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Cyberphobia

Cyberphobia by Edward Lucas is one of the books that perfectly suits readers of the 21st century. The 21st century can be considered as an era of technology. The information found these sources helps individuals to make informed choices. It is common to see people browsing the internet while sharing personal information on various websites. However, this habit exposes them to cyber terrorists that may dangerously use the data. In his book, Edward Lucas sheds light on essential issues such as identity theft, security, trust and the way they related to the internet. Even though none of the information in the book is new, most of the people tend to ignore it, and it has hard drastic effects in this era of the internet.

In the contemporary world, almost everyone especially students are compelled to use the internet as their primary source for research. This is because the internet has made it easier by providing any information we need at our fingertips. But people fail to ask how the internet is managing to do this. However, Edward Lucas suggests that if some thought is put into why and how the internet exists, it might dawn onto us that the internet may not be the best tool for us. It is only after putting in much thought we would understand the threat that comes with the internet. With the internet comes issues of security, trust, and identity theft, however, human beings of the 21st century have become very lazy to notice such matters.

Security over the internet has been an issue from the onset of technology. Even though the internet might seem to be safe because of the use of security checks as well as passwords, the information shared over it is not as private as we may believe since it can be accessed by anyone who knows the right buttons to press. As long as an individual understands to work his or her way around the internet, he or she can access our so-called private information without leaving a trace. The lack of privacy over the internet is a threat that not only affects individuals but also affects nations. Spies from other countries can easily access information from our nation through the use of the internet. Once the sensitive information is in the hands of wrong people things might turn from bad to worse. The primary reason as to why security, as well as the confidentiality of people and state information, has not been kept secret is because the internet was only made to serve people and not their security.

Lucas explains in detail that the inventor of the internet did not make it clear that the information found or shared on the internet is not entirely private. However, we got it wrong that information on the internet is not secure because of predators and cyber terrorists. The internet was not meant to be secure but only as a source of information. Therefore, keeping the information on the internet as secure as we wish is very hard. However, Lucas never ceases to wonder why an individual expects the information to be fully secure and private.

Currently, the internet is seen as a threat and an enemy to humanity and as a tool specially designed to ruin the lives of many. However, in the early years of the invention of the internet individuals were happy of the open source of information and never bothered to think about the long term consequences. Instead, the internet has been seen as a tool that helped turn the world into a small village. People could easily share information and communicate with each other across the globe, all at the same time. The internet was his magic wand sought by everyone, but it has now turned to be a nightmare. The problem of insecurity on the internet has made some people stay in total anonymity, but the majority of the world are ignorant and are sharing information out on the internet. Search engines like Google gathers information from its users such as birthdays, friends, and gadgets used as well as the location. Google has claimed that it is collecting this information to customize each experience for their client. This is one of the ways our private information is at risk.

The fact that most of our daily pieces of information are being leaked on the internet more people are falling victims of identity thefts. It is because of these issues that there has been an increase in financial misfortunes as well as legal suits. The entire website requiring enrollment needs the name and date of birth which is the only information that an experienced cyberterrorist would need to breach all our security measures and steal our identity or cause serious harm. This is the primary reason as to why human beings must be cautious as to where they provide their private information.

Private information over the internet is collected through the use of cookies. Almost all cites use cookies, which store particular information about the customer and the site. It is through the use of this information that a server can easily covey custom made pages for a given user. However, people do not consider the use of such data sharing to be unsafe, even though innovation progresses as well as ending up inescapable in normal daily existence. This is an example of people being more inclined to being defrauded. The risk does not affect only individuals but also affects the entire nation. Cyber warfare between countries is a developing danger thus making it a serious threat that the government must ensure they manage.

Countries are creating cybersecurity units to be used to manage hostile threats while the focus was not on local government offices in various nations. However, the internet generates new business as well as social opportunities which connect people within and without their nation. It is the depth and volume of people as well as the organization's data that makes it a lucrative target for cyber terrorists along with state-supported surveillance. There has been growth to cyber assaults that are supported by countries. This has seen an increase in the use of a digital weapon that can be used to accomplish the change in politics. All that is happening on the internet, which has prompted a disturbance to the system while reducing the confidence of all the internet users.

It is from the book that people learn that their willingness to share private information on the internet while ignoring the consequences of the level of insecurity on the internet. The detailed information about the security of people is relevant to the users of the internet today who believe in sharing their personal information with their friends without caring who might be watching or accessing it. The users have made themselves vulnerable, and in case of any harm, it is their fault. The user has to be careful about when and how they share their personal information over the internet. Despite all this, various issues arise because of the insecurities of the internet. However, the problem stems from the ignorance of the internet user — Lucas’ intent is to share some information which would be educative and relevant to the era of technology.

Reference

Lucas, Edward. Cyberphobia: Identity, Trust, Security and the Internet. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.