CYBER SECURITY AND ITS IMPLICATION ON LIBRARY USERS’ PRIVACY

Abstract

It is an undisputed fact that technology advancement has reached a stage that hardly can an individual do away with internet connected devices, or totally abstain from services offered by way of internet connection. From financial services, military and defence, to regular stock purchases, to complex transactions, even for medical and health services; internet of things (IoT) has changed the way the world operates. In all these, the library is not left out. The attendant evil associated with this internet advancement is the threats, attacks and crimes committed in the cyberspace. The near invisibility of individual contact has made cyberattacks a daunting crime to fight. However, technology advancement that brought into being the cyberspace with its attendant insecurities is also running a rat race keeping up with addressing and making tools and products that can provide security in the cyber space. Different solutions are being regularly proffered, examples like two-step verification, running anti-virus programs, setting up firewalls, and many more as discussed in the body of this paper. This paper reviews the issue of invasion of privacy of users by security measures put in place to guide against cyber-attacks, the ethical implication in respect to the library. The article concludes by suggesting and identifying ways in which the library can safeguard users’ data while employing cyber security measures