Instant messaging (IM) has been a popular innovation in the computer communications arena. Instant messaging allows users who are online at the same time to communicate in real-time over the Internet by typing in messages that they can both see, rather than sending an email and waiting for a reply sometime later. This form of messaging is immediate, personal, and convenient.
There are a number of different instant-messaging programs that can be used, and they each have varying types and numbers of functions beyond instant messaging, such as chat rooms, image display, and others. ICQ(a free instant-messaging utility available to everyone(was one of the first such utilities. It operated from a client installed on the userÆs computer. It was soon superseded, however, by AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). AIM allows AOL members to communicate with everyone, AOL members and non-members alike. MicrosoftÆs version of instant messaging, MSN Messenger, is different frnm the others in that it allows users to communicate by voice as if they were talking on the telephone. Its drawbacks are that it requires users at both ends to have a sound card, microphone, and speakers, and it only works between MSN users. Yahoo! Messenger provides instant messaging capabilities similar to AIMÆs, although it is somewhat superior because of its excellent integration with other Yahoo functions and its additional capabilities, such as file-sharing functionality.
As convenient as instant messaging is, it is unfortunately not a secure way to communicate. The messages and user profiles are kept on servers that the particular IM provider controls. Although the information is encrypted, its security is actually minimal. Instant messaging, therefore, should never be used for sending sensitive confidential information. Hackers can view copies of message logs and use the information for illegal purposes. Even if all they do is read the messages, that cons...