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NOTE: HTML is a set of commands designed to be interpreted by Web
Privacy and security on the Web
Before the advent of the Web, Internet security usually posed a problem only
for system administrators trying to keep meddlesome hackers away from their
systems. When the Web arrived, the popularity of the Internet skyrocketed.
Almost overnight, people began doing all sorts of potentially sensitive
activities over the Internet, including banking and stock transactions, sending
personal data to Web sites, performing Web searches, and ordering books and
clothes. So, while the Web is responsible for making the Internet more
accessible, it also opens up new possibilities for data theft, invasions of
privacy, and fraud.
Why does Internet privacy matter to me?
Step back and consider the range of sensitive transactions we make every day.
As an example, consider a simple ATM transaction: We assume that following
conditions prevail whenever we use our ATM cards:
• Privacy: Only you and the intended recipient can access the transaction
information. The PIN you use to access your bank account provides a fairly
high level of privacy—as long as you don't share your PIN with others, and
don't leave your card lying around, your checking account balance is safe
from prying eyes.
• Integrity: Nothing can intervene and change the information during the
transaction. When we take twenty dollars out of our checking account, we
have a reasonable expectation that the ATM will not add an extra zero.
• Trust: You can trust that the recipient is who they claim to be; the recipient
can trust that you are who you claim to be.
Organizations like banks and insurance companies are legally obliged to abide
by federal statutes that govern the sanctity of your transaction information.
The problem with Internet is that it has not yet evolved well-established
institutional mechanisms that guarantee the sanctity of your information.
browsers. An HTML document consists of content (prose, graphics,
video, etc.) and a series of commands that tell a Web browser how to
display the content.
Internet Security and Privacy
User's Guide
61
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