17 January, 2020
The Internet is without a doubt the biggest invention after electricity. It has made every field of life easier for us. We no longer have to physically be at a place to get something done. People now study online, connect with people, find jobs, and even conduct business. Many tasks that used to take weeks can now be done within minutes thanks to the internet. It has also made the current generation more knowledgeable and smart compared to our predecessors.
Every day we get to learn a lot of new things even though we don’t plan to. We learn about new kinds of people and their personalities. We even know things happening at the other corner of the world while they are taking place. The world has indeed become a global village for us where everyone knows everyone and everything. If you don’t, you can learn within seconds by searching it on the internet.
While we can’t deny the benefits the invention of the internet has brought to us, we also can’t keep overlooking its downsides. How the internet has created a new cyber world, but also destroyed the real physical world.
We understand and know every human, but the value for human feelings and lives have also been degraded. And as thousands of new opportunities have been created for each of us, it has also made criminal activities more easy and efficient. The cyber world isn’t exactly all sunshine and rainbows; it has a dark side that grimly affected our real world.
Where Do Cyber Laws Stand?
It didn’t take long for the world to realize the danger that comes with the internet. That’s why cyber laws were created. Though most of them mainly focus on providing security to businesses, we have seriously underestimated the part where technology has destroyed the lives of a common man. You may be sentenced to death if you try to rob a bank online, but there aren’t stringent laws if you defamed and destroyed the life of a person.
Most people don’t even think twice when breaking cyber law. This shows the weakness of the establishment to protect its citizens. And it isn’t just in the United States. If anything, cyber laws may be taken more seriously in the US than in other countries. Many countries haven’t even implemented cyber laws into their order yet.
Due to week rules and regulations regarding online security, we have new issues taking birth every day. People are coming up with innovative ways to carry out their evil deeds. If nothing is done to control these actions, it is likely to get only worse with time as it is. It isn’t just limited to trying to hack the security system of an organization. Think of any crime and the evilest thing a person can do, the internet has a way to help with it. Here I’ve discussed some of the darkest problems that the internet has caused.
The first and foremost concern people showed toward the internet was the lack of privacy. While it did allow us to have an online social presence and maintain a network, it has also made it easy for anyone to find us. For example, anyone can tell your name just by your phone number using online services. It uses the data from the mobile of one of the persons that have your contact name saved. No one should have access to this much information. All of these applications are working legally. They use our data with our permission to earn money.
We Share Too Much
Some of the jobs have been done by applications, the rest of the troubles we created for ourselves. We share a little too much information about ourselves on the internet. It’s alright to have a social media profile where you can connect with people who you know in real life. However, uploading something about yourself every hour doesn’t make you a star. It only helps people learn things about you that you didn’t mean to share. For example, anyone can stalk you when you post a picture with your current location. Besides, we unwillingly show our feelings and stupidity through the status we write.
A Platform for Criminals
The Internet has a place for every crime. The worst kind of criminal activities are conducted on the internet. You may not know but all the weapons that terrorist organizations have are sold through the internet. In case you are wondering, they don’t use Google for that. Google is barely one percent of the internet. You only see results from the websites that choose to index with this search engine.
The worst of all, the dark web has become a haven for pedophiles. All kinds of human trafficking and child pornography are conducted and sold through the internet. If you ever find someone involved in such activities or if someone tries to trap you in them, be sure to acquire the help of a reliable Sex Traffiking Attorney before things get worse. You wouldn’t want to deal with such evil without legal assistance.
Online Bullying
Bullying has already made life difficult for many of us. We face bullying in schools, universities, and jobs. If it wasn’t enough, the internet has become another place for bullies to have their fun. But this time, it doesn’t remain private within an institute. It is there for the whole world to see. Whatever goes on the internet stays there forever. People love to watch such content and it is shared faster than any other thing. You can never fully remove it once it’s on the internet. This affects the victim’s present as well as future.
Easier Job for Stalkers
Stalkers no longer need a van, binoculars, and a parking spot outside the house of the person they are stalking. Now they can easily do it sitting at home and learn a lot more than what they would have in a stake out. The innocent crush stalking may not be much of a deal, but it also very helpful for kidnappers, robbers, and rapists. The Internet has provided them a safe way to learn about their target without physically approaching him/her.
Blackmailing has Become Common
The Internet has made blackmailing easier than ever. It's very common for former partners to threat to publish intimate and private data on the internet for the whole world to see. Your friends, family, colleagues, and future employers are online. It’s even a professional practice to research potential candidates on the internet before hiring them. Even celebrities and powerful politicians haven’t been able to protect themselves against this kind of blackmailing. Blackmailers somehow get something private that you wouldn’t the world to see, and they know the internet is the perfect place to publish it.
Violent Content Everywhere
We all need mental peace. Violence gets in the way of that. Fortunately, you don’t get to see much of violence on the streets if you’re living in a developed country. But the internet is filled with such content. People post violent and disturbing pictures and videos that spread like fire. You get things in front of your eyes even if you don’t want to see it. They do so because such content helps them make money fast.
Opportunity for Pedophiles
The one thing we would never want to see in pain is kids. Unfortunately, there are a lot of sick minded in this world and the internet has only made things easier for them. There wouldn’t be a concept of child porn if there was no internet. While the internet is a necessity, we need to get rid of its darkest side. There are many platforms called red rooms on the dark web where they run live shows of hurting kids. The internet is built in a way that it’s not easy to track them. It’s a big powerful industry that is operating through the internet.
Too Much Porn
Most of the internet is porn. Even if it’s illegal and there is nothing disturbing, there is too much of it and on almost every platform. It may not be much big of a deal for adults, but it most certainly is for kids. Young minds shouldn’t be distracted by such things. They should be shown ideals that they can one day follow. Too much porn, especially at a young age, can cause addiction. There are many services online that are trying to make the internet safe for kids, but the competition is just too big. You search one innocent little word on any search engine and will find at least one disturbing result of porn.
Identify Theft
No one would have ever thought identity theft could be made so easy. All you have to do is create a profile on social and upload the pictures of the person you are impersonating. Do you know where you can find those pictures? On the internet, because we just love to share every moment of our life with the good people on social media websites that we have never met.
I'm Harry Wilson, a senior digital marketing consultant at Globex Outreach. Writing is my part-time hobby because I get to share my experience with the world. Professionally, I help map out a flawless digital marketing plan for the clients at my firm.
