Week 18and 19 Module

Cyber Bullying

In the past, people were bullied when they went to school or attended social gatherings. Once the internet became available to the public in 1994, a new avenue for bullying people was created. Cyber bullying means "bullying some through any form of electronic means, such as a computer, laptop, or a smart phone" (iCEV, n.d.). The end goal of the bully is to harm and harass a person deliberately on the internet. Sometimes the harassment ends up being too much that people resort to suicide.

There are ways to avoid being cyber bullied. One solution to prevent cyber bullying would be "to limit the amount of people on your social media account to only friends" (iCEV, n.d.). When cyber bullying does occur, it is important to take pictures of the offending posts, so that there can be evidence. Another way to deal with cyber bullying is to reach out to adults, like teachers or administrators, and let them know what is happening (iCEV, n.d.).

Strangers should never be allowed in your social media accounts as friends. In addition to this, never speak to anyone that you do not know in chat rooms. Because the internet allows for an easy way to communicate with many people, you never know who is really at the other end of the line. He or she could be a completely different person than you think that you are talking to.

Every year, hackers gain access to computer databases, which store vast amounts of customer information. This information usually includes the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and credit card information. Hackers often use a variety of sophisticated methods to gain access to this information, like Trojan horses that provide a secret way into a computer's database. These are often called back doors. Other methods include social engineering, where scammers will send an email, which tells the computer user that their banking information has been compromised. The computer user is then told to click on a link in order to update their financial information. The problem is that the link leads to a fake bank website and users are tricked into entering their user ids and passwords. This leads to identity theft, where hackers assume the identity of a person and take out loans in that person's name. A way to prevent identity theft is to never disclose important information about you n the internet, such as financial information and other pieces of information, like your date of birth and social security number. These pieces of information could be used to open credit cards or loans under your name. Furthermore, never open suspicious emails, especially those that claim that your bank account has been compromised.

References: Web Ethics and Safety, iCEV. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14,2023, from https://www.icevonline.com/