To sign up for any internet account, people are required to give up an extensive amount of information. Users might have to provide their email, phone number, name, birthdate, social security number, address, financial information and a random password they probably won’t even remember to wrap it all up.
This has become the routine people go through just to sign up for social media, an email address or even the daily-used Schoology. Furthermore, things like subscriptions, newsletters and business loyalty apps require even more information, often soliciting for credit card details incessantly.
Clearly, people trust the internet a lot. Users freely give away personal information just to see what others post about. Society has been conditioned to feel safe on the internet but that isn’t the truth anymore.
Some particularly tech-savvy people operate around the internet with malicious intentions through scamming, hacking or cyber-exploitation.
But as technology advances and the burden on its users lessens, those who pose a danger on the internet don’t have to be any more skilled than the average high school student to exploit others.
With AI, finding personal information online is easier than it ever has been. AI can easily generate human like-content, and it is becoming more lifelike by the day.
The scams that people create look terrifyingly real. Even now, AI or bots can create social media accounts and post misleading or dangerous information, and they are growing more capable of directly messaging human users.
The line between real and fake is blurring on the web, and this puts personal information at an ever-increasing risk of being exposed. AP Cybersecurity teacher Mr. Ritche Manzano explains that many artificial accounts and scam-likely media share similarities to make them easier to spot.
His example was a hardware store sending an email advertising free materials at the cost of a quick sign-in. With Mr. Manzano’s keys to spotting internet scams, a quick evaluation of the email indicates that it’s clearly fake.
Mr. Manzano explained that fake websites imitating Amazon might offer a $50 gift card if users click a link. When people sign in with their username and password, a key logger can capture what they’re typing. This technique is called spoofing.
In the midst of advancing technology with equally advancing ambition and malice, an easy way to protect personal information is through cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity involves using certain methods and programs to protect online data.
One of the fundamental ideas attached to cybersecurity is called the CIA Triad. It stands for confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Confidentiality protects information from people who should not have access to it. Integrity ensures that no one modifies it. Availability guarantees access when needed.
The AP Cybersecurity class teaches in-depth methods of protecting data from internet malware, technology and people.
However, AP Cybersecurity is just one method. Taking advantage of available online protection resources like two-factor authentication, secure data storage centers and being wary about giving out information when surfing the web are just as effective and likely more time efficient for many than taking an AP class.
Nevertheless, groups of people, like high school students and elderly citizens, have a particular lack of awareness about attacks on their data. They are exactly the kind of people who should make the most of measures to protect themselves in the long run.
With the expanding horizon of an internet riddled with advancing technology and AI, online safety has never been more necessary. Everyone, especially students, must prioritize cybersecurity before they become the next victim.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2025 print edition.
