by Cskoyles

Created on: September 12, 2008

It's hard to deny that the internet is possibly the single most important invention of the modern age.

Revolutionising the way people work, play, interact and, in essence, go about their day-to-day lives, this practically infinite highway of information and entertainment has effectively broken down the barriers of international communications; bringing the world together via the medium of technology in an unprecedented fashion.

The internet has brought about an almost unlimited number of benefits, and though anyone other than the most hardened of sceptics would find it difficult to agree with such a claim, on the flipside, the net often poses just as many problems as it provides solutions.

A territory unto itself, the internet is a vast, ever-evolving structure that supersedes the law of any one land; placing many issues of legality and morality into undefined grey areas without clear rules or precedents.

Paedophilia, fraud, social desolation, and the destruction of the one all-conquering music industry are just some of the issues that have risen to much greater prominence in the wake of an online revolution.

In truth, the list is probably endless, and there's no doubt that it would take full volumes to fully dissect the underlying negative elements of the internet.

Yet, whilst we're already here, let's take a quick look at some of them, shall we?

*The Law of the Land

In many respects, the internet can be viewed as a virtual extension of the physical world we inhabit; a sort of second dimension which allows users to traverse continents and shatter the shackles of physical capabilities. Anything you can do in the real world' you can do in some form online, and yes, that does include sex.

Though just as the physical realm is rife with as much negative influence as it is positive activity, so too is the virtual one. Theft, fraud, harassment, sexual abuse, even vandalism to some extents are just some of the crimes which are just as prevalent online as they off; perhaps even more so.

With the internet affording criminals greater powers of anonymity and more sophisticated methods of carrying out their crime of choice, breaking the law online is perhaps both easier to do, and harder to get caught.

It's no surprising really. With the internet's influence spanning the globe, even the most powerful leaders on the planet are practically powerless to completely control the barren land that is the internet, owing mostly to the many and varied set of laws which govern different countries.

Let's

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