Page 114 - digitalliteracy

Introduction: Understanding Online Benefits and Risks

Computer technology allows us to instantaneously touch base with family and friends, hear
their voices, and even see their faces when they are hundreds or thousands of miles away.
We have the entire world’s library of information at our fingertips, and we can earn a college
degree without moving away from home or spending hours traveling to and from a class-
room. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to this technology, as well. The Internet has been
used to spew hate speech, display horrific images of death and terror, and allow criminals
opportunities to take advantage of well-meaning people.

At 24, Maddie is one of the younger students at Ashford. She grew up with computers and has
used them all her life. From the LeapPad educational toys her parents bought her when she
was a toddler, to the DVD player she and her siblings used to watch movies in the backseat of
the car, to the iPod she used as a teenager to listen to music, Maddie has always used elec-
tronic devices for entertainment. She does not think much about the computers she has
around her; they are an everyday part of her life. However, because she takes them for granted,
she is not always aware of online dangers. Without realizing it, she sometimes behaves in
ways that make her vulnerable to having her personal information captured and perhaps hav-
ing her identity stolen, her bank account emptied, and her credit ruined.

While you may not be able to protect
yourself from every crime, you don’t
have to make it easy for thieves to take
advantage of you. It’s similar to how you
can’t be 100% sure your car will not be
stolen, but you should avoid leaving the
car unlocked with keys in the ignition
and shopping bags on the front seat.
Don’t make it easy for thieves to steal
information from your computer or
your other digital devices, either. In this Patrick Lux/Stringer/Getty Images News
module, we discuss how you leave infor- Ill-intentioned computer hackers work to steal
mation about yourself online. We will others’ personal, account, and credit card informa-
also give you some simple precautions tion, so it’s important to protect yourself by taking
you can take to help ensure you are not the simple precautions outlined in this module.
the next cybercrime victim.

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