MODULE 1

Subject Objectives:
To understand cyber space, social media in cyber space, advantages, disadvantages, IT
Act 2000/2008, Digital Signature, Electronic Signature, e-commerce, and e-governance
Unit I: Basics of internet, www, http, html, DNS, IP Address,
electronic mail, web browsers, search engines, social media:
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, advantages,
disadvantages, Privacy issues
 Basics of internet
The Internet is a powerful, all though sometimes intimidating, tool for research, communication,
and more.
WHAT IS INTERNET?
The Internet is defined as a vast collection of inter connected networks across the web. It is a
‘network of networks’.
These networks are:
• Interconnected
• Capable of communicating and sharing data with each other • Able to act together as a single
network
 World Wide Web (WWW)

It is a set of the computers on the Internet that are

connected to one another in a specific way that makes
them and their contents easily accessible to each other.
 Internet requires

1.Web server
2. Browser
3. Router
4. Protocol
5. Internet service provider
Web server

It supports the client computers of its own network and establishes connectivity to answer the
requests of client computer.

Browser

A browser or web browser is a software application designed to find the web pages and open these
pages the user’s computer.
Browsers are of two types –

1) Graphical browsers that allow the user to access text as well as video and audio links in GUI
environment

2) Text browsers that provide access to the web in text-only mode. Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator are two most commonly used browsers in GUI environment.
Router
The core of the internet is the set of backbone connections that tie the
local and regional networks together and router controls the way each
piece of data finds its destination.

Router is responsible for sending packets of data through one or

more networks until they reach the appropriate server and are
reassembled.
Protocol
Each computer connected to the Internet uses the same set of rules and
procedures to control timing and data format.
These are called Protocols.

Most commonly used protocols for internet are Transmission Control

Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
 Internet service provider (ISP)

It is an organization which connects user’s

computer to the internet by providing the
required software.
 WHAT IS A PROTOCOL AND HTTP?

Protocol: A Protocol is a standard procedure for defining and regulating communication.

For example HTTP

HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.

The HTTP is the Web’s application-layer protocol for transferring various forms of data between server and client like

1) plaintext

2) hypertext

3) image

4) videos and sounds .

 HOW HTTP WORKS?
 HTTP is implemented in two programs:

1) A client program and a server program, executing on different end systems, talk to each other by
exchanging HTTP messages.

2) The HTTP client first initiates a TCP connection with the server.

3) Once the connection is established, the browser and the server processes access TCP through their socket
interfaces.
The HTTP provides a standard for web browsers & servers to
communicate.
 HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the WWW.
 HTTP is an application layer network protocol built on top of TCP.
 HTTP clients & servers communicate via HTTP request & response
message.
Hypertext is structured text that uses logical links(hyper links)
between nodes containing text.

HTTP is the protocol to exchange or transfer hypertext.

HTTP is called a “stateless protocol” because each command is

executed independently, without any knowledge of the
commands that came before it.
E.g.-when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an
HTTP command to the web server directing it to fetch & transmit the
requested web page.
 DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM

 DNS Technology Allows Hosts On TCP/IP Networks To Be Address By Its Name.

 DNS Automatically Convert The Names We Type In Our Web Browsers Address Bar To The IP Addresses Of Web
Servers Hosting Those Sites.

 DNS Include A Network Protocol for Memorizing Host Name And Addresses Through A Distributed Data Base.

 All The Top-Level domains, delegates authority for second-level domains, and a database of registered name servers
for all second-level domains Monitored by The Network Information System(NIC).
 Host name assignments maintained through zone files on primary DNS server.

 Secondary DNS server gets zone file from primary server.

 Domain name is a way to identify and locate computers connected to internet.

 No two organizations can have same domain name.

 A domain name always consists of two or more components separated by periods called dots (.)

 EXAMPLE: www.yahoo.co.in, www.facebook.com etc.

Once a domain has been established subdomains can be created within the domain

EXAMPLE: The domain for the large company could be “Vni.com” and within this domain subdomains can be
created for each of the company’s regional office.

Eg: Bombay.vni.com
 Top level domains are classified into 3 categories

 Organizational or generic domains

 Geographical or country domains
 Reverse domains
Each domain name has a corresponding IP address

 When the user types the domain name in the address bar, the corresponding IP address is supplied. Such a
translation is possible with the help of system called DNS (DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM)

 DEFINITION: “DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM is a collection of the databases that contain information about domain
names and their corresponding IP address.”
 Global Distribution
 Data is maintained locally, but retrievable globally
 No single computer has all DNS data
 DNS lookups can be performed by any device
 Remote DNS data is locally catchable to improve
performance
 IP Address
What is an IP address?

 An IP address is a 32-bit sequence of 1s and 0s.

 A way to identify machines on a network
 A unique identifier
 A numerical label
 IP usage

 Used to connect to another computer.

 Allows transfers of files and e-mail
 Electronic mail

 Emailcan be sent internally to members of an organization through their internal computer

network or they can be sent externally to anyone in the world by using web based email services.
 It's very similar to the traditional mail system with post boxes, post offices, envelopes and
addresses.
The difference is that here messages are sent electronically to other computer users via Internet,
taking a fraction of the time to reach the recipient.
 Also one can send computer documents, graphics, software or anything else that can be turned
into a digital form attached to an email message.
 In order for messages to be sent from one computer to another, the message
needs to be converted into a digital form and forwarded to a computer that acts as
a mail server or post office.
This mail server sorts and directs mails to and from the users.
The only way this mail server can direct mail though, to all users is by being
connected to a network that all the users are also connected to.
 Definitions

According to Merriam Webster: “A means or system for transmitting messages

electronically (as between computers on a network)”.

According to Business dictionary: “Almost instantaneous transfer of text, voice

and video messages from one computer to another, typically over the internet”.
 Importance
 Saves Money

 Saves Time
 Instant Response
 Regular Communication
 Going Viral
 No need to speak to recipient
 Messages can be marked as urgent continued
 Messages can be read as convenient
 Incoming messages are saved
 E-mail reduces volume of paper
Social Media
 The term social media refers to a computer-based technology that facilitates
the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through virtual networks and
communities.
 Social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic
communication of content, such as personal information, documents, videos,
and photos.
Users engage with social media via a computer, tablet, or smartphone via
web-based software or applications.
 Social media is a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of
ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and
communities.
There are more than 4.5 billion social media users around the world.

The largest social media networks include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

YouTube, and TikTok.

Social media typically features user-generated content and personalized

profiles.

By 2023, the number of social media users in the United States is forecast to
increase to approximately 257 million.
 The figures for the most popular social media websites as of January
2021 are as follows:

1.Facebook (2.74 billion users)

2.YouTube (2.29 billion users)
3.WhatsApp (2 billion users)
4.Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion users)
5.Instagram (1.22 billion users)
6.Whatsapp (1.21 billion users)
7.TikTok (689 million users)
Twitter’s good for
 Linking up with a community of people who share your interests.

 Live event reporting: finding out what people are talking away from conferences, debates, sporting
events, etc., in real time
Advantages of Social Media
Whataretheadvantagesofsocaim
l edai?

1. Connectivity
2. Education
3. Information and Updates
4. Awareness
5. Share Anything with Others
6. Helps in Building Communities
7. Noble Cause
8. Mental Health
 Advantages of Social Media for Business

1. Brand Reputation

2. Brand Awareness

3. Customer Interaction

4. Promotion
 Disadvantages of Social Media

1. Affects Social-Emotional Connection

2. Decreases Quick-witted Skill
3. Causing Distress to Someone’s Feelings
4. Present Physically Not Mentally
5. Lacking Understanding and Thoughtfulness
6. Lack of Family Quality Time
7. Cyberbullying
8. Hacking

9. Distracted Mind
10. Facilitates Laziness
11. Addiction
12. Cheating and Relationship Issues
 Privacy Issues OF Social Media
1. Privacy issues are very common and very dangerous for the users of these sites.

2. Issues like spamming, hacking, scamming, phishing are effecting people very
badly.

3. After the November 2013, security breach where hackers stole usernames and
passwords for nearly 2 million accounts at Facebook, Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn,
Twitter and 93,000 other websites.
 Highest Privacy Issues
Social sites like Facebook and twitter have the highest privacy
issues.
Facebook:
Facebook has over a billion active users.
Teenagers of almost (18 to 35 age) are Facebook addicted.
Fake Profile and ID's with fake names (like Angel Pari, Innoxent
Ali, Cute girl, Decent boy, etc...) is one of biggest problems on
Facebook.
Strange people try to get into our profiles.
Accounts can be easily hacked by using different hacking websites.

According to the news from PC World Business Center which was

published on April 22, 2010, we can know that a hacker named Kirllos
illegally stole and sold 1.5 million Facebook IDs to some business
companies who want to attract potential customers by using
advertisements on Facebook.
 Twitter
1. Twitter has mostly dodged privacy concerns. Facebook gets all the bad press, but the bigger threat to your online
privacy these days might be your Twitter account.

2. Twitter allows people to share information with their followers. Any messages that are not switched from the default
privacy setting are public, and thus can be viewed by anyone with a Twitter account.

3. Users can make their timelines private, but once a tweet is re-tweeted by another user, it irreversibly becomes public.

4. Another issue involving privacy on Twitter deals with users unknowingly disclosing their information through tweets.
Twitter has location services attached to tweets, which some users don’t even know are enabled. Many users tweet about
being at home and attach their location to their tweet, revealing their personal home address.
 General Tips for avoiding Privacy Issues:

1. Become familiar with the privacy settings of any social website you use.

2. Don’t publicize your vacation plans.

3. Don’t share your age, place of birth, or birthday.

4. Don’t post your address, phone number or e-mail address on a social network.

5. Beware of strangers requests.

6. Always Logout your account on any social network.

7. Use cautions when using third-party applications.

8. Take additional precautions if you are the victim of stalking, harassment or domestic violence.