The Internet is a rapidly growing web of information that more and more people are using. The benefits are for instance immediate access to information from all around the world, electronic mail that arrive at a blink of an eye, being able to publish ideas on personal web pages, and even downloading a contemporary pictures over Waikiki beach just to see if there's any waves etc.

Robert Wright is introducing the idea that the Internet has become an instrument of privacy killing. In the same way that the public is getting access to countless bytes of information, the accomplished computer user gets access to the private preferences and thoughts of the public. Wright suggests that people should be careful when publishing a Web page containing personal thoughts because anyone with Web-authoring software can easily trace the URL (electronic address) back to it's origin. In short, people's visions about a totally anonymous Internet are false because of the electronic trail that is left for others to find.

The Internet's front of total anonymity has created a lot of temptations in people especially in the pornographic and gambling sites. Wright means that the fear of retribution from computer hackers or other advanced computer users is a good thing mainly because the fear might help people stay in line.

The Internet cameras that are put up frequently around the world for the purpose of people being able to watch what is going on live on the net may also be used for surveillance. This greatly impacts my sense of privacy, not only when I'm sitting in front of the computer but also when I'm outdoors. Just imagine that these instruments could be used to map an entire lifetime, and during a lifetime mistakes are bound to happen and these mistakes might just be used against you.

Privacy isn't always good. Wright presents a recent study that showed that 1 in every 4 kids born in parts of Liverpool had a different biological father than the father on the birth certificate. The !Kung San tribe in Africa, a hunter-gatherer tribe where very little privacy is obtained, had the same study and it showed that only 1 in 50 had different biological father, and note that they have no modern contraceptive technology. Wright states that these results could be because of the possibilities that modern anonymity can offer.

The Internet is a lot more then just a gigantic library. It is also a way for people to seek

Some common words found in the essay are:
Robert Wright, Kung San, Linda Tripp-attitude, President Clinton's, Internet Internet's, Global Village, Magazine October, Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky, robert wright, White House, sex scandal, one's identity, publish ideas, study 1, biological father, credible source,
Approximate Word count = 947
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)