A look at the internet as it stands now, in 2005, from a compilation originally prepared by CNN.com:
Spam:
"Spam," a slang term for unsolicited e-mail, is a multimillion-dollar business and a daily nuisance to people the world over. E-mails with subject lines such as "Miracle weight loss drug!" and "Get Viagra cheap!" flood inboxes -- along with e-mail to enlarge your penis -- waste time and irritate Internet users. Spam now accounts for 80-95 percent of all e-mail, depending on whose estimate you wish to accept.
Despite the passage of anti-spam laws, the volume of spam has overtaken other e-mail. According to IBM, three in four e-mails sent in February 2005 were spam, inventive spammers constantly change their methods to defeat even the most sophisticated e-mail filters, so the ratio of spam to.
Hoaxes, rumors and urban legends
Bill Gates is giving away free money! Muggers at malls are using perfume to render victims unconscious! A cafe at an upscale department store charged a woman $250 for a cookie recipe! Urban legends like these make the rounds of inboxes every day, and every day someone is duped into believing the rumor and forwarding it.
According to Snopes.com, which identifies and tracks urban legends, the Bill Gates rumor, which began making the rounds in 1997, is still the most circulated urban legend on the Internet.
Experts advise checking your facts before forwarding messages to your friends and family. Want to know if an item is true? Check out one of the many Web sites devoted to investigating and debunking urban myths and legends.
Chain letters
"Forward this message to 10 people and DO NOT BREAK THE CHAIN!" the writer implores. Messages like these have been pouring into inboxes since the inception of e-mail -- taking the old-fashioned chain letter from the post office to cyberspace. Chain letters are a particularly annoying form of spam because they often come from friends and promise negative consequences for not forwarding the message (bad luck or a lost chance at riches, for example).
Choosing to forward a message, however, could get you in trouble. Many people don't know it is illegal to start or forward an e-mail chain letter that promises any kind of return. Anyone doing so could be prosecuted for mail fraud.
Pop ups/pop unders:
It's practically impossible to surf the Web without encountering some form of advertising. It's big business, totaling more than $2.8 billion in just the first quarter of 2005. Many savvy surfers have strategies to tune them out or ignore them, but when the ads are unexpected or disruptive, tempers flare.
The advent of pop-up blockers has some predicting the death of this form of advertising. Until that happens, software to block ads and pop-ups is available, but advertisers are constantly inventing new ways to circumvent techniques intended to block their ads.
How-to Lessons:
Want to know how to grow cannabis? What are the ingredients for a Molotov cocktail? What's the best strategy to successfully shoplift? Web surfers can get just about any kind of information, including bomb-making manuals, recipes for illegal drugs and even a step-by-step guide to becoming anorexic.
To date, efforts to regulate controversial sites like these have failed. The lack of regulation may be a victory for free speech, but is it compromising public safety? As technology improves and more people embrace the Internet, the question of freedom of speech versus public safety is sure to persist.
Piracy (file sharing):
Internet piracy first entered the public's consciousness when Napster burst on the scene in the late 1990s. Napster allowed users to download songs without paying for them, which rankled the music industry. The members of Metallica were among those who sued Napster (the case was settled out of court).
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a nonprofit research group focusing on the Internet, some 17 million Americans are using the Web, e-mail and other technology -- like their friends' iPods -- to get bootlegged music.
Online extremism:
Hate groups have been around a long time, but widespread use of the internet has enabled extremist groups to get their messages to a worldwide audience. The relative anonymity of the Internet allows fringe groups to flourish. Hate groups and everything in between use the Internet to recruit members and promote their agendas.
The U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of speech of most of these groups and, as long as no crime is being committed, there is little that can be done to regulate them.
Pornography:
Sex sells, so it's no surprise that Internet pornography is big business. Now, instead of an embarrassing trip to buy pornography, users can just log on the Net and access millions of racy images -- all in the privacy of their homes. Pornographers keep pushing the limits, catering to just about any taste, fetish or proclivity.
The ease of accessing p*rn has long worried parents, but efforts to regulate the industry have largely failed. Internet and spam filters aid those who want to avoid pornographic material, but pornographers are constantly creating new ways to circumvent them.
Terrorist groups:
Terror has gone high-tech. In recent years, terrorist groups have set up Web sites to issue messages, recruit followers and share information. Some have even shown video of hostages being killed. On the Web, terrorist groups can reach millions, while hiding in the anonymity of cyberspace. Identity masking and other techniques allow groups to post their messages with little fear of being tracked down.
Phishing:
The messages look official, down to the spoofed e-mail addresses in the from line, but if the message asks for personal information such as credit card or Social Security numbers, chances are it's a fake. Phishing schemes trick users into revealing personal information, and scammers use this data to steal the identities of their victims.
A 2004 study by the Internet Crime Complaint Center found that e-mail and Web pages are the two primary ways in which fraudulent contact takes place. The Federal Trade Commission recommends avoiding filling out forms that come in e-mail messages and that users never e-mail personal or financial information.
The Internet has been fertile ground for scammers and con artists. According to the FBI, in 2004 scammers tricked Americans out of more than $68.14 million, with a median dollar loss of about $220 per complaint.
The FBI recommends that users closely guard their personal information. The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center has more tips on avoiding online fraud.
Harassment/cyberstalking:
The popularity of the Internet has given stalkers a new medium to torment their victims. Cyberstalkers track their victims online, making threats and harassing them. This virtual stalking can be difficult to prosecute, as some states have not yet adopted cyberstalking laws.
According to Working to Halt Online Abuse, a volunteer organization focused on fighting online harassment, 69 percent of cyberstalking victims are women, while 52.5 percent of harassers are men. To avoid becoming a victim, WHOA recommends that users select a gender-neutral username and e-mail address, keep primary e-mail addresses private and don't give out personal information online.
Spyware:
Spyware is a type of software that gathers and reports information about users without their consent. Users acquire these unwanted programs -- often without their knowledge -- by downloading free software or through e-mail or some instant message applications.
Efforts to rein in spyware have started to pick up steam. A year ago, Utah became the first state to enact anti-spyware legislation. In March, the U.S. House of Representatives got into the act, passing the Internet Spyware Prevention Act of 2005. Despite these measures, spyware continues to plague Internet users.
Child pornography:
According to the Department of Justice, the trafficking of child pornography in the United States was all but eliminated in the
1980s. The Internet boom changed that. The new technology has enabled purveyors of child p*rn to create and disseminate images and video, while remaining almost anonymous.Fraud in General:
The Internet has been fertile ground for scammers and con artists. According to the FBI, in 2004 scammers tricked Americans out of more than $68.14 million, with a median dollar loss of about $220 per complaint.
The FBI recommends that users closely guard their personal information. The FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center has more tips on avoiding online fraud.
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