10 Communication

In this chapter you will learn about: – intranets

★ communication via emails, – extranets
including: – blogs and wikis
– uses and constraints – forums
– security – social networking
– netiquette ★ internet service providers (ISP)
– making copies ★ search engines (including the
– language used evaluation of information found)
– attachments ★ internet protocols
– spam ★ internet risks.
★ effective use of the internet:
– differences between the World
Wide Web (WWW) and the
internet

This chapter covers certain aspects of using the internet. We will consider
rules and regulations when sending emails and look at several features of
the internet. In particular, we will define and explain many of the internet
terms used and how to search for information on the internet. Part of the
chapter also considers the differences between the internet, the World
Wide Web (WWW) and intranets.

10.1 Communication with other ICT users

using email
10.1.1 Characteristics, uses and constraints
Emails are now one of the most common ways of communicating between
people. However, there many rules we need to follow to ensure the security
of the messages sent and also to prevent people writing anything which
is regarded as unacceptable. This first part of the chapter considers these
constraints.
Legislation
Many countries have laws to protect people against the misuse of emails.
Figure 10.1 is a guideline on what these laws often require companies and
individuals to do when sending out emails. The laws cover the use of emails
and highlight a number of constraints; these will all be covered in this part of
the chapter.

226

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 226 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.1 Communication with other ICT users using email

Many countries
require senders of
emails to obtain ‘opt-in’
permission before
emails are sent out.
It is important that A company or
emails are not sent out individual must have a
with false or misleading clear way for recipients
subject lines. to ‘opt out’.

Email laws Companies must

A valid postal address
provide subscribers with
must accompany emails
a very clear way to
from companies or
unsubscribe from their
organisations.
listings.

Many countries don’t Companies and

allow companies or organisations must make
organisations to harvest their privacy policy very
email addresses (this is clear to subscribers –
the process of capturing who must be made
lists of email addresses). aware of such policies.

▲ Figure 10.1 Email laws

Acceptable language
The language used by people when writing emails should follow an acceptable
code of practice. The following is a list of unacceptable content to be used in
emails, text messages and online forums:
» obscene images
» language that is regarded as abusive, profane, inflammatory, coercive,
defamatory or blasphemous
» racist, exploitative or violent messages
» use of illegal materials or messages.
This list does not cover everything, but gives some idea of what is not acceptable
when sending emails. It is not regarded as adequate that recipients can simply
delete images or messages.
It is essential that anyone writing emails, or posting messages on bulletin
boards, etc. is aware of the above constraints.

Guidelines set by an employer

It is imperative that any company (no matter how small or large) that employs
people publishes guidelines regarding use of emails and other electronic
communications. Guidelines must follow the laws in the particular country in
which the company operates. Companies must indicate how they will ensure that
all of their staff are following the rules. Figure 10.2 shows an example of the
kind of things that might be included within a company’s guidelines.

227

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 227 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

• A
 ll employees should only assume they can use a company’s email system for
business use; it is up to companies to decide if personal emails should be permitted
on their systems
• C
 ompanies may specify which company devices are allowed to be used for sending
and receiving emails
• T
 he acceptable style and tone of emails should be made clear (see sections on
acceptable language and netiquette); there needs to be a company standard style
when sending emails
• It must be made clear what email content is not permitted
• E
 mployees should be told to only use their own accounts when sending emails (and
these accounts should be password protected)
• T
 here must be clear rules regarding confidentiality of information and that all staff
must be aware of their contractual obligations
• Staff need to be aware of the method and duration of storing emails
• I ncoming emails should only be read by the recipient; they can only be read by another
member of staff if so nominated
• T
 he company policy on how to deal with and prevent viruses (and other security
threats) must be clearly laid out (these could include use of anti-virus software,
filtering of incoming and outgoing email traffic, use of auto-responders when staff are
not in work, and so on)
• Monitoring of emails may be carried out and staff must be aware that the company
has the right to read all emails
• S
 uitable ongoing training will take place to ensure staff follow company policy at all
times and that the company policy on emails will be enforced at all times

▲ Figure 10.2 Company email policy and guidelines

Copyright and security of emails

It is very important to realise that emails are subject to copyright laws. Just
because it is relatively easy to forward an email does not mean it is always legal
to do so. This is also true of any attachments sent with an email.
As with web pages, the copyright in an email is determined by its content.
Printing, copying or forwarding emails is generally not considered a breach of
copyright unless the sender has indicated clearly that the message is confidential
or the subject of copyright law. It is important that the recipient checks this
out before forwarding it on to somebody else. Most companies or organisations
will clearly set out their policies on sending emails and the material that they
contain. This will be particularly true if the sender’s email address is part of
the company’s name, for example, A.N.User@company_name.com. Emails
and attachments from companies and organisations will usually contain some
copyright statement, such as:
Any dissemination or copying of this email or attachment is strictly prohibited
unless you are the intended recipient or are responsible for delivering the
message to the intended recipient. If you have received this email in error,
please let us know and then delete the original email and any attachments.

228

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 228 17/02/21 12:26 PM

 10.1 Communication with other ICT users using email

It is common for the message to then make some statement that the views
and opinions in the email may not represent those of the company, and that
the contents may be subject to disclosure under any Freedom of Information
legislation. Companies are clearly very concerned about any potential risk of
copyright infringement.
Security and password protection
It is very important to consider the security of emails. Many security aspects
have been covered elsewhere in this book but some of the factors to consider are
repeated here for completeness.
Some methods of increasing the security of emails include:
» using strong passwords when logging on to your email account (for example,
the name of your pet is a weak password; strong passwords contain a
combination of letters, numbers and other symbols: Sy12@#TT90kj=0 would
be regarded as a strong password)
» changing passwords on a regular basis
» using spam filters to remove certain suspicious emails to a ‘junk folder’ or
even to block the email entirely
» running anti-virus and anti-spam software at all times on your computer, to
protect against emails from unknown or malicious sources.

Emails are said to be vulnerable to both passive and active attacks. Passive
attacks include the release of email material to other users without your consent.
Active attacks involve the modification of your messages or even denial of Link
service (that is, overloading your system by sending thousands of emails, which
See Section 8.3 for
basically ‘clogs up’ your computer and makes internet access almost impossible).
more on data security
Active attacks can also involve viruses or phishing attacks (these are covered
threats.
elsewhere in the book).
Netiquette
Netiquette is a shortened form of the phrase interNET etIQUETTE, which refers
to the need to respect other users’ views and display common courtesy when
posting views in online discussion groups or when sending out emails. It is
very important to consider what you write always, because the reader cannot
see your facial expressions or body language. What may have been intended to
be humorous could offend somebody if they misunderstood your message, and
they could draw the wrong conclusions. Always be aware of this when posting
messages or sending emails.
There are a number of rules governing netiquette – one such source is The Core
Rules of Netiquette by Virginia Shea (published in 1994); but Figure 10.3 gives you
some idea of what constitutes netiquette.

229

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 229 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

1. Do not be abusive – do not threaten people or use

personal violence.
2. Do not send spam – do not repeatedly send somebody
the same information.
3. Be clear and succinct with your message – do not waffle.
4. Remember that posts are public in most cases and can
be read by anyone.
5. Always check your spelling and grammar – give a good
impression.
6. Respect people's privacy and do not discuss or publish
information that might embarrass somebody.
7. Forgive people’s mistakes – do not be compelled to respond
to an error.
8. Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS to highlight comments – this is
seen as ‘shouting’ in emails, text messages and
online forums.
9. Do not plagiarise – always acknowledge quotes used in
any messages you write.
10. Do not use too many emoticons as they might
annoy your readers.

▲ Figure 10.3 Rules of netiquette

Email groups
Email groups are used for a number of purposes:
» It is easier for a user to send out multiple emails if the addresses are all
grouped together under a single name; the user only needs to use that single
name in the ‘to’ box.
» Companies and organisations can group people together for marketing
purposes, for example according to age, hobbies, favourite music and so on –
this means that each email can target specific groups.
» ‘Spammers’ can create email groups by buying addresses of people from certain
companies or from software that ‘raids’ address books on computers or email
companies – this means that several thousand people can be sent spam at one
time.
» Companies use email groups to set up meetings (for example, for a video
conference) to ensure that everybody is always invited to attend – it
would be easy to forget a person if the email addresses were all typed in
individually; this way you can be sure all the correct recipients are sent
messages.

230

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 230 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.1 Communication with other ICT users using email

Other email operations

Apart from the person you are sending the email to, there are other options
available, such as:
» carbon copies (cc)
» blind carbon copy (bcc)
» forward
» attachments.

Carbon copies (Cc) and Blind carbon copies (Bcc)

The difference between carbon copies (Cc) and blind carbon copies (Bcc) is that
the Bcc address details are invisible to everyone receiving the email, apart from
the Bcc recipient. All recipients in a Cc list, however, can be seen by all other
recipients.
The use of Cc is really just netiquette; those on the ‘To’ are the main recipients
and those in the ‘Cc’ list are interested parties.
Bcc is often used as a security measure when using email groups. When sending
an email to many recipients, the following is an added security to keep the
addresses of everyone safe:
» Put your own email address in the ‘To’ field.
» Set up an email group containing all the recipients and give it a name; then
store this.
» Put this named email group in the ‘Bcc’ field.
» This will provide some additional protection, because anyone seeing the email
(authorised or unauthorised) will not be able to see the email addresses of the
individual recipients.

Exercise 10a

To… John, Mary, Karl

Cc... Tim, Ahmed, Dimitri

Bcc... Nick, Ivan, Christina

Subject: Sample question

1 Which recipients of the email can be seen by John, Mary and Karl?
2 Which recipients of the email can be seen by Tim, Ahmed and Dimitri?
3 Which recipients of the email can be seen by Nick, Ivan and Christina?
4 Who can see that the email was sent to Nick, Ivan and Christina?

231

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 231 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

Forwarding of emails
Forwarding of emails should be treated with great care. Suppose your name is
Dave and you work for a company with the domain hothouse-design.co.uk. You
have been given a company email address box where all your emails are received:
[email protected].
You have decided to forward all of your emails to [email protected] where
you can read them at your leisure. This means that all your emails, including
spam, will be sent to this yahoo address. Two problems exist here:
1 Some internet service providers (ISPs) do not recognise the true source of emails
and regard all emails as actually coming from the hothouse-design.co.uk
domain, including spam, because they will have been forwarded from that
domain.
2 Some ISPs have spam filters in place based on email volumes from just one
address.
Both outcomes are undesirable, because there will now be an increased risk that
many of the emails sent to the Yahoo address will be spam. You could end up
being blacklisted by your ISP. For this reason, many web hosts are now putting a
ban on the email forward feature.
Attachments
Always treat attachments with great caution. Spam and phishing (see Chapter 8)
emails can potentially contain malicious attachments. Your computer can become
infected if the attachment contains an executable file. Examples of executable
files are those ending in: .exe, .msi, .bat, .cmd, and so on.
It is also important to remember when sending attachments that the ISP will
have a limit on the size of file that can be sent. Emails were never intended to
include large files. It is probably better to look at alternatives when sending
large files, such as:
» file compression (zip files)
» selecting a web service that allows files to be transferred: upload the file(s)
and then create a link. This link can be sent in an email and the recipient can
then easily download very large files by clicking on it.

10.1.2 Characteristics and effects of spam

Any unsolicited email sent over the internet is regarded as spam. It is often sent
to multiple recipients and can range from being simply annoying to dangerous,
because spam can contain viruses or be part of a phishing scam (see earlier
chapters).
Spam can affect many online operations (for example, YouTube) where links
(called ‘spambots’) are posted within videos which send users to another website.
While some regard spam as a cheap way of advertising to many people at the
same time, most people consider it to be a big nuisance. The main disadvantages
are:
» It uses up people’s time.
» It generally annoys people.
» It uses up valuable bandwidth on the internet, slowing it down.

232

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 232 17/02/21 12:27 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

» It can have viruses attached or even be part of a phishing scam.

» It can clog up users’ inboxes.

Spam is not just a problem for computer users – it can also affect mobile phones.
In this case it is usually text messages being send to multiple phones. It is Link
sometimes referred to as ‘m-spam’, ‘mobile spamming’ or ‘spam SMS’). At the basic
Look back at
level it just annoys people, but with some mobile phone providers users are Chapter 8 for ways to
charged for each message they receive. It then becomes more than just an prevent spam.
annoyance!

10.2 Effective use of the internet

This section will consider the effective use of networks, such as the internet,
intranets and extranets. This will include many of the features of each type of
network.

10.2.1 Characteristics, uses, advantages and

disadvantages of the internet
The differences between the internet and the World Wide Web (WWW)
The word internet comes from INTERconnected NETwork, because it is basically
a worldwide collection of interconnected networks. The internet as a whole is
actually a concept rather than something tangible (that is, something we can
touch). However, it relies on a physical infrastructure that allows networks and
individual devices to connect to other networks and devices.

host host
network

hub

gateway

gateway

network network

hub
hub

host host host

▲ Figure 10.4 Diagram of the internet

In contrast, the World Wide Web (WWW) is only a part of the internet which
users can access using web browser software. The World Wide Web consists of a
massive collection of web pages, and has been based on the hypertext transfer
protocol (http) since 1989. The World Wide Web is a way of accessing information
using the internet; so, the internet and the World Wide Web are actually quite
different. Table 10.1 summarises the differences.

233

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 233 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

▼ Table 10.1 Summary of differences between the internet and the World Wide Web

Internet World Wide Web (WWW)

» it is a collection of multimedia web pages and
» users can send and receive emails
other information on websites
» allows online chatting (via text, audio » uses http(s) protocols to send hypertext
and video) markup language (HTML) documents
» makes use of transmission protocols » uniform resource locators (URLs) are used to
(TCP) and internet protocols (IP) specify the location of web pages
» web resources are accessed by web browsers
» it is a worldwide collection of
interconnected networks and devices » WWW uses the internet to access information
from web servers

Intranets and extranets

Many companies use an intranet as well as the internet. An intranet is defined
as ‘a computer network based on internet technology but designed to meet the
internal needs for sharing information within a single organisation or company’.
Access to an intranet is usually confined to a company or organisation and,
unlike the internet, is not available to the general public.
Intranets reside behind a firewall and are only accessible:
» internally to members of the company, or
» to people given various levels of access who are external to the company (see
later).
There are a number of reasons for adopting intranets rather than using the
internet:
» Intranets are safer because there is less chance of external hacking or
viruses.
» It is easier to prevent external links to, for example, certain websites.
» Companies can ensure that the information available is specific to their
internal audience’s needs.
» It is easier to send out sensitive messages in the knowledge that they will
remain within the company.
» Intranets offer better bandwidth than the internet, therefore there are
fewer connection limits than with the internet (that is, the number of
bits per second that can be transmitted are usually higher within an
intranet).
It is also possible to create extranets that allow intranets to be extended
outside the organisation, but with the same advantages as an intranet;
this allows, for example, trading partners to have controlled access to some
information (commercially-sensitive information is password protected).

234

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 234 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

Intranet

Communication via Communication via

mobile phone virtual private network

A person can connect Connection to the

to the company company’s secure
intranet using the server is made via the
mobile phone internet; secret keys
network to contact are used to encrypt all
the company’s secure communications
server; a number of between the user and
safeguards will permit the server; no one can
only certain users to ‘eavesdrop’ on the
have access to transmitted data
commercial data. without these keys – it
is an example of a
virtual private
network (VPN).

▲ Figure 10.5 Connecting to an intranet though a mobile phone network or virtual private
network

Figure 10.6 shows how intranets, extranets and the internet can all be connected
together. Access to servers behind a firewall is limited for external users.

internet internet
external
server firewall
users
extranet extranet

application extranet intranet

server server server

internal company network (intranet)

▲ Figure 10.6 Connections between internet, intranet and extranet

What are the differences between the internet and an intranet?

» As discussed, the term internet comes from the phrase: INTERconnected
NETwork.
» The term intranet comes from the phrase: INTernal Restricted Access NETwork.
» An intranet is used to give local information relevant to the company or
organisation; whereas the internet covers everything.
» It is possible to block out certain websites using the intranet; while this is
also possible with the internet, it is more difficult.

235

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 235 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

» An intranet often requires a password and user ID, and can only be accessed
from agreed points/computers; whereas the internet can be accessed by
anyone from anywhere in the world, provided the user has an ISP account.
» An intranet is behind a firewall, which gives some protection against hackers,
viruses, and so on; there is much less protection against hackers and malware
when accessing the internet.
» Information used in intranets is usually stored on local servers, which makes
it more secure from outside users for the same reasons as above.

Blogs, wikis, social networking sites and forums

Blogs
Web logs (blogs) are personal internet journals where the writer (blogger) will
type in their observations on a topic (for example, a review about the latest
movie release) and perhaps provide links to some relevant websites.
Blogs tend to range from minor projects (such as the performance of a rock star)
through to important social issues. However, the comments made on blogs are
NOT immune from the law; bloggers can still be prosecuted for writing offensive
material.
Features of blogs:
» updated on a regular basis by the author
» usually organised in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent
entry)
» normally public – anyone can read them
» entries normally come from a single author
» other internet users cannot change blogs – they can only read them.

Microblogs are similar to blogs, but are most often used on social networking
sites to make short, frequent posts. The posts can be done using instant
messaging, emails or use other social networking vehicles (such as tweets).
Social networking sites use microblogs to allow members to update their personal
profiles, for example.
Another version is a b-blog – short for business blog – which is used by
businesses to promote themselves on the internet.
Wikis
Wikis are web applications or websites that allow any user to create and edit
their web pages using any web browser. A wiki will support hyperlinks and uses a
very simple syntax (known as wiki markup) to create pages. They have often been
described as ‘web pages with an <edit> button’.
Features of wikis:
» anyone can edit, delete or modify the content
» many authors can be involved in a wiki
» it is possible to organise a page any way the author(s) wish(es)
» shows/keeps track of all entries – that is, stores a document history
» can be easily edited using a web browser
» allows large documents to be seen by many people – it is easier than emailing
several people.

236

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 236 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

Social networking sites

Social networking sites focus on building online communities of users who Link
share the same interests and activities. They enable people to share photos, See Section 8.2 for
videos and music, hobbies, favourite eating places, and so on. The members do more on e-Safety on
this by creating public profiles and thus form relationships with other users. The social networking
potential dangers of such sites were covered earlier in Chapter 8. sites.
Features of social networking sites:
» Each member is provided with free web space.
» Each member can build their own private and public profiles.
» It is possible to upload content such as text messages, photos and videos.
» It is possible to ‘write on each other’s walls’.
» Members are given free instant messaging and video chatting.
» It is possible to email other members within the community.
» Members can create pages where they can post photos, articles, and so on.
» It is possible to invite people to become friends.
» Members have control over who can access their private or personal data.

Forums
A moderated forum refers to an online discussion forum in which all the
posts are checked by an administrator before they are allowed to be posted.
Many users prefer this type of forum, compared to an unmoderated one, as
the moderator can not only prevent spam, but can also filter out any posts
that are inappropriate, rude or offensive, or even those that wander off the
main topic.
The internet is essentially a huge unmoderated forum. No one ‘owns’ the
internet, and it is essentially not policed. The only real safeguards are a
voluntary cooperation between the users and the network operators. However,
most social forums or networking groups on the internet have a set of rules or
protocols that members are requested to follow or they will be deleted.

10.2.2 Functionality of the internet

This section will consider how it is possible to access the internet and use some
of its features.
Internet service providers (ISP)
An internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides users with access
to the internet. It is normal to pay a monthly fee for this service. When a user
registers with an ISP, an account is set up and they are given login details that
include a user ID and password.
An ISP has the equipment and telecommunications lines required to access the
internet – usually broadband connections which, in many cases, use fibre optic
cables.
Link
Web addresses, URLs, hyperlinks and web browsers
A web browser is software that allows a user to display a web page on their For more on
computer screen. They interpret or translate the HTML from websites and show hypertext markup
language (HTML), see
the result of the translation. This can often be in the form of videos, images or
Chapter 21.
sound.

237

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 237 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10 Communication

Advice
Web browsers are usually just referred to as browsers.

Most web browsers share the following features:

» They have a home page.
» They have the ability to store a user’s favourite websites/pages (known as
bookmarks).
» They keep a history of the websites visited by the use (known as user
history).
» They allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through websites.
» They have hyperlinks that allow users to navigate between web pages;
these hyperlinks are shown as blue_underlined_text or use a small picture,
such as a pointed finger , under a phrase or image; by clicking on these
hyperlinks the user is sent to another website or web page.

Web browsers use uniform resource locators (URLs) to access websites, retrieve
files, and so on. URLs are text addresses used to access websites. A URL is typed
into a browser address bar using the following format:
protocol://website address/path/filename
where:
» protocol is usually either http or https
» website address:
– domain host (www)
– domain name (name of website)
– domain type (.com, .org, .co, .net, .gov)
– sometimes a country code (.uk, .us, .de, .in, .mu, .cn)
» path, which is a web page (if omitted then it is the root directory of website)
» filename is the item on the web page.

For example:
https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/IGCSE/ICT
An error will occur if any part of the URL is incorrect. Most frequently, error page
‘HTTP 404’ will display on the computer screen.

10.2.3 Use of search engines

One of the most useful and powerful aspects of the internet is the ability
to easily search through vast amounts of information on almost any given
topic.
There are basically two ways of locating information from the internet. The
first way is to type in the URL if you know the name of the website you wish to
access. The second method is to use a search engine if you do not know where
to find the information you are looking for.

238

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 238 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

Opening a website from a URL

▲ Figure 10.7 The home page for the website https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/

As discussed, the URL contains the protocol, site address and file name. If you
type in: https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/ to a web browser as shown here,
you will go to the home page for the website.
If you know the URL for a page within the website, you can type the full entry
into the web browser to get a particular page. For example, if you want the
IGCSE ICT page within the website, you could type in the full URL: h  t  t  p  s:  /  /www.
hoddereducation.co.uk/cambridge-igcse-it to get the page shown in Figure 10.8.
If you want to use this page frequently, you can add it to your favourites which
saves you having to type in the URL every time.

▲ Figure 10.8 The IGCSE ICT page

It is also possible to search through the website using the navigation tools until
you find the web page you are looking for.

239

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 239 17/02/21 1:47 PM

 10 Communication

Opening a website via a search engine

Search engines are useful if you do not know the URL of the website, or if you
want to find some information but do not know where to look. Many search
engines exist, and they search for websites using a variety of methods, but they
all have one common underlying feature: they look up the words entered in the
search box in their database of web pages to find out which of them match the
search string or criteria. The more detailed or specific your search string, the
more accurate the results (known as ‘hits’) will be.

▲ Figure 10.9 A typical search engine

For example, if we type ‘ICT text books’ into a typical search engine, the options
in Figure 10.10 will appear.

▲ Figure 10.10 Initial search for ‘ICT text books’

240

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 240 13/02/21 5:02 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

As you can see, about 86 million ‘hits’ or web pages have been found. This is a
lot of information. We could narrow down the search by now typing in ‘ICT text
books+Hodder+IGCSE’, and we now get a much-reduced selection (Figure 10.11).

▲ Figure 10.11 Reduced selection of search results

We now have reduced the number of web pages to 268 000, which is a vast
reduction. However, the search can be further refined using the advanced search
option, as shown in Figure 10.12.

Add this text if

known and it will
search for both
words together,
not just for either
word.

▲ Figure 10.12 Using the advanced search option

The result is now only about 300 hits.

241

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 241 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10 Communication

Once the information is found it can then be saved or used as follows:

» saved as a favourite and accessed when required
» added as a hyperlink in a document
» an image of web page can be saved by using ‘Print Screen’ in Windows (or
the equivalent – it varies between operating systems) and then pasted into a
word-processor page
» information from the web page can be copied and pasted the into another
document.
It is very important to acknowledge your sources of information when using
information from a website in your own work, both to avoid plagiarism and
because the information will be subject to copyright.
As we have already said, the internet is a vast and very useful source of
information, but it is important to be aware of its disadvantages as well as its
advantages.
Advantages of using the internet to find information
» Information on the internet tends to be up to date because it is quicker and
easier to amend web pages than it is to, for example, reprint books.
» The internet has vast, almost limitless, amounts of information.
» Searching for information using a search engine is fast and easy.
» People can look for information in the comfort of their own home – there is
no need to travel to a library to find required books.
» Information on the internet is essentially free of charge.
» Pages on the internet can have multimedia elements (for example, videos,
animations, cartoons and music/voiceovers) that make learning more
interesting and often makes it easier to understand the topics.

Disadvantages of using the internet to find information

» The internet is not regulated – anything can be posted on a web page and,
consequently, information may be biased or totally incorrect (books, on the
other hand, usually undergo some form of review before being published).
» There is always the risk of accessing inappropriate websites when using search
engines; these can take many forms and can be very distressing to certain
people.
» It is too easy to be distracted when searching on the internet – users can find
computer games or enter social networking sites instead of doing their work.
» There is always the risk of ‘information overload’ if the user lacks the
necessary experience or expertise when using search engines.
» Because it is very easy to copy material from the internet, there is a huge
temptation to plagiarise material; this is more likely to occur than when using
books.
» Some research skills are lost when using the internet as search engines do all
the work for you.

242

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 242 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

Why internet searches are not always a fast way of finding

information
When using search engines, there is always the danger of information overload. It is
possible to find millions of websites that match the given criteria. Unless the user
narrows down their search criteria, it can take a long time to find out exactly what
they are looking for (see Figures 10.9 to 10.11). Also, if the user is uncertain of what
needs to be asked, it can take a long time to obtain only relevant information.
Each search engine has to decide what they think is the most appropriate result for
a search query. Exactly how each search engine decides on the rank of their search
results is kept top secret. But search results may not always contain exactly what
the user is looking for – more appropriate websites might be hidden deep within
the search results. Search engines also rank the time it takes to load up pages from
websites – the fastest are given priority when the results appear on the screen. All of
this means that the user may not find exactly what they are looking for when using
the search engine. It is common to assume that if the first page of search results
does not contain what the user was looking for then it does not exist. This is not
true. It might be that the search engine misunderstood what the user was looking for
– or it might have listed the correct website on the eleventh page of search results.
The actual operation of search engines is very complex and is beyond the scope
of this book.

10.2.4 How to evaluate information found on the

internet
There are six criteria to consider when evaluating information found on the internet:
1 Is it possible to verify the legitimacy of who wrote the material posted on the
website? Does the information come from a reliable source that can be verified?
2 Is there a way to check if the information is factually correct; can it be
verified from another source; is it grammatically correct and free of spelling
mistakes?
3 Is the article objective? Is there any evidence of bias (for example, does it
contain links to organisations to support the ‘bias’ in the article and does it
contain any advertising which reinforces the bias in the article)?
4 Is the information dated? When was it last reviewed and by whom?
5 Does the article cover all aspects and are all the arguments fully supported
either by information supplied or references to external experts, or external
links to well-respected organisations (such as universities)?
6 Does the website look legitimate? Do all the links in the website still work?

10.2.5 Internet protocols

Protocols are sets of rules agreed by the ‘sender’ and ‘recipient’ when data is
being transferred between devices.
Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is a set of rules that must be obeyed
when transferring website data across the internet. When a web page is being
accessed, entering http:// at the front of an address tells the web browser that
‘http rules’ for communication are to be obeyed.

243

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 243 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10 Communication

If HTTP is omitted from the address, most web browsers now default to HTTP.
When some form of security (for example, SSL) certification or encryption is used
(see below) then the protocol is changed to HTTPS (this is often seen along with
the padlock symbol ). The letter ‘S’ in https refers to secure(d).
File transfer protocol (FTP)
File transfer protocol (FTP) is a network protocol used when transferring files
from one computer to another computer over the internet. It is similar to HTTP,
but the protocol is specifically for the transfer of files.
Web browsers can be used to connect to an FTP address in much the same
way as you would connect to an HTTP address, for example:
f tp://[email protected]/
Secure sockets layer (SSL)
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that allows data to be sent and
received securely over the internet.
SSL is designed to work with communication protocols like HTTP and FTP. When
used with HTTP, a user logs onto a website as normal, but SSL encrypts the
data – only the user’s computer and the web server are able to make sense of
what is being transmitted. As mentioned earlier, a user will know if SSL is being
applied when they see HTTPS, or the small padlock in the status bar at the
top of the screen.
The address window in the browser when HTTPS protocol is being applied, rather
than just HTTP protocol, is quite different:

Using https: secure https://www.xxxx.org/documents

Using http: http://www.yyyy.co.uk/documents

You can refer back to Figure 8.12 (p. 210) to see what happens when a user wants
to access a secure website and receive and send data to it.

Advice
The term SSL certificate was mentioned in Figure 8.12. An SSL certificate is a
form of digital certificate which is used to authenticate a website. This means any
communication or data exchange between browser and website is secure as long
as this certificate can be authenticated.

Examples of where SSL would be used:

» online banking and all online financial transactions
» online shopping/commerce
» when sending software out to a restricted list of users
» sending and receiving emails
» using cloud storage facilities
» intranets and extranets (as well as the internet)

244

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 244 17/02/21 1:29 PM

 10.2 Effective use of the internet

» Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) when carrying out video chatting and/or
audio chatting over the internet
» used in instant messaging
» when making use of a social networking site.

10.2.7 Internet risks

Many of the risks associated with using the internet have been raised in this
and earlier chapters. As long as users take all of the precautions covered in this
book, they should find the internet a safe, enjoyable and very useful source of
entertainment and material.
Unfortunately, the internet does contain inappropriate material, some of which
is criminal in nature. Many users seem to think that because the internet is not
policed, then they are unlikely to be prosecuted. This is of course untrue. To
prevent inappropriate material finding its way on to the internet, should there be
some form of control? Figures 10.13 and 10.14 detail some of the arguments.

• It would prevent illegal material being posted on

YES websites. People find it much easier to discover
information, which can have serious consequences
(for example, how to be a hacker); although this can
be found in books, it is much easier for a novice to
find the required information using a search engine.
• Some form of control would prevent children and
other vulnerable groups being subjected to
undesirable websites, including criminal material.
• Some form of control would stop incorrect
information being published on websites.

▲ Figure 10.13 Arguments in favour of internet control

245

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 245 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10 Communication

• Material published on websites is already

available from other sources.
NO • It would be very expensive to 'police' all websites
and users would have to pay for this somehow.
• It would be difficult to enforce rules and regulations
on a global scale, as different countries have different laws.
• It can be argued that policing the internet would go
against freedom of information/speech.
• Many topics and comments posted on websites
are already illegal and laws already exist to deal with
the offenders.
• Who is to decide what is illegal or offensive?
Many things are only offensive to certain people
(for example, religious comments) but not
necessarily to the majority.

▲ Figure 10.14 Arguments against internet controls

Exercise 10b
Looking at the arguments in favour (Figure 10.13) and against (Figure 10.14), what
is your opinion?
Should we police the internet and tighten up the laws to prevent illegal use, and
prevent the posting of offensive or harmful material?
Would increasing the monitoring of the internet prevent crime? Would it stop
certain agencies hacking into government websites in other countries to try and
alter the democratic processes in these countries?
Or do you believe this would stop the internet working properly and would it be an
invasion of freedom of speech?

There are additional precautions that can be taken:

» ISP companies give the ‘bill payers’ some control over what can be accessed.
It is possible for concerned parents, for instance, to put filters onto the
central router. This can prevent unnamed devices from accessing the internet
through their router, or prevent named devices from gaining access to certain
websites.
» Similarly, mobile phone companies offer a similar service and can block access
to certain websites. It is not fool-proof, but is an additional safety net.
» Schools and textbooks can also play their part by educating users about the
correct use of the internet – what to look out for and what precautions to
take. Teachers are an excellent source of information; if a student wishes to
access a new website, it is always worth checking with the teacher first to see
if it is safe to go online and access the website.

246

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 246 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 Exam-style questions

Exam-style questions
1 Indicate which of the following statements are TRUE or FALSE by
putting a tick (✓) in the appropriate box.  [7]
Statement TRUE (✓) FALSE (✓)
The internet is part of the World Wide Web (WWW)
All recipients of emails can see all the recipients in
the Bcc and Cc lists
Extranets allow intranets to be extended outside the
normal organisation
Forwarding of emails is always good practice to keep
everyone in the organisation or family informed
Using email groups increases the risk of identity
theft
Netiquette refers to the need to respect other users
on the internet
It is not always illegal to copy or forward email
attachments

2 Describe the features of the following:

a Blog [2]
b Wiki [2]
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417) Paper 11 Q16,
May/June 2018

3 A company’s employees can have access to the internet and the company
intranet.
Describe the differences between an intranet and the internet. [6]
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417) Paper 11 Q12,
October/November 2019

4 Tick which of these statements apply to a Blog, a Microblog or a Wiki. [4]

Blog (✓) Microblog (✓) Wiki (✓)
Very restricted on the size of the post
Allows readers to edit posts
Entries are not usually in chronological order
Very difficult to customise
Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417) Paper 11 Q4,
May/June 2015

247

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 247 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10 Communication

5 Eight statements are given below. Indicate whether the statement is a

feature of an intranet or the internet by putting a tick (✓) in the
appropriate box. [8]
Intranet (✓) Internet (✓)
Information on the network is specific to a particular company or
organisation
Requires a password and user ID to gain access to the network
Allows public access to all information available
The network is always behind a firewall, giving some hacking
and virus protection
It is possible to access the network from anywhere in the world
using an ISP account
The network is owned by a private company or organisation
The network gives access to unlimited amounts of data on many
topics
There is an unlimited amount of traffic on this network

6 Six descriptions are shown on the left and six computer terms on the right.
Draw lines to connect each description to its correct term. [6]
Discussion website consisting of discrete Netiquette
diary-style entries; displayed in reverse
chronological order

Collection of articles that multiple users can add Extranet

to or edit; users can use a web browser to edit or
create the website

Code of good practice that should be followed Blog

when using the internet or writing emails

Software application for accessing information Wiki

on the World Wide Web; retrieves and translates
HTML embedded in a webpage

Type of intranet that can be partially accessed by Search engine

authorised outside users

Software that does a systematic trawl of websites Web browser

to find websites based on given criteria

7 For each of these questions, choose the correct response from the
five options given.[10]
a Which of the following provides a user with internet access?
a TCP
b ISP
c FTP
d HTTP
e HTTPS

248

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 248 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 Exam-style questions

b Which of the following is the meaning of the term URL?

a Universal resource locator
b Uniform radio looper
c Uniform resource locator
d Uniform radio locator
e Universal resource looper

c In the term HTTPS, what does the ‘S’ stand for?

a Simple
b Standard
c Server
d Sockets
e Secured

d Which of the following is the name of the protocol used when browsing a
website?
a TCP
b HTTP
c FTP
d ISP
e WWW

e Which of the following is a correct format of an email address?

a name@website@info
b www.nameofwebsite.com
c name.website.com
d @name.com
e [email protected]

f When moving between websites, what is the correct name when doing this?
a Downloading
b Uploading
c Surfing
d Browsing
e Attaching

g A file is transferred to a website using the following protocol?

a HTTP
b HTTPS
c ASCII
d FTP
e ISP

249

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 249 13/02/21 5:03 PM

 10 Communication

h Which of the following is a function of a web browser?

a Provides user with access to web pages
b Allows a user to view web pages
c Allows users to alter web pages
d Acts as a search engine to locate web pages
e Provides the protocol to allow access to web pages

i Which of the following is the name of the network that allows personal
private networks to be extended outside organisations?
a Intranet
b Internet
c Extranet
d World wide net
e Netiquette

j Unsolicited emails sent over the internet are called …

a Spam
b SMS
c Blogs
d Domains
e Hypertexts

250

318540_C10_CAM_IGCSE ICT_226_250.indd 250 13/02/21 5:03 PM