Internet

            In a time where computers act as the glue holding the world together, does the Internet invade the privacy if people too much? Everything is on the Internet; One just needs to know where to look. Pictures, information, and even credit card numbers can be found on the Internet. Nothing can completely stop others from obtaining this information. In the movie "The Net", Sandra Bullock's character was stripped of her identity. Her old life was replaced with a new, twisted life through the Internet. This situation is an obvious extreme, but it is possible. People are given unrestricted access to people of all ages. Young children are allowed to locate anything they want know or see. The Internet takes away needed, personal privacy. Too much personal information can be obtained and too much access is granted to all internet users.
             The Internet has many positive aspects: communication, research, and unlimited information. Many people, however, are deceived by how secure the websites they visit are. Every location that is visited by a user is stored, not only on the hard drive, but by the Internet company being used. With this stored information, it is easy for anyone on the Internet to research a person by locating the sites in which they have visited; even the sites that say they are completly secure. For example, if a person purchases something off a particular website, many people can find out the item bought, the price it cost, and when the bought it. This piece of information gives someone an insight into another person's life without the person's knowledge. Also, many wrong assumptions are made about a person's likes and dislikes based on the sites in which they visit. This is how many cases of annoying mail solicitation occur. .
             The "cookie controversy" has been a hot topic of discussion in the online world. A "cookie" is a file in the hard drive that stores various information about the websites and its visitors.