| The following information on social issues has been
taken from the book "All Systems Go – Computing Studies Years 9 and 10".
The authors are Susan Judson and Judith Poole. The book was published in 1997 by Longman.
Data security
Important considerations are involved in the
use of any database system and especially the Internet. Data security is essential
for maintaining the privacy of individuals. Unauthorised access to data could result in
misuse of the data. An example of this is when names and addresses are sold to marketing
organisations for a profit or to individuals who want to have information on other
individuals. Although many security measures can be put in place, it's ultimately the
people who have access to the database who are responsible for using the information in an
ethical way.
Data correctness
Database systems must ensure data
integrity in order to be effective; that is, correctness of data is necessary if
the information produced by the system is to be reliable. Incorrect data could be
responsible for misleading managers who have to make decisions using the information the
system processes. The integrity of an individual could be affected by incorrect data.
Consider, for example, the implications for a person's credit rating if a mistake is made
when payment of a bill is recorded. Although databases have the ability to be very useful
tools for organisations and individuals, they have to be maintained for accuracy and kept
secure.
Loss of individual control
The major social concern about databases is
the loss of individual control over what is being placed on them. People have no control
over what information about their credit rating a financial institution might place on a
database. The thought that many large databases are keeping information about you and are
able to combine and cross-cheek various data areas is unsettling. People who hold
information about your private life have a form of control over you. The government has
the power to define groups of people according to the data that
The Privacy Act regulates the way
government agencies handle personal data.
have been collected. It could, for example, easily find all healthy married couples
who are earning more than a particular income, by combining the Medicare database, the
marriage registration database and employment records. It might decide or) taxation laws
or electoral boundary lines by unethically using this information. In these cases, it
would be very difficult for an individual to identify or defend a breach of privacy.
Communication Systems
Electronic communication is causing
rapid change in our society.
Due to the ever increasing use of
electronic communication, changes are occurring in our society. in how we work, how we
learn and how we're entertained. It's becoming increasingly possible to do all of these
things without leaving our homes, or even the chair we're sitting on. There are advantages
and disadvantages about this change and the way in which the change is happening. One
advantage of communication systems is that they can be used to overcome disadvantage. For
example, people who have a disability and people who live in isolated places can now
communicate more effectively and have opportunities that weren't possible before.
Knowledge is becoming easier to obtain. Any subject we wish to research can be found on
the Internet or on a database somewhere. Individuals have the power to instantly
disseminate information to many locations. An e-mail message that's sent to hundreds of
people, for example, can be a very powerful tool.
The disadvantages of communication systems are mostly to do with the system's effect on
the structure of our society. Staying at home in front of a computer isn't a sociable
activity, and it affects the way in which humans interact. The power that electronic
communication gives to individuals can be easily misused - for example the publishing of
incorrect, illegal or unsuitable data on the Internet. At present, electronic
communication is virtually uncontrolled.
Governments haven't been able to make laws about communication systems fast enough to
keep up with technological development. Laws about privacy security are either
non-existent or very difficult to enforce. There continues to be a great deal of
discussion among law makers but much work still needs to be done in this area.
Graphics systems
Computer graphics offers us many opportunities to see and
experience things previously weren't possible. The contribution of graphics to training,
medic and entertainment is substantial.
The world of art has been enlarged due to computer graphics. Artists can now work with
a different medium and have greater opportunities for experimentation. (For example,
changing colours in a section of a work of art is now easily possible without damaging the
work. Some artists believe the use of technology detracts from an artist's creativity.
Others disagree, and believe it allows them to be more creative.
We can no longer believe everything we
see in pictures.
Because of computer, generated or
computer, enhanced graphics, the possibility has been brought about of seemingly altering
reality. In the past, people were able to believe that what they saw in a photograph or
video was in fact true. This is no longer possible, because it's now easy to change photos
and videos using computer-graphics techniques. The use of computer graphics means more
power is given to the people who are involved in the graphic's creation. We all have to be
aware of this power and to use computer graphics to the benefit of ourselves and other
people. |
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