Basic Concepts of Information Technology

CBCT 2203
Basic Concepts of
Information technology
Topic: 10
Information Technology
Issues and Opportunities
Objectives:
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Discuss seven impacts of Information Technology (IT) and its
ethical usage
• Identify threats to computer security
• Elaborate four types of computer security
• Discuss personal issues in IT
• Describes the concept of ergonomics and green computing in IT
Page 2
Professionalism, Ethics & Society
• IT revolution has generated a lot of controversy about what is

(and what is not) ethical with regards to the activities involving IT
Ethics is about behaviour and moral conduct; whether it brings good

or bad influences on human beings
• In another word, ethics is a philosophy that deals with the

principles of doing good and bad, especially in the context of
morality
Morality is a traditional belief or religious belief in the conduct of

doing right and wrong
Seven impacts of IT in society
Societal • IT can address the needs of people on the street and provide
solutions solutions to several problems in our society
• Societal networking software like e-mail, Facebook and chatting
help people to communicate and interact easily and quickly
making distance quite a trivial matter
• The world also has been transformed into a virtual global village
and without borders
Employment • The impact on workers who feel financially threatened, such as

in factories where the management reduces staff size because
of some processes being replaced by robots
• Similarly, in the banking field when they use automated teller
machine (ATM) and online banking, which make the traditional
cashiers redundant
Working • When the used of IT improves, so does the quality of work and
conditions environment
• What used to be physical has now become largely mental work
Health • Where the use of IT hardware can endanger its users

• Example: spoiling eyesight, exposure to radiation and strain on
the back
Privacy • Where personal information, computerised comparison,
information mining and e-mails are exposed to personal
trespassing
Individuality • In system development, one must think of human factor,
ergonomic factor and the possibility of information system
failure
Crime • This can happen as a result of a wide use of IT, such as cloning
credit cards and siphoning money out of a bank account
An example of the IT ethical issue is described as follows:
“A software engineer claims that he could complete a software

development job within 10 months, whereas to be completely
finished, he needs about 12 to 15 months. The main reason why he
did not mention 12 or 15 months is that it might be unacceptable
to the customer.”
Guides for users and computer professionals proposed by the
Computer Ethics Institute:
1. Not to use computers to harm other people

2. Not to disturb another person's computer work
3. Not to trespass into another person's computer files
4. Not to use computers to steal
5. Not to use computers for acting as a false witness
6. Not to use or copy software that is not purchased legally
7. Not to use another person's computer resource without
permission or payment
8. To think of the social impact of the programs or systems being
developed
9. To use computers with consideration and respect for other
people
• If all computer users follow all these proposed guidelines, we
may not worry about security
• We can generalise the ethics of using computers into four main
issues
Issues Details
Individuality Collection and use of data for an individual
Accuracy Responsibility of data collectors to ensure that data is true
and accurate
Ownership Someone who owns data and has a right over the
software
Accessibility The responsibility of someone who has the data to
control, about who can use the data
Threats to Computer Security
Computer and information security is the protection of data from accidental or

deliberate threats, which might cause unauthorised modification, disclosure or
destruction of data. It also refers to the protection of information system from
degradation (or non-availability) of services. Data or information can be in
various forms, including text, images, audios, signals, videos, graphics and others
Threats to Computer Security: Computer Criminals
Staff The largest category of computer criminals is done by those who can
easily access computers. They are normally staff who know the
company’s secrets. By far, this is the biggest threat to security -
dishonesty and incompetence of employees. Auditing should be able
to detect these problems before they become too late.
Outside Not only staff but suppliers and customers can also access the
users company’s computer system, for example, bank customers who use
the ATM. Similar to staff, authorised users can obtain secret password
or look for alternative ways of committing computer crimes.
Crackers Crackers are people who gain unauthorised access to a computer

system for the purpose of fun and facing challenges of computers.
Vandals Vandals perform the same thing like hackers but for the purpose of
vengeance. They may intend to steal technical information or to
introduce what is called a logical bomb, i.e. a computer program that
destroys the computer.
Threats to Computer Security: Computer Crimes
Destruction Workers who are not happy with their employers may try to destroy the
computer, programs or files. Crackers and vandals can produce and spread
dangerous programs such as viruses.
Theft Theft can happen on hardware, software, data and services. Hardware
theft can happen in the computer laboratory, where thieves can enter and
steal computer equipment inside the laboratory. Professional thieves may
steal important company data and information, and sell them to
outsiders. They may also steal services provided by the company and use
them for personal gains. Without realising it, we may also steal some
software.
Manipulation A cracker may succeed in entering a network and leaving a message,

damaging the display, data or information. This can cause anger to
computer users.
Cloning These are carried out by members of criminal gangs who run businesses
but use computer technology for evil purposes, e.g. copy, clone and imitate
passports, identity cards, driving licenses and copyrights
Threats to Computer Security: Calamities
Natural Natural disasters cannot be avoided and predicted, for example,
Disaster fire, flood, wind, typhoon and earthquakes. A copy of the
programs, data and information needs to be stored at a safe
location to avoid loss of important information
Sabotage In a country that is rocked by political problems, riots, war or

sabotage, these may involve destruction of computer systems
sabotaged by the unsatisfied parties
Technological The use of computer systems causes us to be too dependent on
Failure technology and sometimes, this technology may not be able to
perform the required jobs. This may be due to excessive voltage
because of lightning, absence of electricity, short circuit and
other factors. If we do not make copies, data may be lost
Human Error As human beings, we may make plenty of mistakes. Data entered
may contain errors. Programs developed may also have mistakes.
There are several mistakes in system designs and this may cause
system’s procedures to be disorganised
Computer & Health
• Users are a key component in any information system

• Thus, protecting users is just as important as protecting
hardware, software and data
• The widespread use of computers has led to some
important user health concerns
• Users should be proactive and minimise their chance of risk
Computer & Health: Computer and Health Risks
Repetitive An injury or disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments and joints.
Strain Injury Computer-related repetitive strain injuries includes tendonitis and carpal
(RSI) tunnel syndrome
Tendonitis Inflammation of a tendon due to repeated motion or stress on that tendon.
Symptoms of tendonitis of the wrist include extreme pain that extends from
the forearm to the hand, along with tingling in the fingers
Carpal Inflammation of the nerve that connects the forearm to the palm of the
Tunnel wrist. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include burning pain when the
Syndrome nerve is compressed, along with numbness and tingling in the thumb and
(CTS) first two fingers. Factors that cause these disorders include prolonged typing,
prolonged mouse usage or continual shifting between mouse and keyboard
Computer Sore, tired, burning, itching or dry eyes; blurred or double vision; distance
Vision blurred vision after prolonged staring at a display device; headache or sore
Syndrome neck; difficulty shifting focus between a display device and documents;
(CVS) difficulty focusing on the screen image; colour fringes or after images when
you look away from the display device; and increased sensitivity to light
Tendonitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Computer & Health: Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of ways on how to ensure that humans

can handle computer and other equipment in an easy to use
manner to minimise movement, energy, strain and ensure
healthy life
• It is concerned with adapting work (equipment) to suit

workers and not to force workers to adapt themselves to
the work (equipment)
• It is also known as human factor engineering
Computer & Health: Green Computing
• Green computing involves reducing electricity and environmental waste

while using a computer
• People use and often waste resources, such as electricity and paper,
while using a computer
• Society has become aware of this waste and is taking measures to
prevent it
• Energy Star programme encourages manufacturers to create energy-
efficient devices that require little power when they are not in use
• For example, many devices switch to sleep or power save mode after a
specified number of inactive minutes or hours

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CBCT 2203

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• IT revolution has generated a lot of controversy about what is

Ethics is about behaviour and moral conduct; whether it brings good

• In another word, ethics is a philosophy that deals with the

Morality is a traditional belief or religious belief in the conduct of

Employment • The impact on workers who feel financially threatened, such as

Health • Where the use of IT hardware can endanger its users

An example of the IT ethical issue is described as follows:

“A software engineer claims that he could complete a software

1. Not to use computers to harm other people

Computer and information security is the protection of data from accidental or

Crackers Crackers are people who gain unauthorised access to a computer

Manipulation A cracker may succeed in entering a network and leaving a message,

Sabotage In a country that is rocked by political problems, riots, war or

• Users are a key component in any information system

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Ergonomics is the study of ways on how to ensure that humans

• It is concerned with adapting work (equipment) to suit

• Green computing involves reducing electricity and environmental waste

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