This is the first part of a series of articles covering the subject of Internet Security and its implications for Human Resource Management and is drawn from a paper submitted by H.S. of the information section of the Istanbul Property Management Organization. The original paper was too long to sit comfortably as a single post, so we have divided it into several parts. Quote references are given in brackets where appropriate but these have not been verified.

Introduction

The rise of the Internet has resulted in many important issues being raised. One of these major issues relates to privacy and security concerns.

These issues become important ones for organizations to consider for several reasons. Firstly, because private employee information is recorded on computers, secondly because organizations have their own important information recorded on computers, and thirdly because many organizations conduct business over the Internet via an informational home page or by Internet retailing.

The question of security will become an important one for organizations and will likely become the responsibility of the human resource department in many organizations, with the questions of security and privacy an extension of information systems generally handled by the human resource department (Bernardin & Russell).

In this series of articles, the privacy and security issues that arise from the Internet are investigated. Recognizing that the Internet is relatively new and rapidly changing, the investigation will be completed with an eye for looking forward to the future.

Firstly, the modern history of the Internet is discussed and how it relates to privacy and security concerns. The series then discusses several key security and privacy issues relevant to organizations. Finally there is a brief discussion concerning the protection options available to deal with these issues.

Part One
The Internet, Privacy, and Security

Privacy is not a new concept, but one that has been of importance to people for centuries.

The advent of the Internet however, is taking privacy issues to a new level. Privacy is described as “the ability of individuals to determine for themselves when, how and to what extent information about them is communicated to others” (IBM).

Security also becomes of wider concern. With the importance of the Internet and information technology to society, it becomes a tool that can be used against national security, against individuals or against organizations.

As well as this, the mass of information available on the Internet can be misused.

The Internet has become a profound part of our society, impacting on every aspect of it. With this wide impact, security issues reach out across various topics and take on various forms.

Also relevant is the fact that the Internet remains in its infancy, with the Internet revolution described as “one that experts estimate is less than 10 percent complete” (IBM).

As the Internet grows and changes, new security and privacy issues will appear. As the environment changes, the privacy and security issues will be reconsidered.

There is no doubt that the issues the Internet creates are likely to change, as the Internet and society continue to adapt to each other. Even recognizing this, by assessing the issues now we can begin to see their current impact and also their future direction.