Social media accounts · Computer Application

The Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of connected computers. The World Wide Web (www) is the collection of web pages on it, viewed with a browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge). A website has a URL such as www.example.co.tz, and the protocol https (the “s” means secure) controls how it is sent. Computers in a local area network (LAN) can be arranged in a star, bus or ring.

Internet search and email

A search engine (Google, Bing) finds pages by keywords. Use specific words, quotation marks for exact phrases, a minus sign to exclude words, and check that the source is reliable. An email address has the form name@domain. An email message has To, Cc, Bcc, Subject, a body and attachments. Be polite, check before sending, and do not open attachments from strangers.

Social media, webinars and online forms

Social media (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube) help people to share information and connect, but they can spread false news, waste time and lead to cyberbullying. Protect your privacy: use strong passwords, check privacy settings, and think before posting. Webinars and video meetings (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams) allow people to meet online. Online forms and surveys (Google Forms) collect responses in a spreadsheet.

Cloud storage and file sharing

Cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox) saves files on servers on the Internet, so they can be reached from any device, backed up and shared by a link with a permission (view, comment, edit).

Internet threats and protection

Threat	Description	Protection
Virus, worm, trojan	Harmful programs that damage files or spread	Antivirus, updates, do not open unknown files
Phishing	Fake emails or sites that steal passwords or money	Check the sender and link; never share passwords
Hacking	Unauthorised access	Strong passwords, two-step verification
Spam	Unwanted bulk messages	Filters, careful sharing of your email
Cyberbullying	Using the Internet to harass others	Block, report, tell a trusted adult
Identity theft and scams	Stealing personal data or tricking people to pay	Share little; verify offers

A VPN (virtual private network) sends your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to hide it from others on a public network, and a proxy acts as an intermediary between you and a website. A firewall blocks unauthorised access.

Strong passwords

A longer password with more types of characters has far more combinations and is harder to guess.

Each extra character multiplies the combinations by 62. The vertical axis shows the number of combinations in billions.

Try itPassword strength

Choose the length and the number of different characters allowed.

Download time

Speeds are in megabits per second (Mbps); file sizes in megabytes (MB).

Check yourself The “s” in https means

Check yourself Phishing is

Check yourself A strong password has

Key terms

Internet: A worldwide network of networks.
Browser: A program for viewing web pages.
Phishing: A trick to steal information using fake messages.
VPN: A virtual private network that encrypts traffic.

Summary

The Internet connects computers; the web is the collection of pages.
Use search, email, cloud storage and online forms safely.
Protect yourself from viruses, phishing and hacking.
Use long, varied passwords and two-step verification.