TEXT E The Internet began in the
1960s as a small network of academic and government computers primarily in
volved in research for the U.S. military. Originally limited to researchers at a
handful of universities and government facilities, the Internet has quickly
become a worldwide network providing users with information on a range of
subjects and allowing them to purchase goods directly from companies via
computer. By 1999, 84 million U.S. citizens had access to the Internet at home
or work. More and more Americans are paying bills, shopping, ordering airline
tickets, and purchasing stocks via computer over the Internet.
Internet banking is also becoming increasingly popular. With lower
overhead costs in terms of staffing and office space, Internet banks are able to
offer higher interest rates on deposits and charge lower rates on loans than
traditional banks. "Brick and mortar" hanks are increasingly offering
online banking services via transactional websites to complement their
traditional services. At present, 14 percent of Internet households conduct
their banking by means of the Internet, and the figure is expected to double or
triple during the next two or three years. Increasing commercial
use of the Internet has heightened security and privacy concerns. With a credit
or debit card, an Internet user can order almost anything from an Internet site
and have it delivered to his home or office. Companies doing business over the
Internet need sophisticated security measures to protect credit card, bank
account, and social security numbers from unauthorized access as they pass
across the Internet. Any organization that connects its networks to the global
Internet must carefully control the access point to ensure that outsiders cannot
disrupt the organization’s internal networks or gain unauthorized access to the
organization’s computer systems and data. Which commercial usage of the Internet does the author NOT refer to
A.Buying airline tickets. B.Trading stocks. C.Paying bills. D.Opening a bank account.