The internet is home to more than just cute cat videos and Facebook posts. While the web provides creative outlets for users, it also contains countless opportunities for malicious intent. Teenagers may spend more time on the internet than any other age group. But young users may not realize the dangers lurking on the other side of their screens.
In 2024 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported more than $16 billion lost to phishing scams, malware or data breaches. This sum was spent to protect and reverse the effects of cyber-crimes: digital attacks on vulnerable internet users. This total is a 33% increase over the previous year, and fails to account for attacks that may have gone undetected, or unreported. And since the rise of Covid-19, the United States has seen a doubling in the number of phishing attacks, spoof emails, and extortion suffered by its citizens. Part of this trend can be attributed to an influx in connected users and an increase in internet accessibility. However, reports by the National Center for Educational Statistics suggest that more than 31.8 million Americans ages 16-65 are not “digitally literate”– meaning they are not comfortable with their ability to safely and effectively navigate the internet to collect and share information.
While there has been a push to increase the rate of digital literacy, with nonprofit organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) paving the way with their lessons on online safety, an influx of data awareness –and concern– has become a new frontier on today’s World Wide Web.
Malware Detected
As society dives deeper into the future, rather than hover boards, flying cars, or something out of “The Matrix”, humans are instead presented with AI, cameras, and are faced with a more dystopian, “Terminator”–style reality. Since the introduction of the internet, writers, film-makers, and engineers have focused on robots, self-driving cars, and homework machines. Now these futuristic ideas have become possible, but with these advancements comes innumerable privacy concerns: data breaches, cybercrime, and malware that develops by the day.
Ashkan Soltani, the executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, told the Washington Post,“There is so much data out there that can be used for phishing and password resets that it has reduced overall security for everyone, and artificial intelligence has made it much easier to weaponize.”
But these issues do not stand alone, as cybersecurity analyst Chuck Brooks has noticed in his studies the increase of identity theft on the internet.
“Identity theft refers to the illicit acquisition and utilization of an individual’s private identifying information … and it constitutes an escalating global issue,” Brooks said.
As breaches and breaks in privacy continue to expand, many privacy experts hope that each of these incidents will lead to an improvement in security in the digital world. Business teacher Lucia Garber specializes in media and marketing. She says businesses are also involved in the conversation.
“Businesses can use technology to gather data about how their customers behave and also target potential customers. They use data to give customers personal recommendations, target advertising, automated marketing, price variability marketing, location based marketing, and much more that I am still learning about,” Garber said.
Due to the rushed nature of rushed responses to these invasions of privacy, companies often overlook flaws that may endanger their users when integrating systems of new marketing technologies. Vice precedent of security at IBM, Suja Viswean, remarks on Artificial Intelligence specifically.
“As more companies adopt AI without oversight, the more they risk their own security.”
Emerging Inputs
Teens may see these issues as a concern that only affects their grandparents, but this isn’t just a problem for older generations exclusively– it affects everyone. As the internet continues to evolve, researchers are more of not just Baby Boomers but Millennials and even Gen Z falling for scams, clicking on malware, and sharing sensitive information unwittingly.
“Learning more about data collection and tracking has caused me to become more cautious as I interact with things online. Now it feels like a gamble with my private information every time I open up a new website or app,” freshman Jakobe Marcotte said.
Even if teens take proper precautions online, there are still security concerns that arise when they step out of their front doors. Security researchers say that Ring doorbells, AI based cameras like flock security, and even phones can release information to the internet without users even realizing.
“[These technologies] change the way I act in public, they make me feel more anxious about someone or something recording everything I do,” Marcotte said.
Most schools today embed cyber security courses into their curriculums, teaching students to be attentive to their online activity. Ian Heraty, a teacher specializing in web design and computer science, sees an urgency regarding student internet safety.
“Be very wary. These companies are predominantly there to make money and profits. Which is okay, don’t get me wrong, but they harm you as an individual and as an agent. You have to bear in mind you haven’t reached the age of consent. So you’re a child fundamentally,” Heraty said.
Despite the recent increases in internet-based crime, users can take several precautions to protect themselves while surfing the web. Security experts point out that these practices are free, easily accessible, and provide little to no-risk options to keep personal data secure. While some of these safety measures are developed habits– like checking the search bar for the “secure” lock symbol– others have a “one-and-done” setup, ensuring peaceful, worry-free browsing. However, it is important to keep in mind that a characteristic of the internet involves its history being permanent. Computer science teacher Lisa Heid has researched what privacy would look like in such a context.
“Deleting your browsing history, cache, and cookies will give you some privacy when using a shared device. However, it does not permanently delete where you have been on the Internet,” Heid said. “Your Internet Service Provider, like AT&T, and the tech department on school-owned devices, will always be able to see the websites you visit and the apps you use.”
Regular Updates
Regular software and hardware updates are necessary in the protection of personal data, as they often contain patches that fix exploitable vulnerabilities. This is one of the most simple and effective ways to maintain security online. Not only is an up-to-date device defended against malware and other cyber threats, it runs more efficiently. Enabling automatic or scheduled updates can keep this process running smoothly.
VPNs
A virtual private network, or VPN, encrypts a user’s data by connecting their personal computer to the VPN provider’s own server. Ideally, this keeps the user’s personal data, such as their internet protocol (IP) address and browsing data, secure. Using a VPN can prevent this vital information from being collected and sold to third parties. Desktop and home computer users can utilize remote access VPNs such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Proton VPN. Mobile users, on the other hand, can make use of VPN applications such as Surfshark or Mullvad VPN.
2FA
Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, can protect a user’s accounts and networks by requiring two separate forms of identification to access vulnerable data. This has become increasingly popular, with providers such as Google now shifting towards making 2FA mandatory for access to their services. Methods of 2FA include security emails, a message to the user’s personal device, or even use of a separate authenticator app. Steps like these can prevent cyber attacks, even if the user’s password has been stolen.
