When Online Activity Becomes a Problem

Online Sexual Predators

tjk7 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:35:27 +0000

Online communication in chat rooms and social networks such as myspace and facebook, has afforded sexual offenders the ability to use the internet as a means to find underage children to prey upon. This obscene behavior involves obtaining personal information to locate an individual, stalking, harassment and unwanted sexual solicitation. The internet is an easy way for sexual predators to initiate contact.

An article written about sexual predators cited a study by the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, that 15% of children in a survey recieved an unwanted sexual solicitation online. Among teenage girls who use the internet for social networking, 20% of them had arranged a meeting with someone they had met on the internet.

Online Solicitation

A sexual predator can use different methods to get what they want. Contact can be initiated and request for a meeting is proposed. The sexual predator may be straight forward with intent to have sex with the underaged individual, or would pose as someone who is the same age as the child in order to establish a friendship so that he or she would be confortable with a meeting. The sexual predator can also use deception to obtain a phone number, with intent to blackmail the child in order to get what is desired. In some cases, the child could be threatened into disclosing more information and/or sending obscene pictures or video of themselves to the person who is stalking them.

Prevention

Parents can do a number of different things in order to prevent this from happening to their children. Parents should strictly regulate what their children participate in on the internet. If a parent does let their child have an account on a network like myspace, they should be mindful of what personal information is disclosed on their profile. Parental control software can be installed into the child’s computer, limiting the child’s internet activity at the parent’s discretion.

Finally, Parents need to educate their children on the dangers that come with communicating with strangers online. If a child is made aware of what not to do, problems can be avoided.

Illegal Downloading of Music Online

tjk7 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:19:42 +0000

It started with Napster, and evolved to sites like Limewire. Illegal Downloading of music, movies and other forms of entertainment from these free sites may have the same legal consequences as any other form of stealing. People somehow think that this form of stealing is warranted in most cases and does not involve the same kind of immoral behavior. Other than the fact that it’s illegal, it has a negative affect on more people than we care to think about. Downloading music illegaly can cause problems for…

Songwriters
Recording artists
New Artists who havent established themselves in the music industry
Other jobs in the industry: retailers and their staffs

Less and less money is being made by recording artists because of illegal downloading. Especially for artists who have not established themselves in the industry, they miss out on economic rewards that previous artists have enjoyed before illegal downloading began. Since many people are acquiring music online for free, there is a decrease in sales at record stores. Because of the decline in sales, the number of jobs have decreased for the music industry’s working class

Legal Consequences

It’s important for us to understand the legal ramifications that come with downloading music online. Most of us may have thought at one time or another that this form of online activity was harmless. The fact is, serious charges can be made on individuals who participate in downloading music files. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is responsible for pressing charges on individuals who download music illegally. The RIAA can sue someone up to $150 thousand per song that is downloaded. Of people that have been sued for downloading music illegally, the average fine was $3 thousand.

Who and What is Responsible?

It may be that the individuals who created these sites such napster and limewire are primarily responsible for illegal downloading of music. However, I believe that the rise of technology has also contributed to this. The average person does not use CD’s, cassette tapes, etc. to listen to music. The birth of the “Ipod” for example, requires a person to obtain music files online so they can be uploaded to an mp3 player. Although there is a way for someone to PURCHASE mp3 files legally online, people will continue to download illegally as long as the technology that exists allows them to.

Steroids and The Black Market Online

tjk7 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:20:28 +0000

The Black Market is typically used as an underground economy, as a way for people to participate in commerce and trade without having to pay taxes or abide by other such laws. It is common knowledge that almost anything can be purchased on the black market. It is also common knowledge that almost anything can be purchased on the internet. The black market online allows someone to conduct a simple search with the ability to find anything they want in a number of different places to purchase illegally.

The black market online offers illegal substances that can be be purchased by virtually anyone from anywhere in the world. Steroids have been the focus of much controversy over the last few years, especially with its use among professional athletes. The Mitchell Report of 2007, was devastating to the reputation and integrity of Major League Baseball. It sited dozens of professional baseball players to be guilty steroid use, many of whom had denied the use previously and therefore had to appear before congress to face legal consequences.

Which demographic does the black market most affect?

The problem with steroids and its use by such high profile athletes has to do with younger people trying gain the same performance enhancement. These pro athletes generally do not purchase performance enhancing drugs online through the black market. However, the black market online allows and encourages younger high school and college athletes to pursue steroids as a means to becoming a better athlete, trying to emulate those they see on T.V. making millions of dollars.

How to get started

Not only does the internet provides hundreds of sites for steroids and other illegal substances to be purchased, but sites such as steroid.com provide information for when and where to get the best deals on the black market online. This site encourages steroid use, provides direction for younger people on how to use, and completely downplays the short and long term effects of steroids.

The problems related to illegal substances and performing enhancing drugs can never be eliminated. The black market online is allowing the regulation of drug distribution to become virtually impossible. As long as the internet exists, I do not believe that this problem can be avoided

Podcast: Internet Addiction

tjk7 — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:34:09 +0000

Listen to the following podcast that focuses on internet addiction in regard to online social networks. This discusses what internet addiction is, and the circumstances that surround an individual who has it.

Internet Addiction Podcast

Online Identity Theft

tjk7 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:37:33 +0000

Online identity theft is extremely prevalent when it comes to an individual who is disclosing personal information over the internet. The term “phishing” has been used to describe the way in which someone can obtain confidential information from another individual by means of deception. In most cases, an individual can be tricked into publishing their own personal information because of fraudulent messages over the internet. Specialized software is also used in attaining this information. It is a common misconception that people who commit online identity theft are amateurs. Contrary to other types of theft such as shoplifting, online identity theft requires someone to be highly skilled and educated, with the means to invest in software that allows for acquiring the necessary information to commit such a crime.

Individuals who commit online identity theft, usually target specific information to include:

· User names and passwords

· Social security numbers

· Credit card numbers

· Bank account numbers

· Other personalized information such as birthdates

Every year, online identity theft accounts for over a billion dollars that is stolen from those individuals who are victimized. After identity theft it is almost impossible to replace any funds that are lost, and it is extremely difficult to repair any credit that has been damaged.

Strategies for Prevention

A page on Microsoft’s website deals with the crisis of online identity theft. It talks about software that can be downloaded and discusses strategies that people can use in preventing theft online. Many of these strategies include when personal information should and should not be disclosed, in addition to providing security through effective passwords. It is helpful to understand how online identity theft works, so that people can take the necessary steps in preventing such a crisis.

Innapropriate Behavior in Online Social Networks

tjk7 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:59:47 +0000

Online Social networks such as chat rooms, Instant messaging and websites like myspace have been hosts to behavior that many would find to be innapropriate. Many of these problems seem to happen day to day in real life situations at the work place or otherwise. However, the anonymous nature of the internet seems make this crude behavior a more frequent occurence. Except for in extreme cases, the internet allows for someone to behave a certain way without having to suffer the consequences of a real life situation. This behavior is noted to include attempts at sexual advances, swearing and other forms of indecent language or activity.

A survey found in an article written by a Microsoft employee, cited that over 50 percent of those surveyed spent more than 20 hours a week on the internet, taking part in some sort of social activity. over 70 percent of those people had experienced this bad behavior, having seen it happen first-hand.

Gamers Connect Online

tjk7 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:19:09 +0000

We see a parallel between the growing interest in video games and the rise of the internet. The two have seemed to develop at the same rapid pace, especially over the course of the last 15 years. The internet has now allowed for Gamers to connect themselves online.

Harmful effects of Nonstop Gaming

The problems that come with this gaming obsession can be related to any other addiction. It tends to take over any free time that an individual has, and may even cause a person to neglect responsibilities that come with work or schoool COMPLETELY.

My first semester in college, my roommate would stay up at night for hours playing video games against friends while being connected online. In addition to missing work assignments because he spent too much time playing video games, he also missed class in the morning because of oversleeping due to the fact that he was up some nights until 3 am on the internet.

-main source for this blog was an online cbs news article.