What is Digital Footprint

The growth of the Internet has changed our lives significantly. Not so long ago, computers used to be viewed as luxury items to have at home. People used to rely mainly on televisions and newspapers as the primary sources of news. Today, the Internet has become an essential service to depend on for many industries, such as news agencies, airports, and even utility companies. This was the beginning of a new-trillion-dollar industry: the Internet industry. However, the Internet was designed to be an open, academic tool, never to be secure. As a result, cybercrimes, cyber warfare, and other cyber illegal activities have spread to become a significant portion of Internet traffic. Cybercrimes often challenge law enforcement. It is difficult to know the exact location where an attack originated, and there are no cyber borders between nations. As a result, fighting cybercrimes requires international cooperation. The purpose of this chapter is to shed some light on motives of cybercrimes, technologies used by hackers, and solutions that can be adopted by individuals, organizations, and governments. This chapter also presents the United States (USA) and international perspectives on cybercrimes and privacy laws. In summary, individuals, organizations, and nations have roles to play in achieving security and reducing cyber risks.