Reading #1 Summary

Reading #1: “Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet”

This first reading was very interesting. It is all about how the internet misinforms, misleads, and how it can very easily scam you out money and other things. Just because a website looks legitimate doesn’t mean that it was set up by an actual legitimate company or that the information provided on it is factual. Anyone can go online and create a website now, but there are warning signs though. If information provided on a website is misspelled or contradicts obvious or common knowledge know that it is more than likely full of misinformation. There are so many hoax websites now that there are websites set up to keep track of them like register.com. Also you should consider referencing print materials if you cannot verify the URL or are still not sure if the website is legitimate. The article also brings up hacks and spoofs and how sometimes they are not as obvious as you think. Again you have to be very careful to verify information and using the detailed search options on search engines like GOOGLE and YAHOO are always good options to help you narrow down your searches to good legitimate information. You aren’t even safe just reading the news online. Writers don’t always check their stories and sometimes information is false. Remember use your common sense when getting information online and always double check your information to make sure your not getting fed false information by fake websites. Also beware of sites that claim to be charities of any kind. Make sure any charity you donate to online is registered, you could just be paying someone’s rent.