Impact of ICT

Impact of ICT on individuals, organizations and society

Positive effects:

● Easy ways are found to pay the employees in a company using payroll

● Fast and flexible access to airline booking system from internet

● Large supermarket stock control are done by ICT, which is difficult to do physically

● Easy means of banking

● Large amount of cash can be carried using credit or debit card and cash can be withdrawed using ATM

● Computer-aided design are used in designing for engineering

● Faster production of products

● Weather can be forecasted

● Robots perform complex industrial or manufacturing physical tasks

● Education system is developed

● Law enforcement became stronger

● Expert medical systems are built

● Wider range of entertainment and leisure opportunities

To read details of each points visit here.

Negative effects:

Areas of Increased Unemployment

Some jobs have been lost as a result of computers being used to do the same work that people used
to do.

Some examples of areas have suffered job losses:

Manufacturing

Many factories now have fully automated production lines. Instead of using people to build things,
computer-controlled robots are used.

Robots can run day and night, never needing a break, and don9t need to be paid! (Although the
robots cost a lot to purchase, in the long-term the factory saves money.)

Secretarial Work

Offices used to employee many secretaries to produce the documents required for the business to
run.

Now people have personal computers, they tend to type and print their own documents.

Accounting Clerks

Companies once had large departments full of people whose job it was to do calculations(e.g.

profit, loss, billing, etc.)

A personal computer running a spreadsheet can now do the same work.

It used to take a team of highly skilled printers to typeset (layout) a newspaper page and to then

print thousands of newspapers.

The same task can now be performed far more quickly using computers with DTP software and

computer-controlled printing presses.

Legal issues relating to use/misuse of ICT and the constraints placed on individuals

Computer crime

Computer crime – that is, crime is only possible because of the widespread use of ICT systems and
networks – has increased in variety and extent.

Software piracy

Software piracy is the unauthorized copying using or selling of software without an appropriate
license. It includes copying CDs with software or music on them, and downloading software or music
without paying for it. These activities are effectively software theft.

Copyright violation

Using the Web you can download music, pictures, animated graphics, videos and books, as well as
software. The copyright to some of this material is restricted to its owners. They may sell you the
right to copy it, but if you copy it without permission this is effectively theft. The profitability of the
music industry has been badly affected by music being freely copied and downloaded over the Web.

Legal constraints on the use of information

Legal issues about what you may do with personal data

Fortunately, for the IGCSE ICT course, the directive can be reduced to 8 principles.

Briefly, these are:

1. A person must be told when their data is collected.

2. Data must only be used for the purpose given when it was collected.

3. Data must not be disclosed without the consent of the person concerned.

4. Data must be kept secure.

5. A person whose data is being collected must be told who is collecting it.

6. A person must be allowed to access their data and make corrections if it is not accurate

7. Data must not be transferred to another country that has weaker data protection laws

8. There must be a method by which people can check that data holders are complying with the
principles.

Legal issues when obtaining information

Rules while downloading content from internet:

1. The Internet is international. What may be legal to upload and download in one country, may be
breaching copyright or some other law if it is downloaded in another country.

2. Licenses and permissions come in many forms. What may be free to download for e.g. a student in
full time education, may need to be paid for by anyone else.
3. Different types of downloads may be covered by different laws. Most material has to comply with
copyright law, but an item such as a computer programme, or part of one, may be protected by a
patent as well.

Safety

Effect on user’s health

As employees spend more time at work using ICT, there is a greater likelihood that this will affect
their health. Ergonomics is important in reducing injury to people using computers. This includes:

● The design and arrangement of the seating and the computer system, especially the keyboard and
monitor.

● Arrangements to support someone using the computer; that is, foot and wrist supports.

● Rules governing the user’s behavior when using the computer; for example, how often to take
breaks.

The health risks associated with intense and prolonged computer use are:

● Repetitive strain injury (RSI) to the hands and arms. RSI is a painful condition that occurs because
of damage to tendons, nerves, muscles and soft body tissue, and can be caused by the repetitive use
of keyboard and a mouse. It can be avoided and its effect reduced by taking regular breaks using a
specially adapted ergonomic keyboard and a wrist support.

● Eye problems such as soreness, lack of focus and eye dryness can arise from staring at a monitor all
day. Potential problems can be avoided by taking regular breaks, having regular eye examinations by
an optician and using antistatic and other screen filters. Monitors should be positioned to avoid light
reflecting on the screen, and a interior lighting should be shaded and directed to avoid reflections.

Using a larger screen can also help.

● Backache and similar problems. These can arise through sitting in an inappropriate posture for long
periods of time. The solution is to use a purpose-designed operator9s chair with adjustable height
and backrest, and a footrest, and to take regular breaks.

● Fatigue and headaches.

● Trip hazards. These are associated with trailing cables and should be reduced by putting cabling in
trunk or where it is not likely to interfere with the user’s movement.

● Electric shock. This can be minimized by the use of a RCD on the main power supply to the
computer. This is designed to turn off the power if the user receives an electric shock.

Computer Crime

Software piracy

Software piracy is copying, downloading, using or selling software without an appropriate license.

Copyright Violation

It occurs when, e.g. music or pictures, are copied or downloaded without an appropriate license.

Hacking

Hacking means gaining unauthorized access to an ICT system, and an individual who does this is
referred to as a hacker. Many hackers break into ICT systems just for the challenge or as a prank. This
might seem harmless, but it can cause considerable damage and is illegal in many countries.

The reasons why criminally minded hackers gain unauthorized access to ICT systems
include:

● To steal data – this may have a security classification or could be commercially sensitive.

● To alter data or destroy data, by deletion or by installing a virus to destroy or corrupt it. This may
be done in order to disrupt legitimate commercial or governmental activities.

● To steal money by transferring it from one account to another using EFT.

Identity theft

When you are connected to the Web, spyware may be installed on your computer without your
knowledge. This could send information about your computer to others who may have malicious
intent.

Phishing

A phishing attack is when you receive an unsolicited email inviting you to a response that involves
you entering your username, password and other personal details.

Securing Data and Personal Information

Physical safeguards

Physical safeguards deal with the protection of hardware and software from accidental or malicious
damage or destruction. For example:

● Access control to ICT rooms using locks that are opened using entry codes, swipe cards or
biometrics such as fingerprints and retinal scans. Security guards can ensure that those entering
using entry codes and swipe cards are actually those who are allowed entry.

● Access monitoring using CCTV cameras so that those entering and leaving ICT rooms can be
recorded.

● Data security can be ensured by taking regular backups and storing these in a fireproof safe in
another location.

● Protect hardware from fire, floods, theft and malicious damage by locating it in buildings and areas
where such problems can be reduced, for example, in a concrete underground bunker on top of a hill
that is accessible only through a well-guarded and narrow passage. Or more usually, not on the
ground floor of a building where hardware is accessible to thieves.

● Further precautions to protect hardware from theft involve clamping individual computers to desks
or securing them to wall; installing burglar alarms attached to individual computers in addition to
those already used for the building and using CCTV cameras in ICT rooms to discourage inappropriate
use of computer equipment and to allow any such use to be traced and the culprits identified.

● Make detailed contingency plans and disaster recovery arrangements so that ICT systems continue
operating with a minimum of disruption and recovery is swift. For example, make arrangements with
an organization with similar ICT facilities that is located at a distance so that their ICT facilities can be
used should your own be destroyed.

Software safeguards

Software safeguards can protect data from theft or damage by hackers and other unauthorized
persons accessing the software to steal or damage it. For example:

● Use of ICT systems and networks in restricted to those who have valid usernames and passwords.

● Access permissions that allow access to the data to the minimum number of people who need it.
Others are blocked from accessing the data.
● File-level passwords that restrict access to individual files to those who have appropriate access
permissions and passwords.

● Use a virus scanner to prevent viruses entering your system. The intention of some viruses is to
damage software recorded on the ICT system or steal it by copying it and emailing it to unauthorized
persons.

● Use a firewall. This is a program or hardware device or combination of both that filters the
information coming through the Internet connection into a computer or network, to prevent
unauthorized users from gaining access. Some firewalls also block cookies, pop-up adverts and spam.
Popular firewall software packages are

BlackICE Defender, ZoneAlarm, and Freedom.

● Data encryption is used so that if data is access by unauthorized persons, it cannot be understood.
Encrypted data is scrambled during storage and transmission so that it cannot be understood by
someone without the encryption key to unscramble it. Wireless networks can be encrypted using
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

● Establish transaction logs to automatically track alterations to ICT systems.

Including the identity of those who access data and all the changes made.

Personal Responsibility on the Internet

The ways each individual uses the Internet and the Web can have a considerable social impact as this
is aggregated and its impact emphasized by the use of networks. It is important to behave sensibly to
protect yourself and others because the openness and freedom of the Internet can be abused by
criminals.

● Be very cautious who you share personal data with. Don’t publish your personal data on web pages
that anyone can access.

● Don’t publish anyone else9s personal data anywhere unless you have their permissions.

● Make sure you know who stores your personal data and that it is correct.

● Don’t copy someone else’s work and write it as your own. This is plagiarism.

● Don9t download software or music unless it is not copyrighted.

● Do not involve in activities such as hacking.

● Don’t believe everything you see or hear over the internet.

● Be polite and reasonable in all your online interactions. If you feel you are the victim of cyber
bullying seek help. Don’t bully others.