Andriy Slynchuk has described eleven things Internet users do that may be illegal.  Review what the author says and write a paragraph describing the five most serious violations and why you think those offenses are serious.

In Andriy Slynchuk’s blog “11 Illegal Things You Unknowingly Do on the Internet” the topic of common things that people do on the Internet that may still be illegal is explored. The eleven things that the author lists out is using unofficial streaming services, using torrent services, using copyrighted images, sharing passwords, address, or photos of others, bullying and trolling, recording a VoIP call without consent, faking your identity online, using other people’s Internet networks, collecting information about children, extracting audio from YouTube, and illegal searches on the Internet. When I examine those myself, the five most serious violations in no particular order would be collecting information about children, faking your identity online, sharing passwords and other sensitive information, illegal searches on the Internet, and bullying and trolling.

1. Collecting information about children: There is a reason that there is a law in place known as the Children’s Online Protection Act. In no cases, should individuals or organizations collect data from children under the age of 13. This is pretty weird to do and I feel that this is one of the most serious violations on the list.
2. Faking your identity online: Identity fraud happens often. Whether someone makes someone completely up or someone is using someone else’s information, it is still unlawful. In most cases, people do this to deceive people over the Internet or even defraud an individual. This can result in some serious consequences if taken too far or used in different contexts.
3. Sharing passwords, addresses, or photos of others: If someone posts any sensitive information about someone else without them knowing, that is not okay. This is true especially in the situation where the end goal is to harm the individual. I feel that doing this could result in a lot of issues and leaking of all kinds of sensitive information.
4. Illegal searches on the Internet: I feel that this is a more serious act than the others because if you are searching something that is obviously illegal, why would you need to know that information? The only thing I can think of that is positive is just for research, but very few people would actually need to research bomb-making or something like hiring a hitman or another type of criminal. This is kind of sketchy and that is why I believe it is one of the more serious acts.
5. Bullying and trolling: While some trolling is just for fun and games, a lot of acts of bullying can result in psychological distress. The effects of online bullying are real and is a serious issue that we face. I feel that this is one of the worst of the eleven listed because of the real effects that it has on society.