Viruses, Security Issues Undermine Internet

Designed originally by the US Department of Defense as a limited experiment in communications, the internet was not intended to be the global network it is today. Since the system was originally used by only a small community of researchers and friends, the popularized version was not equipped with the security measures necessary to cope with the enormous number of current– largely anonomous – users. As a result, hackers have become increasingly successful at stopping website traffic, breaking into private domains, and flooding email inboxes with junk mail, taking advantage of numerous loopholes in the system. Though several internet policing bodies have attempted to repair the weaknesses, many critics say that the only way to create a truly secure internet is to overhaul the entire system. Of course, such an overhaul would be a logistical nightmare and may infringe on the very freedom that has allowed the internet to flourish. – YaleGlobal