Virtual Integrity : Faithfully Navigating the Brave New Web

It's unavoidable--every time we surf the Web we are bombarded with temptations vying for our thoughts, dreams, time, and money. As a high-ranking government computer security expert and an avid personal Internet user, Daniel Lohrmann knows these lures well. In Virtual Integrity, he sets out to answer an important How can we safely surf our values? Approachable and essential for all Web users, this book reveals the vast scope of the current battle, creative new answers to the problem, and practical steps everyone can follow. Delving into more than just commonly discussed issues of Internet gambling and pornography, Lohrmann offers a rare holistic vision for how to avoid "integrity theft" and unpacks a revolutionary new paradigm for integrity security. EXCERPT Over the past 24 years, I've led teams building websites and customer-focused portals that have changed the way citizens and businesses interact with government - for the better. Since working for the National Security Agency in the 1980s, I've circled the globe fixing computers, battling hackers, stopping computer viruses, and taking on a never-ending list of "bad guys." America still faces serious challenges from foreign threats, and many books have been written and websites developed on all aspects of cybersecurity, organized crime, and protecting your confidential information. I've seen firsthand a lot of these threats and abuses of Internet capabilities. But in the past few years, an even more troubling trend has grabbed my attention. I am referring to an extraordinary increase in the numbers of temptations we face in cyberspace. New seductions are cleverly packaged as "innovative opportunities" that are really appeals to engage in unproductive, harmful, even immoral activities online. A much wider set of questions have arisen that can't be answered by simply blocking spam, installing web filters, or upgrading your antivirus software and PC firewall. These virtual threats can have the net effect of taking away some of the most important things in life. As individuals, institutions, and a nation, we spend significant time battling identity theft online, but we neglect to fight other negative aspects of Internet life that I call "integrity theft." We need a new approach to virtual integrity.