The art of protecting information by transforming it (encrypting it) into an unreadable format, called cipher text. Only those who possess a secret key can decipher (or decrypt) the message into plain text. Encrypted messages can sometimes be broken by cryptanalysis, also called codebreaking, although modern cryptography techniques are virtually unbreakable.
As the Internet and other forms of electronic communication become more prevalent, electronic security is becoming increasingly important. Cryptography is used to protect e-mail messages, credit card information, and corporate data. One of the most popular cryptography systems used on the Internet is Pretty Good Privacy because it’s effective and free.
Cryptography systems can be broadly classified into symmetric-key systems that use a single key that both the sender and recipient have, and public-key systems that use two keys, a public key known to everyone and a private key that only the recipient of messages uses.
C, Glossary of computer security
C, cipher, Encryption, Glossary-of-computer-security, Privacy
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was passed by Congress in October 1998, with a requirement that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issue and enforce rules concerning children’s online privacy. The primary goal of the Act and the Rule is to place parents in control over what information is collected from their children online. The Rule was designed to be strong, yet flexible, to protect children while recognizing the dynamic nature of the Internet.
- The COPPA Rule applies to operators of commercial websites and online services directed to children under 13 that collect personal information from children, and operators of general audience sites with actual knowledge that they are collecting information from children under 13.
- Those operators must:
- post clear and comprehensive Privacy Policies on the website describing their information practices for children’s personal information;
- provide notice to parents, and with limited exceptions, obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children;
- give parents the choice to consent to the operator’s collection and use of a child’s information while prohibiting the operator from disclosing that information to third parties;
- provide parents access to their child’s personal information to review and/or have it deleted;
- give parents the opportunity to prevent further collection or use of the information;
- maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of information they collect from children.
- In addition, the Rule prohibits operators from conditioning a child’s participation in an online activity on the child’s providing more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in that activity.