Internet Is A Helper But May Be A Nuisance

'Internet has become new service for helping most of the time but, there are certain occasions where it becomes a nuisance'

The internet has become a very popular tool at the hand of every one who is a computer literate person of course, used mostly to get information, shop online and download files, music and so on. But while surfing the internet for appropriate or specific information, we often end up wasting time with unwanted jargons and reacting to scam. We shall discuss deeper into these as we go on within the next chapters.

Most people use the internet as it is one of the easiest ways to search for information rather than going through books as an example but when looking for a particular note, we often end up wasting time by reading inappropriate notes. Search engines sometimes give inaccurate information as some of them might be outdated and not useful. Scam is another greater concern, here is what pc news magazine mention about scam" Consumers who respond to online get-rich-quick scams are likely to have their details added to "sucker lists" which are used by scammers to identify potential victims, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned." (http://www.pcmag.co.uk/news/1161151).Scam can be in the form of pop ups to which internet users can't surf the web anymore without being assaulted by annoying ads that suddenly appear on their computer screens pitching everything from cheap airline tickets to spy cameras and sometimes even producing executable files without your knowledge. An example is what could happen in reality to some internet users, falling into internet dialler scam. Basically the unsuspecting user unwillingly downloads the software that alters their usual ISP (internet service provider) dial up number to a premium rate number costing Ј1.50 per minute, so users end up getting a massive telephone bill.

Data also can be gathered indirectly, without your knowledge. For example, your travels around a web site can be tracked by a file called a cookie left on your computer's hard drive on your first visit to that site. When you revisit the site, it will open the cookie file and access the stored information so it will know how to greet you. You may even be welcomed by name. If you linger over a product or a subject that interests you, it will be noted. And soon, you may see ads on the site that look as if they've been custom tailored for you. As web sites gather information directly and indirectly, they can collect a complete data picture of you and your family. This kind of information is valuable to marketers because it helps them target their sales efforts, known as data mining. To avoid this what you can do is when you enter a web site look for a privacy policy that answers your questions about accuracy, access, security, and control of personal information, as well as how information will be used, and whether it will be provided to third parties.

Sometimes it happens that when you purchase an item from an online company that after a while they still send you email of other quite similar products which is on promotion and this is the worst thing especially if you don't intend to have any other information about these items. They will keep sending you mails and unless you unsubscribe from them you will still be getting lots of unwanted mail, so again it wastes your time to open your email account and proceed forward to stop these unwanted emails. Another growing concern is about viruses, they are lots of them these days and they install themselves on your computer without your knowledge most of the time. It seems like every few days there is news of a new computer virus or worm on the loose. In fact, some reports claim that there are "15 new viruses discovered each day" (http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=485) Although there are literally thousands of known computer viruses in the world today, most are variations of other viruses. This is fortunate because it makes it easier for antivirus software companies to quickly respond to new viruses. Just like real life viruses vary in severity, so do computer viruses. Some viruses are merely a nuisance that is they may flash a message on the screen on a certain date (such as the virus creator's birthday). Some are more dangerous. For example, some viruses may cause a random spontaneous reboot of your computer, causing