’s personal information via the Internet. This kind of information
is readily available through certain websites. The Internet makes it possible
to type in a person’s name and find their address. In return, this could be a
potential tool for stalkers thus creating more fear in the minds of people.
Even though this tool could be used as a way of finding an old friend, it can
also result in negative repercussions.
New laws are being passed in order to
bring personal security on the net. Without these laws, the future of privacy
invasion could be devastating. For example, you go apply for a job and you get
rejected simply because you visited a pornographic site within the last year.
This example might sound extreme, but it could happen if the rules are not changed.
References
1. Microsoft Online Privacy Statement [Електронний ресурс].
Режим доступу : http://privacy.microsoft.com/UK-UA/fullnotice.mspx,
вільний. – Загол. з екрану. – Дата доступу : 15.10.12.
2. Protecting Personal Information // Social Security – The Official
Website of the U.S. Social Security Administration [Електронний ресурс].
Режим доступу : http://www.ssa.gov/payee/protecting_personal_info.htm,
вільний. – Загол. з екрану. – Дата доступу : 10.10.12.
3. Protecting your personal information online // ICO Information
Commissioner’s Office, 2010 [Електронний ресурс]. Режим доступу
: http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/practical_application/protecting_your_personal_information_online.pdf,
вільний. – Дата доступу : 01.10.12.