What Is The Internet Used For?: Dial-Up: With A Dial-Up Connection, The Internet User Can Connect To

INTRODUCTION
What is the internet used for?

The internet is a vast, ever changing mediumsome would say the
A lot of different things! People use the internet to apply for jobs, play
most powerful tool ever created.
games, do research,
The internet is a way to share and express information and ideas in a watch movies, listen to music, go to school, stay in contact with
simple way that is accessible
friends, family, and co-workers,
to nearly 2.2 billion people all over the world. This class will allow you run a small business, buy or sell products, and much more.
to learn the history of the
How do you connect to the internet?
internet, the basics of browsers, how to use a search engine, the
There are many different ways to connect to the internet from your
fundamentals of website navigation,
personal computer. The most
tips for online safety, and more. Basic knowledge of the mouse and
popular ways are listed below.
keyboard is strongly suggested
Dial-up: With a dial-up connection, the internet user can connect to
before taking this class.
the Internet via telephone line
In this class we will discuss:
and an internet service provider (ISP). This method is inexpensive, yet
The history of the internet
obsolete. It provides the user
Differences between the internet and the World Wide Web
with the slowest overall connection speeds. However, it may suit the
Web browsers and navigating webpage
purposes of the occasional
Using search engines
internet user without a need for a fast or consistent connection.
Online safety
Broadband: Cable and DSL are in this category. With a cable
The Int ern et: A Bri ef Hi stor y
connection, the user must subscribe
What is the internet?
to a cable-television/internet service. These connections offer speeds
The internet is a massive network of networks, a networking
up to 70 times faster than
infrastructure. It connects millions of
dial-up. They also allow the user to stay connected to the internet at
computers together globally. The computer you are sitting at (as long all times; the user need only
as its connected to the internet)
open a browser window to access the internet, as there is no log-on
can communicate with the computer across the street, down the
process to complete. Like cable
block, or even around the world so
internet service, DSL offers much faster speeds than those available
long as the computer on the other end is connected to the internet as with dial-up modems. However,
well. Information that travels
www.CincinnatiLibrary.org, Page 2
over the internet does so via a variety of languages known as
E-mail
protocols. The internet is a cooperative
there are a wide range of speeds available from different providers,
endeavorno organization is in charge of the internet.
generally going up to 3 Mbps
Is the World Wide Web (WWW) the same as the internet?
(3000 Kbps). With DSL, normal telephone wires are used to combine
The World Wide Web was invented in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee, while usually separate voice and data
consulting at CERN
lines, allowing users to connect to the internet and talk on the phone
(European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland. Many
via the same telephone line.
people use the terms internet
Wi-Fi: Its even possible to connect to the internet wirelessly from
and World Wide Web (aka. the Web) interchangeably, but in fact the home
two terms are not synonymous.
or while you are out and about. Wireless technology allows users to
The internet and the web are two separate but related things.
have
The World Wide Web, or simply the web, is a way of accessing
mobile connections, accessing the web where and when they need to.
information over the medium of
Wi-Fi networks can be found at many businesses, restaurants, and
the internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of other
the internet. The web uses the
public areas (parks, schools, libraries) or a home connection can be
HTTP protocol (hypertext transfer protocol), which is only one of the
set
many languages spoken over
up through your ISP. These technologies vary in terms of connectivity,
the internet, to transmit data. The web also utilizes special software
reliability, and cost, but they all allow users to connect whether they
called browsers to access
are at
INTERNET for Beginners I
home, school, work, or on the road.
Getting OnlinE
Web documents (more commonly known as web pages) that are
A web browser is the computer program you use to retrieve and view
linked to each other via hyperlinks.
webpages. On most computers,
Web documents also contain text, graphics, sounds, and video.
including those at the Library, the browser you will use is called
As mentioned earlier, the webs HTTP protocol is just one of the ways Internet Explorer (IE). There are
that content can be transmitted
dozens of other web browsers (Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, &
via the Internet. Some other popular ways to access data over the
Opera are some of the most
internet include:
popular). They may look different, but the same basic elements will be
E-mail (short for electronic mail), which relies on simple mail transfer there and they all take
protocol (SMTP) or internet message access protocol (IMAP).
you to the same placethe internet.
Instant messaging via software like AOL Instant Messenger (AIM),
Opening up the browser
Yahoo Messenger, Skype, and Windows Live Messenger.
One thing you will notice about the computer as you become more
File transfer protocol (FTP) which allows someone to upload or
comfortable
download
with itthere are usually at least three ways to do everything. For
a file from the internet (or more precisely, from or to a remote
example, on most
computer/server via the internet).
computers there will be an icon on the desktop for your internet
If you walk into a car dealership and say I want to buy a vehicle...
browser. Typically it
Well, a vehicle can be any number
will be the brand name of the browser, for example the icon will
of things: a car, a van, a truck, an SUV, a motorcycle, maybe even a usually say Internet
boat. Vehicle is a very general
Explorer (although on Library computers it will say Internet &
term. If you walk into a car dealership and say I want to buy a car, Catalog). By double
then you are being much more
clicking on this icon, your browser should automatically open up and
specific and eliminating trucks, vans, SUVs, and so forth from your
take you to your
buying options. Think of the term
home page. The home page is the first webpage that is displayed
vehicle as being similar to the internet. Its a broad term that covers when you open your
a lot. Think of World Wide Web
internet browser. If you dont see the icon on the desktop for Internet
as a term similar to carits a bit more specific. While the vast
Explorer, try clicking on the
majority of vehicles on the road are
Start button on the lower left hand corner of the screen. Often right
in fact cars, not all vehicles are cars. Similarly, while the vast majority there on the start button menu
of what you may do on the internet
you will see an option for Internet Explorer. A single click of the mouse
involves the World Wide Web, not everything on the internet is part of will take you to the internet
the web.
if you click on the browser option. Sometimes on a home computer
The bottom line is, the web is just a portion of the internet, albeit a
you might even have a little logo
large portion, but the two terms
next to the Start button on your desktop taskbar. If you have IE on
are not synonymous and should not be confused.
your computer, it will probably
look like a lowercase blue e with a yellow ring around it. This is the Home will take you back to your home page. On library computers this
logo for Internet Explorer, and
is the librarys website; if you
clicking on it will open the browser. None of these options for opening have a home computer, you can set it to any page you want.
up a browser are right or
Print will send the page you are on to the printer.
wrongits just a matter of personal preference. They all take you to There are other options on the toolbar as well, although most of them
the same final destination!
are for more advanced
users. You can also customize your toolbar on your home computer to
Internet Explorer Firefox Google Chrome Safari Opera
include more (or less)
Wi-Fi
options than the ones listed.
Internet Explorer
The Status Bar
The status bar is at the bottom of the page directly above the
Basic parts of the browser
taskbar/Start button. When you move
When you open your browser window, no matter which browser you your mouse pointer over a hyperlink the web address of the link will
use, you will usually see several
show up on the left side of the
main parts:
status bar. When you click on a link, you will see a blue bar start
The address bar is where the web address of the page you are
moving across the bottom middle
currently on is displayed. Its the white
of the status bar. This shows that the page you just clicked on is
bar at the very top of your page. If you want to go to a new website
loading. Often this will move very
and know the Uniform Resource
quickly, but if the page you're trying to look at is a very large page
Locator (URL), or web address, of the site you'd like to go to, you can with lots of pictures, or if you're
click in the address bar and type
on a slower connection at home, the bar can move more slowly. The
in the URL followed by the enter button to go directly to that page.
rectangle that says Internet
Tip: One cool thing about the address bar is that sometimes as you
indicates that, yes, you are connected to the internet (this may
are typing, a drop down list of
register as no connection if you are
different webpages will open. This is called an auto-suggest or auto- at home and a cable comes unplugged). By clicking on the upside
complete feature (youll see this
down triangle next to 100% you can
later when we learn about search engines too!). If you see the site you choose the size of your browser screen. An upside down triangle or
want to visit on the list, you can
arrow pointing down in any
click it with the mouse to go to the page without typing the whole
context is a good indication that there are choices to select from.
address in.
loading page
Next to the address bar on the left, you'll see the Back button and
(blue or green bar)
Forward button. Once you leave
size of browser screen
the first webpage you are on, the back button will become active.
Clicking on it will take you back
Parts of a web address
one page at a time along your path since opening up your web
There are typically four main parts to a URL or web address. Lets look
browser. For example, if you start on
at the example below.
www.cincinnatilibrary.org and go to www.cnn.com and finally
http://www.CincinnatiLibrary.org
www.cincinnati.com, clicking the back
(a) The http:// stands for hypertext transfer protocol which we
arrow button twice will bring you back to your starting point. Once you discussed earlier. This helps your
have gone back a page at some
web browser locate the webpage or website, and to display it for you
point during your session, the forward button will become active. This to see. Most browsers
will allow you to move forward
will automatically add this prefix, so you don't have to worry about
a page and revisit pages that you have already seen.
typing it every time.
On the right of the address bar, you'll see two buttons. One has a red (b) The www stands for World Wide Web. This means that the page
"X" on it. This is the Stop button.
you're looking for is somewhere
You can use it to stop loading a page. The other button loads pages, on the World Wide Web. For some websites, its not even necessary to
but the way it displays will change
type in the www part.
depending on what you are doing. If you are typing a web address into (c) The next section, which is cincinnatilibrary in this example, is
the address bar, a button called
the name of the webpage or
the Go button will appear as a single arrow. If you click the Go Button, website (aka the host). It is flanked by dots on either side which
it will send a command to "go"
separate it from other sections
to the webpage. If you don't want to take your hands off the keyboard, of the web address.
pressing "Enter" will
(d) The .org here is the top level domain name. This tells you where
accomplish the same thing as pushing the Go button. If you are
the webpage is registered, and
already on a webpage, it will display
often tells you what kind of website it is. For instance, .com usually
as two arrows, which is called the Refresh button. If you would like to means that you're looking at
reload the page, click the
a commercial site, or a site that someone has paid to use. Some other
refresh button. This will bring up the most current version of the
common domain names
webpage that you are viewing. It is
are .edu (sites for educational institutions), .org (sites belonging to
especially useful on sites like CNN.com that are updated constantly
organizations), and .gov (sites
throughout the day.
sponsored by local, state, or federal governments).
Back
Links
Button
When you move the mouse around on your desk it will move your little
Forward
pointer in the same direction
Button
around the screen. If you took the Computers for Beginners, Part I
Stop
class here at the Library, you may
Button
remember the different shapes that your mouse cursor may take.
Go
Heres a quick review.
Button
The hand pointer cursor is the one you will be looking for most
Refresh
often on the internet. When you put your mouse on top of a word
Button
or picture or video and it changes to the hand pointer, you know
that you can click on that spot and it will take you to another
The Toolbar
webpage. Text, images, video or other content that is clickable
In most computer programs, the toolbar is located on the top of the
and takes you to another website are called hyperlinks, or just
screen and contains all of the
links for short. The entire World Wide Web is based of this idea
various options, effects, and well, tools, you might need while using
pages being chained together through the use of hyperlinks.
that particular program.
Often times (although not always) text links will be either underlined
In the most recent version of Internet Explorer the Toolbar is located or they will be in a different color
on the right side of the
(usually blue) to help them stand out from other text. As you click on a
page and looks like this:
text link it will usually change
The Internet Explorer toolbar contains buttons for some of the tasks
color (usually to red) indicating that you have clicked on it. Once you
you are likely to want to do while
have clicked on a link and you
on the web. Here are the ones you'll use most:
return back to the same page, the link may be yet another color
(usually dark purple) indicating that it

for the spelling impaired among us. Google
is a link you have already visited.
will auto suggest the proper spelling of words
(a) (b) (c) (d)
(as long as you come somewhat close) as you
Defau lt Hand Wait Text
type in your search and once you arrive on the
Hand - Text can be clicked on.
search results page.
Wait - A program or web page is loading.
Using a search engine is a great way to show the
Text - Text can be typed here.
sheer size of the internet. Even obscure sounding
Using Searc h Engin es
keyword searches like lemon flavored sardines
Use a search engine if you know the kind of information you are
returns over 3,000,000 hits! Virtually any topic you
looking for but are uncertain of the
can imagine can be found through a search
exact address to go to with your browser. A search engine is a tool for engine. Just for another example, try typing
searching for information on
in Abraham Lincoln as a search. You will get a
the internet. Most search engines use a simple keyword search, which biography, pictures, quotes, and more all within
means you don't have to type
a second. By the way, all told there are over 11
in your whole question, just the most important words.
million websites that mention Lincoln!
The most are Google (www.google.com), Yahoo (www.yahoo.com), and Google provides a lot of other services, including
Bing (www.bing.com) although
maps, local weather, image and video searching,
there are many other search engines out there. For our purposes
free email accounts, and more.
today, we will focus on Google.
More great things about search engines
It should be noted, however, that most search engine work basically www.CincinnatiLibrary.org, Page 8
the same.
Basic Websit e Navigation
Google it!
Every website you visit is unique. However, most well designed
Google is pretty much just a simple search box. As you begin typing, websites will have similar
Google will begin to autosuggest
navigation options. Navigatingor moving around a website from
words or phrases which it thinks you might be searching for. The
page to pageis a skill that
suggestions become more specific
takes a bit of practice and a lot of experience. That said, being able to
the more letters you type. If you see what you are looking for in the
recognize where to look for
auto suggest drop down feature,
the information you seek is crucial to improving your navigation
click it with your mouseyou dont have to type in the whole entry.
techniques and it can drastically cut
You can also perform a search by
down on the amount of time you spend searching for what you need.
typing in your keyword(s) and pressing the Enter button on your
We will use the Public Librarys website (www.cincinnatilibrary.org) as
keyboard.
an example to demonstrate
Google, like all search engine sites, makes money by advertising. In
some basic navigation techniques. Typically, when you first pull up a
most cases, this takes the form
website there will be a row of
of sponsored links. Search engines usually indicate sponsored links by links across the top of the webpage or down one side. These links
putting them on a different
divide the websites content into
section of the page of search results and/or by labeling them as
categories. Some of the categories you are likely to find:
sponsored links. So for example,
Home This allows you to return to the starting page (the Home
when you type in a search for pizza you are likely to get sponsored page) of the website at any time.
links from pizza restaurants.
About Us This usually lists some information about the purpose,
history and owners of an
Deciphering your search results
organization.
Once you do a search, youll be taken
Locations This will give you information about the various locations
to a new page with results for your
of an organization as
search keyword(s). For instance, if you
well as telephone numbers and street addresses (such as the locations
do a search for pizza, in the middle part
and phone numbers
of the page you will see the list of results
of library branches).
for the search pizza. The title of each
Register New User - This allows you to create an account with the
result is a link to the page (for example,
website
clicking on Dominos will take you to
Sign In This allows you to log in to an existing account
www.dominos.com). There will also be a
Across the bottom of the page you will generally find a small print that
brief description of the site underneath
act as links to even more
the link. After looking at the site, you can
categories, such as:
click the back button on your browser to
Contact Us This will give you one, or several methods to contact
go back to your list of search results so
the organization
you can explore the next site.
(phone, mail, or email).
The more information you provide in your keywords, the more precise Privacy Policy and/or Terms & Conditions Legal information about
your results will be.
the terms of using the website
For example, youll notice that the first result for pizza is Dominos (or and about what the organization may or may not do with your
perhaps Pizza Hut).
personal information, etc.
But maybe you are looking for Papa Johns. So, instead of typing in
Help This is a good place to start if you are having trouble locating
pizza try doing a search
what you need.
for Papa Johns. To make it even more exact, try doing a search for There will also likely be a search box located somewhere on the page.
Papa Johns Cincinnati.
You use a search box to
While it is possible to be too specific, generally speaking the more
type in keywords to help you find website content. For example, on
information you provide,
the Librarys website you can
the more relevant your results will be.
type in the title of a book you are trying to locate and the search
At the top of the page on the far right you will notice it says Results function will list books in our
1-10 of about. That means that
catalog with that title.
results displayed on the page right now are just the first 10 of
however many total results there were
The exact wording and location for links may vary from site to site.
for your keyword (sometimes the search engine will get fancy and tell What one site calls
you it only took .23 seconds
Locations another site will call Find a store. Contact us may be
to retrieve all those results). At the bottom of your search results
replaced with Ask us a
page, you may see links to related
question. The point is not to look for one certain heading or terms,
searches as well as a series of numbers. The numbers are all the
but to be able to identify
different pages of search results.
where to begin your information quest and know which path to choose
Most search engines will only display around ten sites on a page. In
to get there.
order to view the next ten, youll
Online Safety
have to click on the next page number of your search results, or the Worms, trojans, spammers, phishers and viruses. They can have
link that says next.
funny-sounding names, but
Oh, and by the way, yes you can order your pizza online.
these are part of the dark side of the internet and the consequences
Using a search engine is also a good idea
aren't very funny. These are
programs designed to infect your computer without you knowing it

click on Research & Homework > Research Databases > Education >
and they can slow down your
Learning Express Library.
computer, spy on you, or possibly even destroy data and cause your Universal Class offers more than 500 classes on many topics. These
computer to crash (or stop
classes are instructed by real
working). Internet fraud is also something to be concerned about.
teachers who guide your learning and provide feedback on your work.
Phishing and other scams can
Learn about Microsoft Office,
cost you time, aggravation, money or even steal your identity. The
Web Design, Computer Basics, Business Applications, and more! Free
fact is, the internet can be fun,
with your library card.
entertaining, educational, and many other wonderful things, but
From http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org, click on Research & Homework
anyone can be on the internet,
> Research Databases >
and that includes malicious people and criminals as well as good
Education > Universal Class.
people.
You can do a few things to take precautions when you use the
Here ar e some fun fact s
internet.
There are roughly 2.2 billion internet users in the world, which is
If you have a home computer, always be sure to run current, updated only about 1/3 of the
antivirus software to help protect yourself from the many different
estimated world population (as of 2011).
types
The top 5 most popular websites in the world are: Google, Facebook,
of computer viruses and other malware. You can also help yourself
YouTube, Yahoo,
stay
and Baidu (basically the Chinese version of Google).
protected from viruses by not opening any emails (especially email
Google is the most popular search engine in the world. 79% of
attachments) that seem strange or are from people you don't know.
internet users use Google
Avoid websites offering free music or movies as these sites are often as their search engine, followed by Bing (9%), Yahoo (8%), and
rife with bad stuff. To protect yourself from scam artists and identity Ask.com (1.5%).
thieves, avoid giving out personal information on the internet, and
Most people (98.5%) never go beyond the first page of search
always
results on Google
remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Internet
(or any search engine for that matter).
safety is
INTRODUCTION
an ongoing process that you should continue to educate yourself
Now that you have dipped your toe into the waters of the internet, its
about.
time to take the plunge and
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County also has a
actively engage in the most powerful tool ever created. Many people
handout called A Brief Guide to
are content to use the internet
Internet Safety, which you can pick up at the TechCenter desk on the to read the news, check the weather, or listen to music online. Yet, this
2nd floor of the Main Library.
is only a small part of what
Online safety is a continuing process, and if you are interested in
is possible online.
learning more be sure to ask about
In this class we will discuss:
our Computer Safety for Everyone class, which is offered several
Creating secure user names and passwords for websites
times a year.
Web page navigation
Practice
Advanced browser features (time savers, tabs, & toolbars)
The best way to learn anything on the computer is simply to practice. Uploading and downloading files
A lot of new users have a
Internet slang
fear of breaking something on the computer. This is rarely possible USERNAMES & PASSWORDS
on most new computers,
Most websites allow you to become a member (or user) in one form
and especially on computers at the Public Library because of
or another. In most cases
restrictions and security settings
becoming a member is free and entitles you to greater access to a site
in place on the machines.
and its services. Websites
The trick with the internet is to find something that is of interest to
use different terms for becoming a member, such as sign up, join
you. Perhaps you like listening to
now or create an account."
musicthere are websites that you can listen to music from around
In all cases, this process involves creating a username and
the world and from virtually any
password. This applies to employment
artist or genre you can imagine. Perhaps you like cooking there are websites, free email accounts, YouTube and other video sharing sites,
thousands of websites devoted
online discussion forums,
to recipes, diets, and healthy living. Maybe you enjoy reading the
and more. What is a good username? What is a good password?
news try USA Todays website. The
Creating a Username
amount of information available on the internet is virtually limitless A username is your unique identity that allows you to have access
and more content is being added
to a website. Think of it as a security badge that you flash before
every second of every day!
walking in the backstage area of a concert. By having a username,
you can verify your identity and have greater access to the website.
Here are some fun ideas to get you going:
A person who belongs to a site must select a username that no one
Try going to Google and type in your home address in the search field on that site is already using. If two people named John Connor sign
see what comes up!
up for Yahoo email accounts, one of them can choose
Visit www.CincinnatiLibrary.org and navigate to the Programs &
johnconnor@yahoo.com as his
News section.
username and the other could use jconnor@yahoo.com, but they cant
Look up Abraham Lincoln on Google. See if you can find videos,
both have the email address
pictures, and quotes from the
johnconnor@yahoo.com. Keep in mind that while you may have the
16th president.
username hotrod28 on Gmail, this
Once you feel comfortable with the basics on the internet, you may be does not prevent someone else from creating the username hotrod28
interested in taking
on a different website like Yahoo.
Internet for Beginners, Part II here at the Library. This class will
Each website has its own record of usernames and passwords. These
cover topics like the importance
records (called databases) are
of creating a secure username and password for websites, evaluating completely separate from every other website.
online resources, uploading and
INTERNET for Beginner s II
downloading files, and more.
Your user name can be anything you like, such as tacosofdoom121 or
Additiona l Resources
ultimate_biker2000, as long
All class resources and a schedule of additional classes facilitated by as you comply with the specifications of the site you are joining. Most
the TechCenter may be found at:
sites require that you choose
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/main/techcenter.html
a username that meets certain criteria. For example, many sites
Learning Express Library offers a wide variety of interactive computer require that your username is at least
classes (Complete Microsoft
a certain minimum length. This is usually specified by stating that a
Office Suite, Adobe CS3, Windows, and Mac OSX). Videos and
username must be so many characters
screencasts make learning easy while
long (i.e. username must be at least 6 characters long). A
quizzes help assess your progress. Free with your library card. From
character is any symbol you can type
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org,
on a keyboard, including letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and
other symbols. Some sites may also

if you are signing up for your first email account since you dont yet
require that you include numbers as part of your username, or they
have an email address
may forbid certain characters (such
Birthdate: To verify that you are of legal age to use the service
as #,?,>,or %). Some sites may also differentiate between upper and Your desired username: The username you want to use for the
lower case letters. On such sites,
site or service
TOMSMITH, TomSmith and tomsmith are three different usernames
Your password: Typically it must be entered twice for verification
because of the differences in case.
purposes
You may also choose to use your real name as your username. If your www.CincinnatiLibrary.org, Page 3
name is unique, like
Here are some fun facts
Hephaestus Turkeyfoot, you will typically find that using just
For maximum security, you should have a different password for every
hephaestusturkeyfoot will work as a
website that you use.
username for most sites. Even on popular services like Gmail or Yahoo, If you use the same password for each site you register with, a hacker
there is not likely to be another
only needs to guess your
Hephaestus Turkeyfoot. If your name is John Smith, however, you will password once to have access to everything that you do online!
find that JohnSmith is already
taken on most popular web services. Remember, the internet is vast. SECURITY & ID VERIFICATION
Think of how many John Smiths
A security question: This is used to verify
there are just in Ohio! In order to create a unique username
your identity should you forget your username or
(remember usernames have to be unique
password. Some sites allow you to create your
on each individual website) you may need to add something more to own security questionfor example Where did
your name. If you were born on July
I go to high school? while other sites provide you
4, 1960 you might find that johnsmith741960 is an available
with a list to choose from. Again, make sure its
username. Typically when signing up for an
something you and only you are likely to be able
account, you will be given instructions on the type of information you to answer.
need to provide.
A secret answer: This is the answer to your
Your user name is often visible to other users of a web site. Its
security question.
preferred to keep your user name
A secondary email address: Again, in case there is
professional, especially when searching for jobs online. Stay away
a problem with your primary email account, this
from user names like SexySuzyQ.
is a way for the site or service to get in contact
The most important consideration is to choose a username that
with you or provide you with account information
you will remember.
should you forget your user name or password.
Creating a password
A CAPTCHA: A CAPTCHA is a jumble of letters
A password is like a key for an account. A username identifies the and sometimes numbers that is used to verify that
account, but the password proves
you are in fact a human and not a computer program. Many websites
you are the legitimate owner of the account and unlocks the
add in this feature because
account for you. When you use your debit
computer programs have been designed to sign up spam accounts,
card at an ATM you have to enter the debit card number to identify
but the CAPTCHA feature
your account. Your card number is
requires a real pair of human eyes to read and repeat what is on
like a username. However, you also have to enter your PIN to access screen.
your funds.
Mobile Phone: Websites increasingly ask for a mobile phone
A good password is one that you can remember but will be difficult for number. This can be useful if you forget
others to guess. Never use a
your password, as they can just send you a text. If you do not have or
dictionary word as a password and always use a combination of upper do not wish to share your mobile
and lower case letters. For added
phone number, enter something like (513) 999-9999
security, throw in some special characters like # or $.
TERMS OF SERVICE & CONDITIONS
A good way to create a secure password is to use an acronym of a
The Fine Print: Either a complete listing of or a link to the Terms of
sentence that is easy to
Service and Privacy Policy for the
remember. For example, look at the sentence I am sitting in a
website you are signing up with.
computer class. The acronym
Accept/I Agree Checkbox: There may be a checkbox that you
would be iasiacc. Thats a good start, but we should add some upper have to click to indicate that you have
case letters and special
read and understand the Terms of Service. Even if you fill out
characters. Ia$IaCc Much better!
everything else in the form correctly,
As you type your password on most sites, it will never appear on
failing to check the Accept/I Agree box will prevent your account
screen. Your password is
from being set up.
represented by asterisks (****) or dots () that appear for each
Other disclaimers, policies, and legal stuff: All this information
character that you type.
will tell you what the company will
This is a security measure to make sure no one else who can see your and wont do as far as using your information, remind you of the legal
screen will be able to read
responsibilities you may have
your password as you type.
to assume by using the service, and so forth.
Sign-Up Forms What to expect and what not to expect
THINGS YOU (LIKELY) WONT NEED TO PROVIDE
There are some things that you can expect to find in the
There are a few things that you should rarely, if ever, need to provide.
sign-up process for each website. Some sites have a simple
If you are not purchasing anything, you should never have to enter a
one step process (Choose a username and password, click
credit card or banking
accept), while others have a more complex sign up process
account number.
involving an entire application. The applications can
You typically wont have to provide a social security number, unless
usually be divided into three main parts:
you are providing information
Basic information
to a government website like The Department of Jobs & Family
Security and ID verification
Services.
Polices (the fine print.)
UNDERSTANDING WEBSITE NAVIGATION
Lets take a look at each section, using the sign-up form for Gmail (a Every website you visit is unique. Most well designed websites will
free email service) as an example.
have similar navigation conventions.
BASIC INFORMATION
Navigating or moving around a website from page to page is a skill
Your Name: First, last, and sometimes middle initial
that takes a bit of practice and a
Gender: Male or female
lot of experience. That said, being able to recognize where to look for
Your Street Address: Typically only if its a website you might
the information you seek is crucial
expect mail from,
to improving your navigation techniques and it can drastically cut
like Duke Energy or an online shopping website
down on the amount of time you
Your city, state, or zip code: A way for the website to know wherespend searching for what you need.
you are,
We will use the Public Librarys website (www.cincinnatilibrary.org) as
without providing your street address
an example to demonstrate
Your email address: This is the main way the website will contact some basic navigation techniques. Typically, when you first pull up a
youignore this one
website there will be a row of
links across the top of the web page or down one side. These links
placeholder for the user to type in a different website URL into the
divide the websites content
browser address bar. You can have
into categories. Some of the categories you are likely to find:
several tabs open in the same browser window and switch between
Home This allows you to return to the
the different website tabs. To close
starting page (the Home page) of the
a tab, click on the close button (X) that appears on any active tab.
website at any time.
Browser Toolbars
About Us This lists some information
A browser toolbar is a type of browser extension, or add on. Browser
about the purpose, history and owners
toolbars add additional
of an organization.
buttons to the browser interface to accomplish frequently used tasks.
Locations This will give you information about
Typically, toolbars are offered
the various locations of an organization as well
as free downloads from popular sites like Google, Yahoo, Amazon,
as telephone numbers and street addresses
AOL, and Bing. Once downloaded,
(such as the locations and phone numbers
the toolbar will sit across the top of your viewing window in the web
of library branches).
browser, and below the built
Register New User - This allows you to create
in toolbar (where you will find the home, print, RSS feed, etc. buttons).
an account with the website.
So why would you want a toolbar? Toolbars can come in handy for
Sign In This allows you to login to an
tasks that you do frequently on the
existing account.
computer, like using a search engine. By installing the Google toolbar,
Use common sense banking and shopping sites will require more
for example, you can do a Google
information than most. If
search from any page you are on. This saves time from having to open
youre just trying to register to read a vegetarian cooking chat group, a new tab or browser window do
you will not have to provide
a search. Toolbars also frequently have options like alerting you when
too much personal information.
you have new email, giving you
the option to spell check text you have typed into a form, and allowing
Across the bottom of the page you will generally find a small print that you to bookmark a website.
act as links to even
more categories, such as:
DOWNLOADING A FILE FROM THE INTERNET
Contact Us This will give you one, or several methods to contact Downloading is the process of transferring information from another
the organization
computer to your own computer.
(phone, mail, or email).
This information can be any digital content, such as videos, pictures,
Privacy Policy and/or Terms & Conditions Legal information
or text.
about the terms of using the
If the file is a picture, downloading is an easy process.
website and about what the organization may or may not do with your First, find the picture you want to download (Figure 1). Put the mouse
personal information, etc.
cursor over the image and
Help This is a good place to start if you are having trouble locating click the right mouse button. This will display a menu (Figure 2). Select
what you need.
Save Picture As. You will
There will also likely be a search box located somewhere on the
then have to decide where to save the image to (generally the My
page. You use a search box to type in
Pictures folder will be the default
keywords to help you find website content. For example, on the
location, although you may want to change it to a flash drive or other
Librarys website you can type in the
location). You can leave the file
title of a book you are trying to locate and the search function will list name the same if you so choose or you can change it to whatever
books in our catalog with that title.
name you would like. Click save.
BOOKMARKS, TABS, AND TOOLBARS
The download will now begin. You may also come across files with a
People who spend a lot of time on the computer are
direct download link. Microsoft
a notoriously impatient bunch. Therefore, there are
Word files, for example, will usually have a link that says Click here to
always shortcuts and time savers built into programs.
download or something similar.
These shortcuts may eliminate a mouse click or a
Simply click on that link and select where you want to save the file
keystroke (or two) and thus make your time spent
and give the file a name, just like
on the computer more efficient.
the above process. For smaller files like pictures, it should take only a
Bookmarks
second or two to download. For
If you are using a computer at home, one excellent time
larger files like music or videos, it may take a few minutes. Note the
saver is to save links to your most visited web sites.
status bar which will give you an
These links are called Bookmarks and they allow you
estimated wait time before your download is complete.
to save a website address for easy access the next time
Once the file is complete, you will be asked to Open, Open Folder,
you need it. Instead of typing out the whole address, you
or Cancel. If you select Open,
can simply go to your favorites and find the site you are
the file will automatically open in the appropriate program (a picture
looking for.
will open in the Windows Picture
Keep in mind that the exact wording and location for these links may Viewer, a song in Windows Media Player, a text file in Microsoft Word,
vary from site to site. What
etc.) If you select Open Folder
one site calls Locations another site will call Find a store. Contact then the folder you saved the file in will open up (for example, the My
us may be replaced
Pictures folder). If you do
with Ask us a question. The point is not to look for one certain
not need to view the file once you download it, you can simply click
heading or terms, but to be able
cancelthis does not delete
to identify where to begin your information quest and know which
the download, it simply allows you to skip the process of viewing it
path to choose to get there.
immediately.
If you are using a shared computer, like here at the Library, you may www.CincinnatiLibrary.org, Page 8
be unable to save
Figure 1 photo by cobalt123 Figure 2
bookmarks to the browser. However, you can use an online
UPLOADING A FILE TO THE INTERNET
bookmarking service like
The opposite of downloading a file is uploading a file
Delicious (http://delicious.com/) that allows you to store all of your
in this case you are sending information from your
bookmarks on the website,
computer to the internet. Common examples of
divide them up into categories and keywords, and access your
uploading are adding videos to websites such as
bookmarks from any computer
YouTube or resumes to websites like CareerBuilder.
that has an internet connection.
When you go to upload a file you will see a button that
Tabs
says Browse When you click on the Browse button
One of the features most web browsers offer is the ability to use
it will open Windows Explorer and allow you to
browser tabs. Browser tabs allow you
locate the file you wish to upload. When you find the
to view multiple webpages in the same browser without the need to file, click on it and select Open. Now click Upload
open a separate browser window.
on the webpage to transfer the file.
To open a new tab, click on the small blank tab button to the far right Like with a download, the length of time an upload
(pictured above). A new tab will
will take depends on the size of the file. A picture
be opened to a text page called "about: Tabs." This page gives a brief or word document should only take a few seconds.
explanation of tabs and acts as a
A music or video file may take several minutes,
depending on size. Do not navigate away from

the page until the upload is complete, as this
will cause your file to not be transferred properly.
Open a new tab if you wish to visit another web
page while uploading. When your file transfer is
finished, you should receive a message stating
that the upload was successfully completed.
Keep in mind that when you save a file in
My Documents (or any other folder on your
computer) that file is only recorded on the computer in front of you.
Another computer will not
have a copy of that file, even though another computer may have a
folder titled My Documents.
If you are interested in transferring files from one computer to
another, you should purchase
a USB flash drive or portable hard drive.
AFK: Away From Keyboard
BRB: Be Right Back
BTW: By The Way
JK: Just Kidding
LOL: Laugh Out Loud
NP: No Problem
OMG: Oh My God
ROFL: Rolling On the Floor Laughing
TTYL: Talk To You Later
TY: Thank You
WB: Welcome Back
YW: Youre Welcome
POPULAR ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ONLINE
Additional Resources
All class resources and a schedule of additional classes facilitated by
the TechCenter may be found at:
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/main/techcenter.html
Learning Express Library offers a wide variety of interactive computer
classes (Complete Microsoft
Office Suite, Adobe CS3, Windows, and Mac OSX). Videos and
screencasts make learning easy while
quizzes help assess your progress. Free with your library card. From
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org,
click on Research & Homework > Research Databases > Education >
Learning Express Library.
Universal Class offers more than 500 classes on many topics. These
classes are instructed by real
teachers who guide your learning and provide feedback on your work.
Learn about Microsoft Office,
Web Design, Computer Basics, Business Applications, and more! Free
with your library card. From
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org , click on Research & Homework >
Research Databases > Education
> Universal Class
THE INTERNET
A NETWORK OF COMPUTER NETWORKSDATA TRAFFICINTERNET
NODE(routed communication)(traffic controller / ISP)
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer
networks.
When two or more electronic devices (e.g. computers) are connected
so that they can communicate, they become part of a network. The
Internet consists of a world-wide interconnection of such networks,
belonging to companies, governments and individuals, allowing all of
Sending any communication over the Internet using the Internet

Protocol is quite like sending the pages of a book by post in lots of
different envelopes. All of the envelopes use the same sender address
and the same destination address. Even if some envelopes are
transported by ship and others by air, the envelopes all eventually
arrive at their intended destination and the book can be reassembled.
The fact that page 47 was received before page 1 is of no importance.
On the Internet, the contents of the envelope are also based on
conventions/protocols (agreed formats), one for each type of
communication. Examples of such conventions on top of IP are:
..SMTP for sending emails
..HTTP for accessing web sites and
..BitTorrent for peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing (a way to exchange data
files with large groups of people).
Anyone is free to invent their own convention/protocol and use it on
the Internet, as long as it works on top of the Internet Protocol. In
other words: the only limit is the limit of the human imagination, the
only rule is that the address on the envelope is in a standard format.
The openness of the system is what makes the Internet the global
phenomenon it is. Every restriction on the openness of the Internet
reduces its potential for future development. The universal use of a
single protocol for all communications has a number of important
advantages. The devices that are responsible for transporting Internet
data (called routers) do not need to be programmed differently to deal
with different types of data they dont even need any information
about the data they are transporting as long as it is all using the
Internet Protocol. Like the postman delivering traditional mail, they
only have to look at the outside of the envelopes to be able to deliver
the message. It doesnt matter if the envelope contains a bill or a love
letter (except to the recipient of course).
This leads to :
..Unlimited innovation possibilities in terms of new protocols and
applications;
..Privacy by design: there is no need to know anything about the
contents of any communication;
..Flexible, fast data flow;
At its core, the Internet offers only one flexible service: getting data
from one device to another regardless of the nature of the devices,
regardless of how and where the devices are connected to the Internet
and regardless of the nature or content of the data.
the devices connected to these networks to communicate with each

other.
It is this openness and flexibility that is the primary reason for the
innovation and democratic and economic successes of the Internet.
In order to communicate, computers need to be able to understand

each other. On the Internet, communication is possible because all
devices use the same language or protocol, namely the Internet
Protocol (IP), a single market with no physical, technical or national
It is this openness and flexibility that is the primary reason

for the innovation and democratic and economic successes of
barriers. It forms the basis for all other systems of communication on

the Internet.
the Internet.
a message is its integrity (i.e. the completeness of the file) otherwise

THE IP-ADDRESS
the message can be manipulated, without even knowing the
encryption key. Most respected encryption tools will do that for you
automatically.
A DIGITAL ADDRESS
An IP address is a numerical address that is assigned to every device The following image demonstrates the stages of public key encryption
connected to the Internet. 01
this works on the basis of a pair of keys one public and one private:
In many cases, IP addresses may be used to identify an organisation
1.The sender requests a copy of this public key.
or individual that has acquired the services of an Internet Service

Provider in order to connect one or more devices to the Internet.
In other cases, particularly on corporate networks, public or
unprotected wireless connections and mobile Internet connections,
the IP address does not always identify the person behind some
digitally traceable act.
2.Using the appropriate software, the sender encrypts the message

using the recipients public key.
3.The message is sent.
4.The recipient decrypts the message by using the public key and the
private key together.
As the common household and business
following a basic precautionary
router will often display just one IP
principle, must be treated as such
address for all of the people connected to
unless they can definitively proven
THE INTERNETS PHONE BOOKrequest www.edri.org www.edri.org
it, the IP address will identify a group of
not to be.
hasIP-address 217.72.179.7request www.edri.org www.edri.org hasIPaddress
people rather than just one individual. As a

result, it is often hard, if not impossible, to
the IP address does not
be sure who exactly did what, purely on

always identify the
the basis of an IP address.

On the other hand, IP addresses are very
often personally identifiable, and so,
tHE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS)
person behind some
217.72.179.7DNSresolverDNSresolverDNSrecursivesearchINSIDE
When you put a website on the Internet, it will be reachable via the
numerical IP address of the web server hosting it (at time of writing,
EDRi.orgs address is 217.72.179.7, for example). IP addresses are,
however, not easy to remember for humans. Using them to identify
digitally traceable act
online resources is also not practical as services on the Internet

occasionally have to move to a new IP address (if they change service
providers, for example).

01 Due to shortages in the current generation of IP addresses, it is
increasingly common, particularly in business networks, for IP
addresses to be shared by all of the computers in one office, for As the use of IP addresses for websites is neither practical nor user
example. The current shortages are being addressed by the rollfriendly, domain names (such as edri.org) were created. The global
out of IPv6 addresses.How the internet works 6
Domain Name System works a little like a phonebook for the Internet.
eNCRYPTION
PRIVACY IN A PUBLIC NETWORK1. sender requestspublic key from
recipient2. sender encrypts datawith public key3. encrypted data
issend over the internet4. recipient decryptsdata with his/her private
keyHELLO!HELLO!INTERNET
How can a user send a sensitive message so that it remains
If you know the domain name of the website you want to visit, the
Domain Name System is used invisibly and automatically to find
the corresponding IP address of the web server where the website can
be found. So, when you type http://edri.org, your computer identifies
this as being 217.72.179.7 and sends a request specifically for our
website to retrieve it.
secure from prying eyes? If you send a letter, it could be

intercepted, opened, read and then closed without leaving a
The system for looking up a domain name works on the basis of a
trace. A telephone call can be wiretapped.
hierarchy. When you type http://edri.org, your computer first connects

with a server to ask for the address. 02 The default DNS server is
Rapid development of cryptography started in 20th century together
usually run by your Internet provider, but it is possible to use a
with development of computing technologies. Computers allowed not different one.

only much faster encryption of electronic messages, but also much
faster cracking of encryption keys used so far.
If somebody has recently accessed http://edri.org, the DNS server will

remember the details and provide you with the correct IP address. If
Encryption is not a silver bullet and doesnt guarantee total
not, it will refer the query to a higher level of authority, where the
confidentiality. A frequent technique to bypass encryption is to capture same process is followed. At the highest level of authority are 13 root
the message before it even gets encrypted for example by a stealth servers that ultimately collect together DNS servers. The 13 root
Trojan horse program installed on senders computer that will monitor servers are very robust and have huge capacity. They have so much
all keys pressed on the keyboard or even in the victims mobile
capacity that they continued to work efficiently even when under
telephone.
major attacks (so-called distributed denial of service attacks).
Another attribute you almost always need to protect when encrypting THEWORLD WIDE WEB
LINKING THE INFORMATION SOCIETYThis page is about dogs. We spotted a When a user buys a new computer or installs a new web browser, it
websiteabout cats here. There isa site on the life of
comes with a standard set of trusted certificate authorities, a secure
micetoo.WEBSERVERWEBSERVERHTTPHTTPWEBSERVERHTTP
list of entities from which the user will trust the certificates given out
The World-Wide Web is built on HTTP, a relatively young protocol

(language) that is built on top of the Internet Protocol (IP). HTTP
stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, and was designed to download
so-called hypertext documents (what are now known as web pages)
and to send some basic information back to the web server.
Web pages are created using the formatting language HTML,
(HyperText Markup Language). The rules of this language are set by
to web page publishers. The weakness in this system is a result of this

default list: there are dozens on this list. If just one of these entities
turns out not to be trustworthy, users will be putting their trust in an
unreliable service.LANGUAGE DEVELOPED BY THEWORLD WIDE
WEB CONSORTIUMHOWDEVELOPERSUSE ITWHAT YOU
SEE<b>This is a bold TEXT</b>This is a bold TEXT
E-MAIL AND E-MAIL SECURITY
the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and specify special markers to MAIL IN THE DIGITAL WORLDSMTP SERVERTRANSMITSEindicate typograhy and layout properties. For example, text in bold will MAILRECIPIENTMAIL SERVERRECEIVESEhave <b> before it and </b> after it.
While there are several versions of the specification (HTML5 being the
most recent), the HTML development process is continuous and open
MAILRECIPIENTCOLLECTSE-MAILE-MAIL
TO:recipient@location.euHELLO!HELLO!
INTERNETRequestlocation.euDNSresolver
to participation. Once the standards have been set, there is no licence Electronic mails, or e-mails, are messages sent by one sender to one
or fee for using HTML. The advantage is that all available computer
or more recipients. The transfer of these messages is handled using
systems understand the instructions in HTML in the same way so
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) which, like HTTP, is also built on
anyone can use the language (for free) and be sure that every device the Internet Protocol.
will display the web page in the same way. The Web (and the world)
would be far poorer if people had to pay to develop pages in the
languages of different types of computer.
This open and free character of HTML is essential to ensure
compatibility of web pages across all sorts of devices: desktop
computers, mobile phones, tablets, laptops How the internet works 9
and more. Proper application of the HTML specification to format
webpages also ensures accessibility for people who are visually
impaired otherwise text reading systems will not be able to
understand the pages being accessed.
Webpages are published on machines known as web servers. A web
server is a computer that can be found by its unique IP address (as
described on page 5). Usually many domain names (such as
www.edri.org and www.bitsoffreedom.nl) can be found at the same IP
address because they are stored (hosted) on the same server. Thus,
a single web server with a unique IP address can host numerous
websites. In the case of commercial web hosting companies, there can
be hundreds of unrelated websites on one single web server. Attempts
to block individual websites on the basis of their IP address have
therefore always had disastrous consequences for the unrelated pages
on the same server.
In addition to HTTP, there is also a secure variant called HTTPS. HTTP
connections (and, therefore, uploaded and downloaded information)
are not encrypted, and anyone with access to the network cables or
equipment between the computer of the end-user and the web server
can gain access to all information going back and forth.
HTTPS adds encryption to this connection, so that (in theory) only the
end-user and the web server can decipher the information that is
going back-and-forth. This is based on trust: the web page publisher
asks a trusted party to give them a strictly personal certificate,
digitally signed to confirm the identity of the publisher; much like a
wax seal used in previous centuries to seal documents.
After composing an e-mail on a webmail site or in an e-mail program,

it is transferred to an outgoing e-mail server using SMTP. It will then be
transferred from one e-mail server to another, again using SMTP, until
it reaches its final destination mail server.
E-mail servers figure out where to send the e-mails by querying the
earlier described Domain Name System (DNS) information. This
system also includes information about which servers are responsible
for handling emails for each domain. The domain can be extracted
from the part of the recipients email address that comes after the @sign.
Once the message arrives at the e-mail server that handles all e-mails
for the recipient, it will remain there until the recipient deletes it.
Some e-mail software will do this automatically as messages are
downloaded to the users PC or smartphone.
E-mail security E-mails can be intercepted by third parties as they
are being sent from one e-mail server to another. There are two ways
to prevent this from happening: secure the communication between
the e-mail servers, or encrypt the contents of the e-mails. Securing
the communication between e-mail servers happens in the same way
as the HTTPS protocol secures HTTP communication (described
above).
A weakness in the case of e-mail is that your computer does not
communicate directly with the final destination e-mail server. As a
result, if one single intermediate e-mail server does not use
encryption to send on your message, it could still be intercepted at
that point.
Because of this weakness, it may be a better idea to encrypt the
message itself. A popular and freely available encryption method for
e-mail is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), also available as OpenPGP and
GPG.
DEEP PACKET INSPECTION

TAKING A LOOK AT YOUR INTERNET TRAFFIC
Data on the Internet is sent in packets, which are basically
small blocks of data. Each packet has a header that describes
its origin and destination (like an envelope with a sender and
recipient address). This information allows the network
equipment to determine the best path to send a packet at
given moment.
Historically, network equipment only looked at origin and destination
information. But with rapid increase of malicious activity network
owners decided that they need to look at more details of each packet
to distinguish safe packets from those being part of hacking or
denial of service attacks.
For example, network security programs (firewalls) could initially
only block a packet travelling from a specific origin, to a specific
destination and to a specific service. Using these criteria you could
block all incoming service requests to your offices network, because
you make no services available for general public. And you could still
enjoy all other services available on Internet by allowing service
requests originating from your office network. At some point you
might decide to start a web server at your network to publish
documents. You would need to modify your firewall settings to allow
incoming service request, but only for the web service. But then, there
are numerous attacks against web servers that look quite innocent
from firewalls point of view. It is impossible to distinguish legitimate
packets from malicious ones based just on origin and destination
details.
Network engineers soon realised that it would be easier to detect
attacks if the network equipment started looking a bit deeper into the
packets. In theory it is easy the headers in packet are not
PEERSYSTEM OF NODES WITHOUT A CENTRAL

INFRASTRUCTURECENTRALIZEDSERVER-BASED SERVICE
MODEL(NOT PEER-TO-PEER)
Peer-to-peer networks consist of devices (web servers or end
user computers) that participate on equal terms in a type of
communication. Each peer (i.e. each device) can
communicate with other peers and there is no distinction
between consumers and producers, clients and servers, etc. It
is simply many devices communicating with many devices.
This is in contrast to the client-server or one-to-many model where
one computer serves requests of many clients a website providing
content to many website users, for example (one device
communicating with many devices).
On the Internet, peer-to-peer applications use peer-to-peer protocols
that are based on the IP-protocol.
Peer-to-peer networks have a series of particular advantages:
..They have no single point of failure because there are no centralised
entities. In a one-to-many network, if the one fails, the system fails.
In a many-to-many network, if one fails, there is minimal overall
damage;
..They can grow easily because
servers that are capable of
each additional participant adds
handling incoming e-mail for a
extra resources (traffic capacity,
particular domain, increasing
storage, computing power) to
the reliability of the system.
the network;
do not immediately know the
because there is no central
IP addresses of other peers
authority;
participating in the network
separated in any other way than logical definition of boundaries. Its ..Faults have minimal impact
just a matter of analysing a few next bytes than we were analysing so because there are no
far e.g. for routing purposes. Or go even deeper and look inside the
centralised resources and there
block of data in the packet.
is a naturally high level of
Devices that started doing that were initially called Intrusion
duplication of resources;
Prevention Systems (IPS) and soon these features were introduced
..They grant freedom to their
into most network equipment. When it was used to block hacking
users. Not only are the
attacks, this caused no controversy. However, over time,
participating devices equals, the
governments, content providers and network operators started to
participating users are also on
realise that the technique in general use called deep packet
equal footing.
inspection (DPI) gives them much more control over the network
users data than it was possible before. DPI techniques are already in
use for law enforcement (surveillance, blocking, etc), market profiling,
and advertisement targeting, service level agreement enforcement
and is being proposed for copyright enforcement.
From a users point of view DPI techniques can be blocked by using
encryption the deep contents of an encrypted packet is completely
opaque to the operator.
PEER-TO-PEER
FROM ME TO YOU, WITH NO ONE IN THE MIDDLEPEER TO
Peers in file sharing networks
..There is no administration
and they do not know which

peers have which files (or
parts of these files). This is
typically handled by a process
in which participating peers
share information about other
peers regarding the content
that they have. Files are
identified using hash keys,
which are basically
fingerprints that allow
individual files to be uniquely
One of the important tasks of a
identified. Distributed Hash
peer-to-peer application is to
Tables (DHTs) allow peers to
organise the network and locate
discover which other peers are
resources in the network.
available to download all or
To a certain extent, e-mail
part of a particular file.
servers are an early example of
Users of the peer-to-peer
peer-to-peer applications. Using
network need a way to obtain
the SMTP protocol, any server
hash fingerprints for the files
can send an email to any other
they want to obtain. Some are
server. The Domain Name
published on websites, e.g. to
System can also list multiple
download versions of the
Ubuntu operating system, for
fingerprints can also be
provide other online services as well, including search. The merging of
example. There are dictionaries
distributed through e-mail,
databases would create vast amounts of comparatively easily
that map human readable
chat and social networks
identifiable personal data.
descriptions of files to hash
meaning that there is no
fingerprints so that it is possible
centralised system.
to search for files in the peer-topeer network.
Behavioural advertising is claimed to be one of the drivers behind the

online advertisement industrys economic success over the past
There are also peer-to-peer
years. The technique is also used on an experimental basis for
networks that provide
delivering other content, such as news to Internet users.
Websites such as
anonymity to participating
thepiratebay.org and
peers.
mininova.org provide such

dictionaries. However,
BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISINGLETS GET PERSONAL
Behavioural advertising (also called behavioural targeting) is
Users are not prompted for their consent for this processing of their
personal data. The advertisement business argues that this kind of
tracking is in the interest of the user, because this helps to ensure
that they only receive relevant advertisement. They also propose an
opt-out-procedure that is claimed by some to fulfil the requirements of
the e-Privacy directive.
a technique based on tracking the activities of users on the
The key issue in question is, whether the cookies settings (that are
Internet. It is used to build profiles of Internet users in order
rarely set to privacy by default) in the users browser already
to display advertising which, if the profile is correct, will be
constitute a meaningful expression of consent by the user. The

more relevant to them and, as a result, will be more effective. European Data Protection Supervisor 03 says that it is not. Many
Behavioural advertising uses an easy to understand principle: if a user
first visits a web site on e.g. football, a little file (a so-called cookie)
will be stored in their web browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox
or Chrome). A web site usually consists of content from several
sources, for example the text and pictures come from the site you
Internet users neither know about cookies nor ever change their
cookie acceptance settings. Technically the proposed solution also
faces difficulties, since the opt-out regime does not include all
advertisers. Furthermore, the current opt-out system itself uses
cookies, so deleting cookies also deletes the opt-out.
entered in your browser, but additional content such as
Additionally, modern browsers and browser extensions (so-called
advertisements is downloaded from other sources (even sources
plug-ins, such as Flash) offer many more ways to store and retrieve
unrelated to the website itself). Every time content is loaded, the
data in addition to the traditional cookies. This additional data is hard
request might also send cookie data back from your computer.
to manage for the average user and not always covered by cookie
For behavioural advertising, cookies usually include an identification
preferences in browsers.
number. If the user then reads a news article on cars, the behavioural Currently European citizens have a European law to protect them, but
advertising companies will be able to make assumptions about
remain de facto unprotected due to a lack of will to implement the law.
somebody who reads articles about both cars and football. In our
example, a primitive assumption might be made that the user is
someone who would react favourably to beer advertising. The
assumption might also be made that it is not a good idea to show
special offers on car insurance to the user, because it is probably a
young man.
The more websites the user visits that are part of the tracking network
of the behavioural advertising services, like most newspaper web sites
THE SEARCH ENGINE

AN INDEX OF THE INTERNET
Navigation on the World Wide Web works through hyperlinks
(text or images which, when clicked on, will cause another
website to be opened).
and many others, the more data is collected on their profile. Within a Any Web author can link to any other online content. Through the
relatively short period of time of reading somebodys online habits, a practice of linking all Internet users help with organising the
very detailed profile can be developed and the identifiability of
the data grows, even though in theory it is anonymous.
information online into a Web of interconnected resources.

Importantly, the Web does not provide for a centralised index that
Large amounts of behavioural data can reduce the size of the group
keeps track of what is available on the network. Search engines are
that an individual belongs to a very small number of individuals that
therefore the most important services to help meet the need of
might fit to this pattern. Several years ago, one search engine
Internet users to navigate the Internet more effectively.
published a large set of anonymous data on searches done thorough

its service. As a result of analysing this anonymous data, journalists
were able to identify individuals, demonstrating that anonymous
data is not anonymous after all.
Whether additional data from other sources is also used for
behavioural advertising is not known. Many companies that are active
in the behavioural targeting business, such as Google and Yahoo!,
There are different kinds of search engine services. The most

important search engine model is the crawler-based search engine.
This uses software (referred to as crawlers or spiders) to look for
what is available online and systematically indexes this content. The
sophistication and effectiveness of the crawler determines the size
and the freshness of the index, which are both important measures of
a search engines quality. In simple terms, the spider/crawler follows
exponentially in recent years. Now, for example, it is possible to store
every link on every page, indexes the linked pages and then follows
vast amounts of data in the cloud using virtual hard disks, such as
the links on those pages, indexes them, and so on.
the one provided by Microsoft Live.
The most important operation the search engine performs is making
Similarly, online office softwares such as word processing and
the match between a users search query and the information in the
database technologies are increasingly being offered.
index. Typically, the output of this matching process is a ranked list of

references . These hits normally consist of a title, snippets of
information and hyperlinks to the pages that the search engines
technology has determined as possibly relevant.
Googles Chrome Operating System project is a further step in the

move towards cloud-based computing. Using the Google Chrome web
browser as its base, it aims to automatically incorporate cloud
technologies by default, meaning that the amount of software used on
Alongside the organic results (i.e. the pages found by the search
the computer is minimal, with a heavy reliance on services available
engine), commercial search engines place sponsored results
online in many ways opposite to the approach used in traditional
determined by a bidding process on keywords by marketeers. The
computing, where almost all software is built into the computer with
matching process for organic results is complex and commercial
little or no reliance on software in the cloud.
search engines protect their precise ranking algorithms as trade

secrets. The PageRank algorithm of Google is one of the most famous
Web search ranking algorithms. It predicts the relevance of websites
in the index by analysing the linking structure on the Web (i.e. the
types of pages that link to that page).
SOCIAL MEDIA
WHERE WE MEET
Social media are a set of
1. Collaborative projects
online communication tools
(e.g. Wikipedia), where
Other important techniques for better matching the users information that allow the creation and
users interact by adding
needs with the index include the analysis of the content of the
exchange of user generated
articles and editing
websites and the analysis of user data. Commercial search engines
content.
existing articles;
use cookies to store users search queries, clicks on the links and
more in individualised form in their databases for long periods of time. Social media are fundamentally
different from regular media as
A vertical or specialised search engine focuses on search for a
they do not just give information,
specific type of subject, such as travel, shopping, academic articles,
but interact with you while giving
news, or music. The large crawler-based search engines include
you that information. The
specialised search engines in their service as extra features. A meta- interaction can be as simple as
search engine is a search engine that does not produce its own index asking for your comments,
and search results, but instead uses the results from one or more
letting you vote on an article or
other search engines. A directory is a repository of links classified
like or unlike any action of
into different categories. The Yahoo! directory and the Open Directory other users. Each user is not just
Project are famous examples.
CLOUD COMPUTING
THE INTERNET BECOMES YOUR COMPUTER
a spectator but part of the

media, as other users can also
read their comments or reviews.
People are getting used to having
Cloud computing has become a marketing buzz-word
the ability to react to what others
recently. The concept itself is far from new, although there
write and to express and show
has recently been a huge increase in applications made
their own point of view. This
available.
enlarges the community
In diagrams representing a communications network, a cloud is used

to demonstrate the network that is outside the network of a user.
Cloud computing, therefore refers to any computing service which is
performed inside the network rather than inside the end-users
computer.
One of the first examples of cloud computing is web-based e-mail
(webmail). Users of webmail can access their e-mail from any
Internet-connected device, rather than on just one machine. Common
webmail services include Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail and Gmail.
With ever-increasing Internet connection speeds, the range of services
which can be offered by cloud computing services has grown
involvement in ongoing debates.
2. Blogs and microblogs

(e.g. Twitter);
3. Content communities
(e.g. YouTube, Flickr),
where users interact by
sharing and commenting
on photos or videos;
4. Social networking
sites (e.g. Facebook,
Myspace, Hi5, google+),
where users interact by
adding friends,
commenting on profiles,
joining groups and
having discussions;
5. Virtual game worlds
(e.g. World of Warcraft);
Every year the number of social
6. Virtual social world
media users is increasing, so its
(e.g. Second Life).
influence is increasing and is

becoming more and more
powerful.
Protection, in particular
privacy protection, of social
media users is an important
Any website that invites visitors
topic. While users can usually
to interact with the site and with
choose to share personal
other visitors can be considered
information or hide it, the
as part of social media. They can
default settings and
be divided broadly into six
additional protection for
different types:
children are subjects of

considerable controversy.
Furthermore, certain sites, such
settings already several times
registrars for domain names,
Nations Development
as Facebook, have unilaterally
in the past.
software companies, content
Programme;
changed their users privacy
companies;
iNTERNET GOVERNANCEDIGITAL DEMOCRACY
..Civil society: non-
Society, Internet Engineering
governmental organisations
Task Force, Internet
representing Internet end-
Architecture Board, Internet
users;
Corporation for Assigned
The first attempts to define the term Internet Governance (IG)

were made during the preparatory meetings for the United
Nations World Summit on the Information Society.
A first common-accepted definition was developed within the Working
Group on Internet Governance, a multi-stakeholder group created by
the UN Secretary General and was included in the Tunis Agenda for
Information Society:
..International organisations:
International
Telecommunication Union, UN
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation, United
development and application by governments, the private sector and

civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms,
rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the
evolution and use of the Internet.
This definition emphasises the multi-stakeholder approach in
discussing Internet-related policies: the participation of all actors, in
an open, transparent and accountable manner.
To achieve this goal, the Internet Governance Forum was created as a
multi-stakeholder forum for discussions of public policy issues related
to key elements of Internet Governance. The forum, which already had
6 editions (between 2006 and 2011) triggered the organisation of
similar national and regional fora (e.g EuroDIG the pan-European
dialogue on Internet governance). It is important to outline that these
fora do not function as decision-making bodies, but they influence
policies.
What does IG cover?
..Infrastructure and standardisation;
..Technical issues related to the running of the Internet:
telecommunications infrastructure, Internet standards and services
(e.g. Internet Protocol, Domain Name System), content and
application standards (e.g. HyperText Markup Language);
..Issues related to safeguarding the secure and stable operation of the
Internet: cybersecurity, encryption, spam;
..Legal issues: national and international legislation and regulations
applicable to Internet-related issues (e.g. copyright, cybercrime,
privacy and data protection);
..Economic issues: e-commerce, taxation, electronic signatures, epayments;How the internet works 23 .Development issues: the digital
divide, universal access to Internet;
..Socio-cultural issues: human
Who participates in IG?
rights (freedom of expression,
..Governments: they elaborate
the right to seek, receive and
and implement Internet-related
impart information), content
public policies and regulations;
policy, privacy and data

protection, multilingualism and
..Private sector: Internet service
cultural diversity, education,
providers (ISPs), network
child safety online.
providers, registries and
..Technical community: Internet
Names and Numbers.

More info:
Jovan Kurbalija, An Introduction
to Internet Governance, Diplo
Foundation, 2010

What Is The Internet Used For?: Dial-Up: With A Dial-Up Connection, The Internet User Can Connect To

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INTRODUCTION

What is the internet used for?

(usually dark purple) indicating that it

programs designed to infect your computer without you knowing it

other symbols. Some sites may also

depending on size. Do not navigate away from

Sending any communication over the Internet using the Internet

the devices connected to these networks to communicate with each

In order to communicate, computers need to be able to understand

It is this openness and flexibility that is the primary reason

barriers. It forms the basis for all other systems of communication on

a message is its integrity (i.e. the completeness of the file) otherwise

In many cases, IP addresses may be used to identify an organisation

1.The sender requests a copy of this public key.

or individual that has acquired the services of an Internet Service

2.Using the appropriate software, the sender encrypts the message

As the common household and business

following a basic precautionary

router will often display just one IP

principle, must be treated as such

address for all of the people connected to

unless they can definitively proven

THE INTERNETS PHONE BOOKrequest www.edri.org www.edri.org

it, the IP address will identify a group of

hasIP-address 217.72.179.7request www.edri.org www.edri.org hasIPaddress

people rather than just one individual. As a

the IP address does not

be sure who exactly did what, purely on

the basis of an IP address.

tHE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS)

person behind some

digitally traceable act

online resources is also not practical as services on the Internet

providers, for example).

secure from prying eyes? If you send a letter, it could be

The system for looking up a domain name works on the basis of a

trace. A telephone call can be wiretapped.

hierarchy. When you type http://edri.org, your computer first connects

Rapid development of cryptography started in 20th century together

usually run by your Internet provider, but it is possible to use a

with development of computing technologies. Computers allowed not different one.

If somebody has recently accessed http://edri.org, the DNS server will

Encryption is not a silver bullet and doesnt guarantee total

capacity that they continued to work efficiently even when under

major attacks (so-called distributed denial of service attacks).

comes with a standard set of trusted certificate authorities, a secure

The World-Wide Web is built on HTTP, a relatively young protocol

to web page publishers. The weakness in this system is a result of this

or more recipients. The transfer of these messages is handled using

systems understand the instructions in HTML in the same way so

After composing an e-mail on a webmail site or in an e-mail program,

DEEP PACKET INSPECTION

PEERSYSTEM OF NODES WITHOUT A CENTRAL

servers that are capable of

each additional participant adds

handling incoming e-mail for a

extra resources (traffic capacity,

particular domain, increasing

storage, computing power) to

the reliability of the system.

do not immediately know the

because there is no central

IP addresses of other peers