Glossary
This Glossary of Internet Terms has been adapted from:
Understanding The Internet: Glossary of Technology Terms
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
August 2006
Click
here to view the original version
This booklet provides basic definitions designed to give online
consumers and Internet surfers a better understanding of the technology
they use.
adware - Any software application in which
advertising banners are displayed while a program is running. The
authors of these applications include code that delivers the ads through
pop-up windows or a bar that appears on a computer screen. Adware that
includes code which tracks a user’s personal information and passes it
on to third parties without the user’s permission is called spyware, see
definition below.
blocking software - Filtering and
blocking software work together. A web filter allows a user to block out
pages from web sites that are likely to include objectionable
advertising, pornography, spyware, viruses and other undesirable
content. The software generally works in two ways to deny access to an
objectionable site: (1) by filtering undesirable material based upon a
preselected database or site list and (2) by filtering objectionable
material based upon web content.
blog - A web site of personal or generally
noncommercial origin that uses a dated log format which is updated on a
daily or frequent basis with new information on a particular subject or
range of topics. A blog is characterized by a journal form and informal
style, and generally represents the personality of the author or
reflects the purpose of the web site that hosts the blog.
broadband - Communication in which a wide band
of frequencies is available to transmit information. Because a wide band
of frequencies is available, information can be multiplexed and sent on
many different frequencies or channels within the band concurrently,
allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time.
browser - Software that provides a way to look at
and interact with the information on the world wide web. A browser
program uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) to make requests
of web servers throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user.
cached files - Also “temporary Internet
files.” Saved copies of accessed files and web pages. Unless its default
settings are changed, an Internet browser will automatically save copies
of the files and web pages that users access online. The copies help
facilitate the browsing experience by shortening the time needed to load
the web pages upon repeat visits. The files – including image files –
are stored on the computer’s hard drive in a folder usually named
"Temporary Internet Files," "Temp" or "Cache."
chat room - An online venue for communities of
users with a common interest to communicate in real time. Chat room
users register for the arena of their choice, choose a user name and
password, and log into a particular room. Inside the chat room there is
generally a list of people currently online, who are alerted that
another person has entered the venue. To chat, users type a message into
a text box. The message is almost immediately visible in the larger
communal message area and other users respond. Users can enter chat
rooms and read messages without sending any, a practice called
“lurking.” There are chat rooms focusing on virtually any aspect of
human interest.
cookies - Small data files stored in a computer's
memory by some web sites a user visits. These data files may contain
information the site can use to track things such as user names and
passwords, the contents of virtual shopping carts, lists of pages
visited, and the date a user last looked at a certain page. Many cookies
contain just a unique number corresponding to an entry in the web site's
database containing that information.
COPPA - The Children's Online Privacy Protection
Act (“COPPA”), enacted in 1998. This federal law attempts to place
limits on the collection of personal data over the Internet from
children under the age of 13.
cyber bullying - The use of e-mail, web
sites, instant messaging, chat rooms, cell phone text messaging and
digital cameras to antagonize and intimidate others.
cyber shorthand - A shorthand used in
chat rooms and other forms of electronic communication made up of keypad
hieroglyphics, alphanumeric combinations, few vowels, little punctuation
and virtually no capital letters.
digital camera - A camera that records and
stores photographic images in digital form that can be fed to a computer
as the impressions are recorded or stored in the camera.
domain name - A domain name (for example,
www.kelloggs.com) locates an organization or other entity on the
Internet. downloading - The transmission of a file from one computer
system to another.
e-mail - Electronic mail.
encryption - Various methods of scrambling
data so that information is secure as it is transmitted over the
Internet.
filtering software - See blocking
software, above.
freeware - Programs that are offered at no cost
and are available for downloading and use in most operating systems.
history files - The automatic record that an
Internet browser creates of all the web sites that have been visited on
a specific computer.
home page - The first page presented when a user
selects a site, or presence, on the world wide web. The usual address
for a web site is the home page address, although a user can enter the
address of any page on the site and access that particular page.
instant messaging - The continuous
exchange of electronic messages. A user who is instant messaging can
ascertain whether a predesignated individual is connected to the
Internet at a given time and, if they are, exchange messages with them
in real time. Differs from e-mail in that instant messages are
immediate.
Internet - A worldwide system of computer
networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have
permission, get information from any other computer. The most widely
used part of the Internet is the world wide web, see definition below.
Internet Service Provider - A
company that provides individuals and other companies access to the
Internet and other related services, including blocking services.
Commonly abbreviated as “ISP.”
member directory - Some Internet Service
Providers offer subscribers use of a Member Directory, consisting of
member profiles, see definition below. The ability to search these
directories by field, looking for specific demographic and interest
groups, makes them a potential tool for predators looking for victims.
member profile - Some of the larger
Internet Service Providers allow members the option of creating
individual member profiles, which make up an ISP’s member directory, see
definition above. A member profile may include information such as name,
gender, location, marital status, occupation, hobbies, etc.
newsgroup - A discussion about a particular
subject consisting of notes written to a central Internet site and
redistributed though Usenet, a worldwide network of news discussion
groups. Each subject collection of posted notes is known as a newsgroup.
Users can post to existing newsgroups, respond to previous postings, and
create new newsgroups.
pharming - A scamming practice in which
malicious code is installed on a personal computer or server,
misdirecting users to fraudulent web sites without their knowledge or
consent. In contrast to phishing, see definition below, larger numbers
of computer users can be victimized because it is not necessary to
target individuals one by one and no conscious action is required on the
part of the victim. Like a form of spyware, see definition below,
pharming is often perpetrated for commercial gain for the pursuit of
identity theft.
phishing - E-mail fraud where the perpetrator
sends out legitimate-looking e-mails that appear to come from well-known
and trustworthy web sites in an attempt to gather personal and financial
information from the recipient.
privacy policy - Information posted on a
web site generally setting forth the site’s personal data collection and
sharing policies. Some web sites have comprehensive privacy policies,
some lack privacy policies and some fail to disclose conspicuously their
information procedures in a clear and understandable fashion.
search engine - Software that allows a user
to formulate an Internet search and scans the Internet for the user’s
terms.
secure connection - Secure connections
use encryption to scramble a user’s information as it is transmitted
over the Internet. Browser software is equipped to alert the user when
such safeguards are in place. There are two basic ways of identifying a
secure connection: (1) the web address of the site visited will be
preceded by “https” instead of “http.” The "s" is for "secure" and (2)
depending upon the brand and version of the browser software, either a
closed lock or an unbroken key will appear at the bottom of the browser
window.
shareware - Software that is distributed free on
a trial basis with the understanding that the user may need or want to
pay for it later.
social networking site - Social
networking sites generally allow a member to provide information about
himself/herself and offer a communication mechanism (chat rooms, forums,
e-mail, instant messaging, blogging) that enables him/her to connect
with other members. On some sites, a member can browse for people based
upon certain criteria, while other sites require that a member be
introduced to new people through a shared connection. Many of the sites
have communities or subgroups that are based on a particular interest or
subject matter.
spam - Unsolicited and unwanted commercial e-mail,
or junk electronic mail.
spam filter - A program that is used to detect
spam and prevent those messages from getting to a user’s inbox.
spyware - See adware definition above. temporary
Internet files - Also cached files, see definition above.
typosquatting - Also called “URL
hijacking.” Typosquatting is a form of cybersquatting which relies on
mistakes such as typographical errors made by Internet users when
inputting a web site address into a web browser. A cybersquatter
registers, traffics in or uses a domain name with a bad faith intent to
profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. If a
user accidentally enters an incorrect web site address, s/he may be led
to an alternative address owned by a cybersquatter, and all information
transmitted through the incorrect site address is transmitted directly
to the cybersquatter.
Uniform Resource Locator - The
unique address for a file that is accessible on the Internet. A common
way for a user to get to a web site is to enter the URL of the site’s
home page in a web browser’s address line. Any file within that web site
can also be specified with a URL.
webcam - A video camera, usually attached to a
computer, whose latest image is requestable from a web site. A “live
cam” continually provides new images that are transmitted in rapid
succession or, in some cases, streaming video.
web site - A related collection of world wide web
files that includes a beginning file called a home page, see definition
above. The site is accessed through its Internet address, or URL
(Uniform Resource Locator, see definition above).
world wide web - The most widely used part
of the Internet. Its outstanding feature is hypertext, a method of
instant cross-referencing which allows a user to click on a highlighted
word, phrase, or clickable button or image, and be transferred to the
relevant site or page.
Acknowledgments:
www.whatis.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.us-cert.gov/legal.html
Other documents from The New York State Attorney Generals Office on
safe internet use:
Phishing Tip Sheet
Cyber Bullying Tip Sheet
Social Networking
Tips for Protecting Your Child on the Internet
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