You may think the only people capable of snooping on your Internet activity are government intelligence agents or possibly a talented teenage hacker holed up in his parents' basement. But some simple software lets just about anyone sitting next to you at your local coffee shop watch you browse the Web and even assume your identity online.
Newsrooms around the world have been carrying images of the earthquake in Japan from the moments after it struck.
While the disaster itself lasted only a few minutes, the recovery operation will continue for months.
Dan Simmons looks at how, following a natural disaster, the internet is becoming an essential tool for survivors and rescuers alike.