The internet has been around for quite some time now, although it was commercialized back in the 90s after the invention of web browsers that allowed people to access the web, still, that wasn’t the first instance of the internet being used.
The internet was developed in the 60s, at the peak of the cold war by DARPA as a medium to transmit data and information quickly and efficiently between government and armed forces, mostly by the CIA for espionage. Similar technologies were also developed on the other side of the world in the Soviet Union.
But what was developed as a technology to transmit sensitive data and information between governmental agencies turned out to be so much more. Today, the internet is being used in almost everything that has the slightest touch of technology to it.
From our daily interactions, mediums of communications, work and business environments, and even entertainment activities all these things have the inclusion of the internet in it, no matter the shape or form.
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What Are The Reasons Behind The Dangers Of The Internet?
There are reasons, which are quite substantial behind this immense increase in the usage and popularity of the internet. Now we are just enjoying the fruits of this technology but it was a journey comprising of decades that has brought the internet to this point.
With the passage of time and technological enhancements, the ease of access and the reduced cost of services became one of the major reasons behind the mass backing that the internet has received.
Talking about the cost factor it has come down significantly, for example, take a look at Cox Communications Plans, they not only have speeds ranging all the way up to 1 Gbps but the price of these packages is also quite reasonable.
This isn’t restricted to Cox only as most internet providers now offer many reasonably priced packages to which users can subscribe. Apart from cost, the other factor is the ease of accessibility as a good internet connection is widely available today not only in the US but in most parts of the world
This is exactly the reason why the internet is now being used by more than 54% of the world’s population, and if we take into account that the current population of the world has exceeded more than 8 billion people this number of internet users become staggering, to say the least.
This is a good thing considering so many people are adopting the digital way of life but in retrospect, this has also created a lot of problems in its own regard.
Why Do You Need to Be Careful Online?
Since everything has its merits and demerits, the internet is no different from this concept. With so many of its advantages on the side, this is also a fact that the internet is a tool of humongous proportions, and in the wrong hands, it can cause significant devastation.
Consider the internet as a dual-edged sword whose ultimate power lies in the hands of the wielder, and the unfortunate state of the fact is that not many presents on the internet have noble intentions.
Carrying forward this conversation, we will try to shed light on why the internet has become a dangerous place, and with that, identify the root cause that is leading the virtual space to be something we all should be cautious about.
1. Easy Access
What was the internet’s biggest strength has also become the major reason why cyberspace is becoming increasingly dangerous. Today the internet is so easily accessible that this access has reached places far and beyond.
This huge number of internet users aren’t just restricted to ones who are looking to take some positive advantages out of it but the majority of users are there to exploit countless innocent web users.
Anyone present on the internet no matter the place or location can contact anyone else through this virtual communication medium. This means that even people that are sitting thousands of kilometers away are not safe from a scammer who is physically quite far away from them.
This is the reason that we see cases like Indian and Nigerian scammers operating from their home countries scamming people for money, and in extreme cases holding their sensitive information at ransom for thousands of dollars.
Plus, since these criminals are operating from their own country it becomes increasingly difficult for law enforcement agencies to extradite them or do legal proceedings against them.
It even sounds scary that someone from the other corner of the world can have access to your personal files, data, or finical credentials and can use this information for malicious gains, and you can’t do anything about it.
2. Anonymity
This is another major factor that makes the internet quite dangerous. That’s because in most cases it is next to impossible to figure out who the person is on the other side of the screen that you’re interacting with.
Through this level of anonymity, people are often scammed either by someone pretending to be needing help, being catfished, or in cases like fake lucky draws, job offers, or sometimes even by scammers masquerading as the official representative of any big company like Microsoft.
Innocent users get into this trap and unintentionally give their sensitive information or in the worst case, the whole control of their device to these scammers. Once they are defrauded or their personal data is leaked, the cyber criminals vanish without a trace, and then it becomes increasingly difficult to trace them to recover the personal data or the money that was stolen.
3. Careless Usage
Another major factor why people are falling into the traps of these cybercriminals is because of their own careless nature and widespread usage. With the internet easily accessible to all it becomes increasingly dangerous in the case of minors and teenagers who make up a significant chunk of internet users today.
These kids and teenagers are the easiest targets on the list of these cybercriminals and this internet audience is the most careless one in their usage.
They download stuff from shady websites, pirate movies, games, and software, and put their parent’s financial credentials on any random place to buy anything without even giving it a second thought. And this careless behavior isn’t just restricted to youngsters but most adults are also of the same nature. Our safety is in our own hands so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Conclusion
The internet is a very powerful technology and there is no doubt about it. Talking about its positive aspects would take many articles like this one but this is also a fact that considering a tool of such immense it can also cause a great level of destruction as well if used for the wrong purposes.
This is why it is necessary to take into consideration the above-mentioned factors that make the internet dangerous and proceed with caution whenever using it.
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