Internet Safety

Downloading Software from the Internet

One of the things that becomes apparent quickly when you adapt to using the Internet is that it appears to be like a large software and graphics bazaar. On most sites that you happen upon, you're likely to find a button enticing you to download software or electronic goods. However, you don't always come in contact with the merchant. It's enticing to download the software and never pay for it. Depending on the type of software, or graphic that you download this may lead you to break the law.

Software is classified into 4 categories:

• Freeware - covered by copyright and subject to the conditions defined by the holder of the copyright. The conditions for freeware are in direct opposition to normal copyright restrictions. In general, freeware software licenses stipulate that (1) the software is covered by copyright, (2) copies of the software can be made for both archival and distribution purposes but that distribution cannot be for profit, (3) modifications to the software are allowed and encouraged, (4) decompiling (i.e., reverse engineering) of the program code is allowed without the explicit permission of the copyright holder, and (5) development of new works built upon the package (derivative works) is allowed and encouraged with the condition that derivative works must also be designated as freeware. That means that you cannot take freeware, modify or extend it, and then sell it as commercial or shareware software.

• Shareware - Shareware software is covered by copyright, as well. When you acquire software under a shareware arrangement, you are actually acquiring a license to use it, not own it. You acquire the license from the individual or company that owns the copyright. The conditions and restrictions of the license agreement vary from program to program and should be read carefully. The copyright holders for shareware allow purchasers to make and distribute copies of the software, but demand that if, after testing the software, you adopt it for use, you must pay for it. In general, shareware software licenses stipulate that (1) the software is covered by copyright, (2) although one archival copy of the software can be made, the backup copy cannot be used except when the original package fails or is destroyed, (3) modifications to the software are not allowed, (4) decompiling (i.e., reverse engineering) of the program code is not allowed without the permission of the copyright holder, and (5) development of new works built upon the package (derivative works) is not allowed without the permission of the copyright holder. Selling software as shareware is a marketing decision; it does not change the legal requirements with respect to copyright. That means that you can make a single archival copy, but you are obliged to pay for all copies adopted for use.

• Commercial - Commercial software represents the majority of software purchased from software publishers, commercial computer stores, etc. When you buy software, you are actually acquiring a license to use it, not own it. You acquire the license from the company that owns the copyright. The conditions and restrictions of the license agreement vary from program to program and should be read carefully. In general, commercial software licenses stipulate that (1) the software is covered by copyright, (2) although on archival copy of the software can be made, the backup copy cannot be used except when the original package fails or is destroyed, (3) modifications to the software are not allowed, (4) decompiling (i.e., reverse engineering) of the program code is not allowed without permission of the copyright holder, and (5) development of new works built upon the package (derivative works) is not allowed without the permission of the copyright holder.

• Public domain - Public domain software comes into being when the original copyright holder explicitly relinquishes all rights to the software. Since under current copyright law, all copyrighted works (including software) are protected as soon as they are committed to a medium, for something to be public domain it must be clearly marked as such. Before March 1, 1989, it was assumed that intellectual works were NOT covered by copyright unless the copyright symbol and declaration appeared on the work. With the U.S. and Canadian adherence to the Berne Convention this presumption has been reversed. Now all works assume copyright protection unless the public domain notification is stated. This means that for public domain software (1) copyright rights have been relinquished, (2) software copies can be made for both archival and distribution purposes with no restrictions as to distribution, (3) modifications to the software are allowed, (4) decompiling (i.e., reverse engineering) or the program code is allowed, and (5) development of new works built upon the package (derivative works) is allowed without conditions on the distribution or use of the derivative work.

You should always make it a point of keeping, reading and understanding the software license agreement for any software that you install and run on your computer. As it is with the rules of the road in your car, it is your responsibility to comply with the law. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Here are some examples of ways that people install and run software illegally:

• a friend giving you software to try

• making a 'backup' of your office software for your home computer

• downloading it from somewhere on the net

• buying one copy, but using it on multiple workstations

According to the Business Software Alliance, an estimated 38 percent of all software programs used in 1998 worldwide were pirated, at a market value of $11 billion. In the U.S., software piracy is responsible for the loss of 109,000 American jobs. These numbers are reducing slightly over previous years, but the impact is tremendous.

Copyright

Going hand-in-hand with downloading  software, is the copyright law. Software, defined as an intellectual property, is protected by United States Copyright law. Copyright law with digital media faces many challenges as the Internet becomes a prevalent communication vehicle. Some of our young people question the validity of copyrighting "ones and zeroes", referring to the binary storage structure used by computers. But simply copyrighting a collection of "ones and zeroes" doesn't compel the creator to copyright their work anymore than an author might copyright a collection of disjoint words and call it a book. However when the creator crafts a program, sound or a graphic that has value to them, and presumably others, they have the right to copyright their work. Often times, though, the law and the ethics and values of the person using the work are the only things keeping the digital work from being stolen.

It is easy to clone a copy of an online book without the authors permission and compensation. On the surface, it seems like no harm was done. In a tangible media, replicating a book for example, it requires a lot of effort and resources to accomplish, making it less attractive for the casual consumer.

Viruses and Malicious Programs

A virus is a software program that can operative on your computer or files without your knowledge, often times doing malicious damage to your files. There are many types of viruses. Some simply attach to files and replicate when the file is used, while others damage or delete files, or affect system performance. There are more than 50,000 known viruses. Viruses can be spread through program or file downloading and trading. The virus attached to the downloaded program or file may have no knowledge of the attached virus. Some viruses are time-released, set to have an effect on a certain date or time. It has become common to attach viruses to files sent as attachments to e-mail, as was the case with the Love.Letter virus that affected 45 million email users in many countries around the world in May 2000.

As if worrying about real viruses isn't enough, along come the jokers who, fortunately for you, aren't malicious in their intent, but create virus hoaxes. Virus hoaxes are mostly spread via email. The email might emphatically states something like "Please read this and pass it on to as many people as possible immediately! If you get an email message with "blah, blah, blah" in the title, DO NOT OPEN IT - it will destroy your system".

The two best pieces of advice that we can pass on to you are: 1. get an antiviral program and keep it up to date; 2. if you get an email with a program attachment, make sure you know the origin - even if it looks like it's from a friend - before you open the attachment; 3. when you get email alerting you to a new virus, check it out first before propagating virus hoaxes. Norton Antivirus Research Center keeps a complete list of viruses and virus hoaxes.

Should a serious virus event occur that has the potential to affect large masses, stay alert for information from television and newspapers. Additionally, the Computer Emergency Response Team at Carnegie Mellon University will track the virus and provide the public with good, non-biased information.

Malicious programs on the other hand are not viruses, but can be equally damaging. They work mostly because the perpetrator breaches your trust. Be aware that any program that you run on your computer has the potential to collect data from your hard drive, crash your system, or install another program without you realizing. It would be very easy for a programmer to create a web page which has an executable program. you might be tricked into running the program, only to appear that it didn't work. However the program maliciously installed another program which allows the author of the malicious program to connect to your computer remotely. You should be careful to trust the source of any executable programs you run on your computer.

E-Commerce

It was recently written in Wired Magazine "all commerce is E-commerce, so get used to it". This speaks of the rapid growth of purchasing and doing business via the Internet. It has been around for several years. The companies that adapted easily were those already doing business via mail-order, like L.L. Bean, Dell Computer and JC Penney's. Some of the relative newcomers who now do enormous volumes, proving that e-commerce is here to stay, are Amazon.com and e-toys.com. You'll find that nearly all Internet portals (large web sites offering a smorgasbord of links, like www.yahoo.com) now have a "Shopping" button. Today nearly everything, including food, clothing, cars, travel and entertainment is available to be purchased via the Internet. In fact, some companies are trading exclusively on the Internet. Try buying a new Volkswagen Beetle without a web browser!

A few caveats as you begin using the Internet for shopping. Make sure the site has a confidential data (privacy) policy that you feel comfortable with, make sure that the company will stand by their products and support. Oh, and there's the fear that e-commerce will turn us into couch potatoes, but it can have the opposite effect. We can redirect the time we would've spent driving, parking, browsing and buying into time we spend with our families.