Such applications should not expect to be able to have access to the same freedoms as a locally installed application. Applications that are locally installed are able to interact much closer with information located on the client system, but if they provide any option for connecting to other systems via the Internet, they will need to be careful to provide the appropriate safeguards to prevent the potential of either viruses, or of exposing private information about the user without their permission. And applications that don t specifically provide any form of network connection also need to think carefully about security. They still need to identify what forms of abuse they might possibly be exposing through any form of scripting or programmable interfaces that they provide. Web browsers and other connectivity support applications can, and should, work hard at providing as safe an environment as possible, but security also requires some level of diligence on the part of the computer user.
Computers are fairly complex machines capable of an incredible variety of operations.
It is this flexibility that opens up the potential for viruses, hackers, and other forms of inappropriate access. Just as users of table saws, gas stoves, and automobiles need to understand their product to use them safely, so too should the standard computer user. At the least, they need to have enough understanding of their computers to protect themselves from malicious individuals. Fortunately for all of us, his opinions are his own. All rights reserved.