There are sites that receive great respect from its members and from visitors as well. This is largely because they have been quite successful in shielding both members and visitors from unscrupulous people. This is not to say though that the security measures that these sites have in place are completely fool-proof. It is quite possible that the sites themselves are leaking vital information to third parties. This was the case with Geocities, quite a prominent website discovered recently by the Federal Trade Commission to have sold personal information of its users to interested buyers.
Nevertheless, the internet security problem is not without a solution. Several developments have been made in recent years that somewhat protect the online privacy of both individuals and industries. Computer hardware now exists, which can discourage outside parties from prying into company files. For individual internet surfers, there are likewise softwares now available to keep their private files safe from intrusion by unknown people.
For the most part though, the primary concern among internet surfers is the privacy of their emails. For this, there are free softwares in the market that claim to have the capability to identify then eliminate unsolicited emails. However, many people acknowledge that encryption softwares provide the most effective solution. By far, the most effective of encryption software is the one developed by Phil Zimmerman, which is PGP.
Many web pages have likewise stepped up their campaign to give internet users better protection with regards to their privacy. For example, the new versions of both Internet Explorer and Nestcape have programs which enable users to discourage cookies from collecting data about them. Specifically, Microsoft Windows subscribers are now afforded the option to delete cookies software automatically by simply restarting the system.
If everything else fails and the privacy of an individual user still gets invaded in the end, there will always be courts where victims can seek help regarding the invasion of their privacy. While admitting that there is not too much precedent with regards to privacy invasion in the internet, still, there are several rulings that favor most internet users. A Philadelphia judge, for instance, made a ruling that it is illegal for companies to send internet users unsolicited emails. He said companies cannot invoke their First Amendment rights in such cases simply because they have none.
At present, federal law does not regulate the sending of unsolicited emails. It is entirely up to the individual states to decide what course of action to take with regards to the issue. In this regard, several states have actually taken the bold move of classifying the sending of unsolicited emails a criminal offense.
It is a different case however with emails containing defamatory messages. These are explicitly illegal in all states. As a matter of fact, several cases have been heard by the courts about this particular issue. Perhaps the most popular one is the case filed against several unknown personalities at Yahoo! by a company that requested the court to require Yahoo! to name the persons who have been sending the company several defamatory email messages. A subpoena was sent and was largely unchallenged by the respondent.
Other than unwanted emails, the issue of jurisdiction has also posed a problem for most internet users having questions about their online privacy being intruded. Several courts have refused to handle internet privacy cases simply on the basis that it does not hold jurisdiction over the web server being brought to the court. Nevertheless, a case in California, known as the Hall vs. LaRonde case, could provide a precedent. In the case, the California Appellate Court ruled that a contract consummated through the email can constitute jurisdiction. Hence, cases can be heard once jurisdiction is determined. Some sectors however contend that the ruling necessitates a modification of the traditional notion about court venues especially when the transient nature of most websites is taken into consideration.
For those who fear that seeking the assistance of the courts can be a tedious process and an overall waste of time, a most common remedy is to file a complaint with the service provider where the offending party is a subscriber. Additionally, the offended party can post the action done to him on the blacklist section of the service provider. These are popular actions actually preferred by several internet users because not only do millions of users get to know about the unpleasant things being initiated by one subscriber, the offended party will also likely gain support for his cause. He can probably even inspire other subscribers undergoing the same experiences to come out in public and tell their stories.
While all of these may sound discouraging, these should not deter one from experiencing the joys of surfing the net. Actually, all it really takes is to exercise caution, especially when dealing with real people online. Being discreet in using words online is also a good habit. Most of all, the internet today is a source of all the good and the bad things in life. Discerning which is which is one ability that should be developed.
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