Potential Threats of IT

When using IT on the internet there are many threats which put the average person in danger.
These threats include: Hacking
                                       Cyber Bullying
                                       Spam
                                       Viruses
                                       Identity theft
Hacking -Hacking is when someone is trying to get into your computer through the internet or just through computers. Computer hacking is most common among teenagers and young adults, although there are many older hackers as well. Many hackers are true technology buffs who enjoy learning more about how computers work and consider computer hacking an “art” form. These hackers will be able to get into your computer where they can delete information and documents and also get hold of your personal details like your bank account.
Cyber Bullying -Since social interaction on the internet has evolved then so has bullying. This is mostly aimed at young people but now through the power of the internet bullies can carry on bullying night and day. Youngsters are under threat from bullying when using social networks since its so easy to bully someone on the internet due to the fact that they’re not face to face, they’re behind and keyboard and that makes the bully feel as if they’re invincible and can say what they want. Cyber bullying is a big problem within the internet and has caused a lot of pain to some            people. Thankfully, the internet evolves itself as does society does to the internet and now you can be protected from bullying thanks to social networks making use of ‘block’ features. This helps young people feel secure when using the internet.
 Spam -Spam is more of  an annoying problem than a threat because once one person opens a spam e-mail their entire contact list will get the e-mail and statistically 1 in 3 people will open the e-mail. this means spam spreads fast. The majority of the time spam does not hold a major threat to computer safety but in worse case scenarios it can bring down an entire network.
Viruses -Computers are always at risk from viruses caused by your computer from different sources like files and removable disks. You have to remember that viruses can be damaging to your files without you even knowing. There are viruses that you cant even tell are on your computer untill its too late because they will be already damaging your computer. There are lots of ways where viruses can enter your computer. One of the most common ways is through the flash disk that you insert in your computer. Some of them could contain viruses that can be harmful to your computer. the internet can also bring viruses through emails that you receive and through some websites that you visit. Most computers have an antivirus program that helps prevent the viruses from getting into your computer, depending on the quality of the program depends on how well it protects your computer.
Identity Theft -Your identity and personal information are important. Criminals can find out your personal details and use them to open bank accounts, get credit cards and documents such as passports and driving licenses in your name. There were 89,000 victims of identity theft in the UK 2010.This compared with 2009 where there were 85,000 victims. Men in their 30s and 40s are the most common UK victims. many people do things to stop themselves from getting their identity stolen, for example being careful what information they enter in the computer or other things on the internet. even though people do these thing they are still out there and are still committing this crime.

Social Impacts of ICT - Jobs

 

As ICT was introduced it made massive differences to businesses. PC’s became affordable and smarter computers were available and so factories could have fully automated factory production  which allows work to carry on day and night with no rest and saves money for the business in the long run. So every factory worker would lose their job and have to retrain or find another factory job. Offices used to employee many secretaries to produce the documents required for the business to run. But with PC’s they do not need them and can do it themselves. Companies once had large departments full of people whose job it was to do calculations. A personal computer running a spreadsheet can now do the same work. Newspaper Printing  used to take a team of highly skilled printers to typeset (layout) a newspaper page and to then print thousands of newspapers. The same task can now be performed faster using computers with DTP software and computer-controlled printing presses.

 

ICT didn’t just lose employee’s their jobs though, it created millions of new ones as well!
- IT Technicians

All of the computers in a business need to be maintained: hardware fixed, software installed, etc.  IT technicians do this work.

- Computer Programmers

All of the software that is now used by businesses has to be created by computer programmers. Hundreds of thousands of people are now employed in the 'software industry'

- Web Designers

Much of modern business is conducted on-line, and company websites are very important.  Company websites need to be designed and built which is the role of web designers.

- Help-Desk Staff

People often need help using computers, and software applications. Computer and software company have help-desks staffed by trained operators who can give advice.

Social Impacts of ICT - Communication

With the introduction of computers and ICT the PC became more and more common in every-day homes which allowed for everyone to get online and start doing everyday tasks a lot easier and cheaper. Shopping for example is much simpler, easier and cheaper with ICT. Talking with others online is a lot easier and costs less than calling someone. This allows for communication to advance a lot more. ICT has helped create sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Skype which all allows for easy communication with friends, family and people around the world without even having to leave home. This unfortunately means that people dont actually leave home alot of the time and you end up with thousands of teenagers and middle aged men and women not going out and losing all proper communication skills needed to survive the average day.