Internet security was an issue that plagued the industry, as a security breach would be potentially harmful to Google. Sophisticated software could already track users' Internet activity while they shopped for goods and services on the web. Skilled hackers from around the world were now able to enter supposedly "secure" websites to obtain user records and credit card information. Identity theft was becoming a major problem for the general population. Security/privacy issues were likely to become even more important as the amount of data and applications available on the Internet increased.