Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

How The Internet Has Change The Way Information Is Monitored

Gunner Howell
Jose Mejia
Information Governance

Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

The internet, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Most people just use it for
watching funny cat videos and stalking their ex. It was originally created by the government in
the 1960s as a way for nuclear missile silos to communicate during the cold war. The internet is
still used for communication but on a much more casual level. The United Nations have even
declared that internet access is a basic human right. With terabytes of new information uploaded
every day it has become the main source of finding information. A wise man once said
knowledge is power and in todays world that is more true than ever. Social networks and
unsecured data storages systems mean that private information is open for the world to see.
Along with the development of search engines like Google and Bing have made finding
information of any kind that much simpler. As one can see the internets ever growing size,
individual carelessness/ignorance, and the lack of information governance policies has changed
the way that information is managed in the modern world.
The internet does not have a physical location that one can go to. It is a vast network of
networks that is continuously growly without any signs of stopping. This feature makes it
impossible to measure the sheer size of the internet. Thanks to the terabytes of new information
uploaded to it every day the internet being a source for finding information of any kind. In the
book Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World the author, Bruce Shneier (2000)
stated, In todays world the internet has become the go to source to find information of any kind.
Businesses and other organizations have web sites so that other individuals a can find them. Even
government agencies have web pages where one can find information on them.(p. 77). The ever
growing amount of information that is on uploaded daily means the internet well probably keep

Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

growing as long as there is enough storage shape for it. The main problem with a virtual entity of
this size is security. The bigger a network is the harder it is to secure. Bruce Shneier (2000) also
mentions in his book, As more networks are added to the ever growing network known as the
internet the ability to securely monitor data has become almost impossible.(p. 127). While most
servers have software and hardware in place to protect their data, they can never make a network
or system 100% secure. With more information being added to the internet it becomes harder to
monitor for threats and breaches. Even with the most advanced digital security systems known to
man there is always a weak point in the system. There are individuals who will exploit those
weaknesses so those in charge of a computer system have to monitor the data on it in order to
protect it.
It does not matter how much security one has in place to protect private information the
weak link is the human element. With the rise of the internet also came the rise of a new breed of
criminals known as hacker. Hackers specialize in the theft of electronic data from computer
systems through various means. 70% of data breaches are the result of social engineering. Social
engineering is where an individual tries to obtain sensitive information by just asking for it.
Thanks to web sites like Facebook and Myspace individuals have gotten careless about the
information that they post online for the world to see, so now hackers do not even need to ask
anyone for their information. In the book CyberWar, CyberTerror, and CyberCrime the author
Mehan (2009) states, As the internet becomes more integrated into the digital devices that
individuals use every day those individuals are starting to get carless with the information that
they upload to the internet. (p. 83). People have become more relaxed about who knows what
about them, and they just do not understand how a small amount of information can cause
massive problems for them. Simple pieces of information like a full name, birthday, or just ones

Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

maiden name is all a semi-skilled hacker needs to steal an individuals identity. Even with
policies in place to prevent breaches like these, people still willingly give out their information
because they are ignorant of the risks that they face. Mehan goes on to say The integration of
the internet into the device that many of us use every day have given cyber criminals a new
means of collecting data. (p. 124). Many individuals will put their entire lives on their cell
phones because it is convenient for them. With so much personal data on one small device cell
phones are like a hackers holy grail. Many individuals put password protection on their devices
so they can have some kind of protect, but the passwords that most use are obvious and simple to
figure out. They do not believe that a person would think of the obvious when trying to guess a
password. This lack of knowledge and carelessness puts those individuals at a higher risk of
being a victim of information theft. These are issues that could be prevented if one takes the
proper steps however few do. Individuals can be as creative as they want but for every new
method that is made to secure a device, a method for braking through it is also made.
Information governance is a term that not many average people would know about off the
top of their head. It is the policies that are put in place in an attempt to prevent data breaches.
Some believe that just putting a password on a computer makes it safe and secure from anyone
trying to steal the data on it. In reality digital files are at just as much risk of being stolen as
physical files. As Mayer-Schonberger and lazer (2007) state By digitizing the physical
documents we have not solved the issue of information breaches. We have merely changed the
way in which the information can be stolen. (p. 15). Just because a file does not have a physical
form does not mean it is safe. It is just like cracking a safe, if someone really wants in, it is only
a matter of time before they get in. One does not even need to be on the same continent as the
system that they are hacking into. The policies that are set in place are meant to protect a system.

Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

If more individuals know about information governance policies and how to implement them
systems could be much more secure. Mayer-Schonberger and lazer (2007) go on to say, Just
like society the rules of a computer system are what define it. (p. 23). A computer system needs
to have rules and policies in place in order for it to operate correctly. If there were no policies set
up to control that happens on a system hackers and careless individuals could compromise the
system putting every individual who is on it at risk. Even a simple policy like an access control
list set on the router could save unneeded trouble with a computer system. As the internet
becomes a bigger part of everyday life information governance policies can protect electronic
data from being stolen by malicious hackers. New security policies can help one make a better
decision on how to better protect their system from malicious activities both from home and
from the internet.
Ultimately, the internet has greatly affected the way that information is monitored.
Careless social network users make it so easy to find their personal information that there is no
need to try and hack their account. To help protect against individuals who would use the
information that they may find for malicious purposes information governance policies can be
put in place, but they are not guaranteed means of protection. The internet has forever changed
the way that we monitor digital information.

Gunner Howell & Jose Mejia

Final Paper
Information Governance
4/20/15

Sources
Mayer-Schonberger, V., & lazer, D. (Eds). (2007). Governance and information technology:
From Electronic government to information government. Available from
http://site.ebrary.com

Mehan, J. (2009). Cyberwar, Cyberterror, Cybercrime: A guide to the role of standards in an

environment of change and danger. Available from http://site.ebrary.com

Schneier, B. (2000). Secrets and Lies: Digital security in a networked world, New York, NY:
Wiley Computer Publishing.