Editor: Justin Healey
ISBN 1 920801 55 3
Year 2006

Price: $19.95

  
Impacts of the Internet

Volume 245, Issues in Society
Within only a few years the Internet has become a prominent part of many Australians' lives. 56% of households have home Internet access; 70% of businesses rely on Internet use, and 23% have a web presence. The expanding presence of the Net, along with the increasing uptake in Internet commerce and broadband high-speed connections impacts on most people, in economic and social terms. This book examines the many uses and abuses of the Internet, topics include: types and extent of Internet use; the 'digital divide'; e-commerce; online news and education; recreational use such as blogging and music/video downloading; interactive gambling; spamming; hacking; viruses and worms; Internet safety and 'safe surfing' issues – pornography and violence, filtering, chatroom grooming by pedophiles; cyberbullying; cyberstalking; e-crime; privacy concerns; online scams; Internet addiction. In spite of its many beneficial practical, social and recreational uses, should the Internet be more policed and regulated? If so, how?


Chapter 1 Internet Use in Australia
Using the internet; Household use of information technology; The current state of play; Business use of information technology; Internet speeds not on the pace; Australia lags on internet front; No more pencils, no more books...; Brave new world

Chapter 2 Internet Abuses and Regulation
Regulation and internet content; Internet safety contacts; Internet safety; The internet: benefits, dangers and strategies; Filters, labels and safe zones;
Parents and teens poles apart regarding online safety; One in six kids see net porn; Tap, tap, tap: teenagers turning into chataholics; Paedophiles and online grooming; Australian computer crime impact down says survey; Cybercrime Internet fraud; Top 10 internet security tips; Hacking techniques; Preventing spam; Privacy threats on the Web; Online shopping checklist; Cyber stalking; The perils of porn; Control alt divorce


Glossary; Facts and Figures; Additional Links and Resources; Index of Contents

e of Contents

 

Facts and Figures

• The World Wide Web remained primarily text-based until 1992 with the introduction of the browser. Soon websites contained more than just text, they also had sound and video files. We now have internet chat, discussion groups, internet phone capabilities, video conferencing, news groups, interactive multimedia, games and so much more.

• In 2004-05, 67% of Australian households had access to a computer at home and 56% had home internet access. During 2004-05, whilst the proportion of households with access to the internet increased by 3%, in the same period, the proportion of households with access to computers increased by only 1%.

• During 2004-05, dial-up access was reported to be the most popular method of internet connection for households. Of the 4.4 million households with home internet access in 2004-05, 69% had dial-up access and 28% had broadband internet access.

• The number of Australian adults who purchased or ordered goods or services via the internet for private use continued to increase from 5% in 1999 to 31% in 2004-05. Travel, accommodation or tickets of any kind were identified as the most popular product purchased or ordered over the internet in 2004-05.

• 67% of persons aged 14 years and over in Australia used the internet in April 2005 (up from 54% in September 2001). Online activities performed were buying and selling online (59% of internet users); internet banking (52%); paying bills online (39%).

• 74% of total businesses in Australia had internet access in 2003-2004.

• 57% of home internet users in July 2005 used broad-band technology.

• The proportion of businesses which had broadband as their main internet connection type grew strongly from 41% at the end of June 2004 to 63% at the end of June 2005.

• The most common broadband connection used by businesses at the end of June 2005 was DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) with 68% of broadband users identifying this as the main type of broadband connection. The next most common main type of broadband connection was cable (26%) which includes Fibre Optic, Coaxial and Hybrid Fibre (Coaxial) cable.

• The proportion of businesses which reported placing orders via the internet or web during 2004-05 was 33%, an increase of 2 percentage points from the previous year. This is a continuation of the growth observed over recent years for this business practice.

• While many advanced nations regard broadband as a data transfer speed of 4 megabytes per second, Australia defines speeds as slow as 256 kilobits - 16 times slower – as broadband.

• In the future smart sensors connected to the internet may allow us to keep tabs on everything from our homes to the world around us. As more of the world becomes interconnected, a future form of the internet could stitch everything together.

• The Australian Broadcasting Authority administers a co-regulatory scheme for internet content. The scheme aims to address community concerns about illegal and offensive content on the internet. Co-regulation means that government, industry and the community all have roles to play in managing internet safety issues.

• Research from NetAlert and ninemsn revealed that 40% of teens would potentially meet in person someone they have "met" online and only 12% would ask their parents' permission to do so.

• 42% of 16-18 year olds admit they have downloaded content from the internet that they didn't want their parents to know about. And while some parents (49%) suspect their children might download files without permission, in reality as many as 63% of teens online have actually done so.

• Research has revealed a huge discrepancy between parents and teens' understanding of 'rules' for time online. While 80% of parents claim they have set ground rules for internet usage, only 69% of teenagers agree that online rules exist.

• Almost one in six children as young as eight who use the internet have been exposed to online pornography, most frequently through pop-up advertisements. A further 40% between the ages of eight and 13 have found websites they know their parents would forbid them from seeing and 3% have communicated with strangers online.

• 7% of children aged 13 to 17 described themselves as "becoming addicted" to the internet and another 26% said they used it every day and considered it "an important part of their lives".

• Paedophiles find the internet attractive because they can remain virtually anonymous whilst participating in a range of paedophilic activity, such as making contact with children. They pretend to be people other than themselves and find a sense of security by operating from the confines of their own homes.

• 35% of the 540 organisations which responded to a 2005 survey said the confidentiality, integrity or availability of their networks had been affected by an electronic attack, down from 49% of respondents in 2004 and 42% in 2003.

• The term 'internet fraud' refers to any type of fraud scheme that uses email, websites, chat rooms or message boards to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme.

• Hacking has a number of meanings and in common use refers to gaining access to another person's computer. Australia's cybercrime model legislation prohibits causing unauthorised access to data on a computer, where this is done with the intent to either commit a serious crime, or to cause harm or inconvenience.