In the United Kingdom, compulsory ID cards are also a controversial area. One of the reasons that this is so is that they are linked to a national database that will be capable of storing a large amount of information on an individual, and of being linked through keys, (such as NHS number, driver's license number, national insurance number, etc), to a number of other databases which - when put together - will give an unparalleled amount of information about an individual.
The proposed ID register(/database) is intended to be "the foundation of identity management in the UK in the coming years". The card would have a biometric signature, (e.g. retinal print, digital version of thumb print, etc), which would help to prevent fraud, protecting the card's owner but also allowing police and other officials to identify an individual, and then potentially have access to a large amount of information on that individual.
Some civil rights groups have protested that the scheme is anti-libertarian. For example, Privacy International (link to their website here) said that the scheme was "draconian and dangerous" as it gave so many government agencies wide-ranging powers against individuals.
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Task 1 - Pros and cons of ID cards:
Write a list of all the ICT that is involved in the UK's proposed card scheme:
- The system for administering the ID cards
- The system that would store all of the information, (e.g. the database)
- The technology behind recording the signatures, (biometric or otherwise
The purpose behind the ID card would be to prevent fraud, protect the card's owner but also allow police and other officials to identify an individual, and potentially access a large amount of information on that individual.
Evaluate whether it will meet this purpose:
It would only work if there was legality on when you had to carry/use the ID card, on when you could use it and whether there was a critical mass on people using their ID card.
Enumerate the advantages of such a system and the drawbacks:
Advantages:
- All of your information is stored in one place - it is easy for police and officials to obtain your information.
- It is easy for police and other officials to identify and obtain a large amount of information on individuals.
- All of your information is stored in one place - it is easy for people (e.g. hackers, criminals, etc) to obtain your information.
- People may feel that the ID cards are an infringement of civil liberties.
- People might not use their ID cards.
I don't think we should have ID cards since the only clear advantage would lie with the police and other officials, giving them large amount of information about us which we may not be aware of. The police and other officials could track our movements with these ID cards and people may refuse to use them if they believed that the ID cards were an infringement of civil liberties.
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Task 2 - Discuss US passports and RFID:
"The US Department of Homeland Security has decided that 1 million US passports will contain radio frequency ID chips in 2005, moving to a universal system in 2006. These RFID tags will allow customs officials to scan passports using special radio receivers. They will not have to approach the travellers directly but can scan them from nearby. The passports will contain biometric and other information." (Source: "We don't need to see your ID", New Scientist, 23 October 2004).
It will be faster and more convenient for customs but what are the dangers?
A danger is that, if someone were to steal someone's passport - complete with RFID - and the passport was scanned by customs from a distance and without looking at the passport-holder to see if they matched the photograph inside, passport fraud would be much easier and there would be a much lower risk of apprehended. This means that criminals and illegal immigrants would be able to leave or enter the US with ease if they had a stolen passport.
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Task 2 - Discuss Teen Arrive Alive GPS tracking system:
"Teen Arrive Alive is a private company founded specifically to provide support to parents who are concerned about the driving safety of their teenagers. Our goal is to bring the teen problem to the forefront, assist in critical education, and recognise the positive driving behaviours of our nation's teens." (Source: Teen Arrive Alive).
The company claims that nearly 78% of teenagers in the US are ticketed or crash by the time they are a legal adult, (eighteen years old). One of the company's services is that the organisation offer a GPS tracking device to the parents of teenagers who may be worried that their child is "late, missing, lost, abducted or not driving very well". Using a mobile phone and GPS technology, parents can track their teenager's driving in real time. The route shows up on a digital map showing the speed travelled.
Research the website and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this use of technology to "protect" teenagers:
Advantages:
- Parents will always know where the children are.
- Some companies use similar technology - if a young driver offers to get a GPS tracking system installed in their car and promise not to drive at night, they can get cheaper insurance - this is an incentive.
- Teenagers may feel like the GPS tracking system is an invasion of privacy.
- May encourage teenagers to be more rebellious if they feel that they don't have enough freedom when they are driving alone.
Task 3 - Monitoring internet and email use:
Case study:
"A large estate agency with multiple branches monitors all network activity by its staff (including each internet access and each email) using content monitoring software.
Website access is strictly controlled and monitored. The amount of time accessing different categories of websites is logged. Each month a report is sent to the line manager of each employee so that any undue time spent on the internet or any part of the web can be immediately seen and discussed with the employee. Sites deemed unsuitable can be blocked and reported immediately by email for immediate action.
Emails are scanned for inappropriate usage. Pornographic and defamatory content is blocked by recognition of particular keywords and reported. Keywords such as "salary", "cv", "job", "employment" and other details related to the possibility of moving to new employment are also scanned for. Emails containing these words are parked in a special area where the network manager can read them. He decides if they are harmless, and thus sends them on, or whether the employee should be reported."
Task:
Describe the advantages the content monitoring system has for an organisation such as this estate agency:
The advantages the content monitoring system has for an organisation such as this are:
- The organisation's completed work may be of a higher standard because the employees have no distractions.
- Senior staff would get a lot of practise training new employees since many may be unwilling to stay on.
The negative impacts the content monitoring system has for an organisation such as this are:
- Morale might be low if employees feel that the content monitoring system is an infringement of civil liberties.
- Employees might feel that the monitoring system is an invasion of privacy.
- Employees might be unhappy working there and search for a new job elsewhere, causing a "high churn rate", (churn rate definition can be found here).
- Helps employees to focus on their work - there are less distractions if their internet is limited.
- Helps employers because more work is completed to a higher standard.
The system is not foolproof. If an employee only uses the system for business purposes, it is quite likely - if not certain - that the employee will be using keywords such as "salary", "job" and "employment" in their work. Because these words are scanned for, the emails containing these words would be stopped and read by the network manager. If they are held back for too long, they may no longer be important if they missed a deadline, and both the employee and the employers could get into trouble. The system would prevent the employee from completing their work successfully and this would not make the organisation look good.
Furthermore, if the emails are constantly stopped and sent to the network manager but there is never anything suspicious in them, the network manager may stop reading any of the emails properly and this could mean that employees could use their work emails for other tasks, such as searching for new employment elsewhere, which would cause a higher churn rate.
Make recommendations about the use of this system:
I think, if the system was not quite as strict as it is in this case study, it could be quite effective. Website access being controlled is a good idea - blocking and reporting any websites deemed unsuitable is good, but monitoring every website employees go on (if it is in their break) should not be allowed.
However, when they are supposed to be working and are not on a break, it seems fair that their employers should be able to monitor what they are being paid for, especially if they aren't using their time productively.
I think it is fair that emails are scanned for inappropriate usage. It can't really be an invasion of privacy because, if it was truly a personal email, an employee could use their personal email account for it and not have to use their work email, where there is a chance that it will be read.
I don't agree with keywords being scanned and, if they are found, the emails being stopped because I think this would prevent work from being completed successfully if there is poor communication within the organisation.
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Task 4 - Discuss society and the individual:
George Orwell wrote about how technology could be used to control us in his "famous vision of a totalitarian future" - 1984, published in 1948.
Review some of the comments on the US's response to Homeland Security at the following websites:
The White House
Human Rights First
The White House has commented on the US's response to Homeland Security, saying that it has "launched a comprehensive, cutting-edge strategy to fight transnational organised crime". The White House websites also said that Homeland Security has concluded a cyberspace policy review and a Surface Transportation Security Assessment. It has also announced a new U.S.-Mexico border initiative, amongst other progressions. Many of these - especially the cyberspace policy review - would neither exist nor be possible without such advanced technology.
Human Rights First has also commented on the US's response to Homeland Security, saying that it has created a new Senior Refugee Position which will be filled by an Under Secretary. The position will reside within a new Directorate of Policy, which will ultimately be led by an Under Secretary. The job will involve a lot of work, and should "improve the treatment of asylum seekers held in US jails" and should "ensure that women who flee from horrendous violence will receive protection in appropriate cases". Much of the technology needed to complete these tasks would not be possible without such advanced technology as we have today.
To what extent do we allow society to "look after" us and as a result, deprive us of individual freedom?
As a whole, society does take care of individuals by protecting our rights, but it could be argued that we are deprived of our individual freedom. Some people may feel pressured by society to conform to what we see as "normal", whether this is what sort of life we lead or what mobile phone we have. Every new piece of technology we have creates a new crime and this also puts pressure on society.
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Task 5 - Legislation and ICT:
"The Information Age has brought with it the need for its own set of laws to regulate, monitor and control the way in which we conduct our personal, social and working lives when using ICT."
In the United Kingdom these include:
- Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), as amended
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (1992)
- Data Protection Act (1984), as amended
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988)
- Computer Misuse Act (1990)
- Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000)
- Freedom of Information Act (2005)
(Task to go with this is here).
________________________________________________________________________________The impact of the Information Age on the way we conduct our personal, social and working lives has been, and continues to be, enormous. There are a number of themes running consistently through this topic: "We are able to do more for ourselves; we are able to have, or are forced to have, more flexibility and choice. We can work, lean or play, be alone or socialise in more places than ever, with more choice than ever, at more times than ever."
We have a large amount of data to deal with in all areas of our lives, and new tools, industries and laws have been created to manage this new increase of information.
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Task 6 - Newspaper articles involving civil rights:
The issues expressed in this newspaper article are affected by ICT because, since it is such a controversial issue, it has gained a huge amount of media interest. More than one million people have signed an online petition against Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill.~~~~
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The issues expressed in this newspaper article are affected by ICT because, in the countries that "recognise same sex marriage", they may have previously only had databases for families consisting of a man and a woman, and their children. Obviously, same sex marriages would consist of two people of the same sex so a different database would have to be created, using ICT.
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