Content and Website Abuse

Families across the U.S. create personal websites for various reasons: family & friends, community, vacations, hobbies, a small business or just because it’s fun to do. But many do not understand a personal website can also be a dangerous and vulnerable undertaking; unsafe for you and very unsafe for your family and home life.

The internet is a great resource for sharing ideas, documents, pictures and hobbies, it’s also great for education, research, shopping and paying bills; just to name few. But that doesn’t stop it from being a very dangerous place. The best approach to the Internet, World Wide Web, Cyberspace, Information Highway or whatever you call it is to remember to always treat it exactly as you would the real world.

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Spyware is a form of malicious code that extends beyond the scope of tracking and logging your activities. Spyware puts you at risk by collecting your personal information. The presence of spyware on your computer system also interferes with the normal operation of your operating system, web browser and other software. The best spyware protection for your computer system is found in one of many spyware protection software products available. However, you should be very cautious when installing any type of new software or installing an update to existing software. If these installations are not from trusted sources, you should reject any offer of installing new applications until you research the source and necessity of the installation. You should also avoid buttons included in pop-up ads that encourage you to download software. These buttons, such as “Cancel” and “No Thanks”, often link to a spyware installation. In fact, selecting any button in an ad window generated by spyware may cause spyware to download. If you use a dial-up modem, spyware may hijack your modem as you attempt to connect to the Internet and force a series of toll and overseas calls at your expense.

To protect your system against spyware, you should read the license agreement that accompanies software or research the vendor and the vendor’s practice of providing software. Many websites, such as Symantec, provide information on software and vendors that have a history of embedding spyware and adware in their software. Some vendors also advertise the bundling of software packages on their websites. Though a basic software package may be harmless, additional bundled contents may contain spyware. The additional content is usually marketed as an upgrade or improvement to the basic software. Many times, spyware vendors pay otherwise legitimate software vendors to bundle their infectious content. In other instance, spyware vendors repackage legitimate software with spyware. Spyware protection is always compromised with the installation of free software, particularly free file sharing software. Vendors of this type of free software use adware as a form of advertisement to may make money. In addition to installing unwanted software, spyware may clutter your desktop with icons for the programs that you did not intend to install.

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All across the world people write for some reason or another. Maybe you are writing song lyrics for your band, or writing a school paper. Whatever the purpose, there is a site available to you in which you can submit your work and get your content rewritten for free. Let´s say you are stuck at a certain point of a novel and you need a little help to get you back rolling again. There are tools that can help you in which you can submit your work and get ideas on what to do with the rest of your story.

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