Chapter 06 – The effects of Using ICT

Software CopyrightSoftware is protected by copyright laws in the same was as music CDs, film DVDs and articles from books and magazines are protected. When software is supplied on CD or DVD, certain rules must be obeyed:

Can’t make a software copy and then sell or give it away Can’t be used on a multiple computers / network unless you

have the appropriate multiple user / site licence Can’t use part of the coding from a program and pass it off as

your own without the permission of the copyright holder Can’t rent out software without the permission of the

copyright holder Can’t use the name of copyrighted software on other

software without agreement to do so.

Software Piracy (making illegal copies of software) Companies take many steps to make sure that their software isn’t being copied, including:

Asking the user to type in a unique licence key Asking the user to click “I agree” to the licence agreement before installation continues Having a hologram sticker on the packaging identifying it has an original that should not be

copied Only running if the CD or DVD is actually in the drive Only running if the appropriate dongle is plugged into the USB port

VirusesA virus is “a program that replicates (copies) itself and is designed to cause harm to a computer system. It often creates damage by attaching itself to files, leading to one or more of the following effects”:

Causing the computer to crash (stop responding) Files are lost (especially system files) leading to a malfunction Corruption of files

Common ways of getting viruses include: Downloading email attachments Downloading illegal software Using bit torrent / peer to peer services Downloading infected files from the internet

How to protect against viruses Install AND run up to date anti-virus software (to detect, remove and / or quarantine viruses) Do not download or install illegal software Do not use CDs / DVDs / USBs from unknown sources Only download internet files from reputable sites Only open email attachments from known / trusted senders Use network firewalls

Note: Backing up files is great for restoring files that may have been infected by a virus; however, this only works if the backed up file didn’t already have a virus!

HackingHacking “is the act of gaining access to a computer system or network without legal authorisation. Some hackers do this as an “intellectual challenge”; however, many do it with the intention of causing harm, for example:

Installing harmful software Editing / deleting files Committing fraud

Some large companies may actually employ hackers to test out their security systems. The only definite way of stopping a networked computer being hacked is to disconnect it from the internet; however, this is not practical. The only way of ensuring that a standalone computer cannot be accessed is to keep it in a locked room when not in use; however, this isn’t practical either.

How to minimise the risk of hacking Use firewalls on networked computers. They provide a detailed log of incoming and

outgoing traffic and can control this traffic. They can:o Stop malicious software getting to a user’s computero Prevent a computer connecting to unwanted siteso Prevent a computer from sending personal data to another computer or sites

without authorisation Use robust (strong) passwords and User IDs to prevent illegal access to a computer or

internet site.

EncryptionWhilst this is good for preventing hackers reading files, it does not prevent a hacker accessing and then deleting the encrypted file.

Effects of ICT on Society

Social Divide (the haves and have nots)This is the difference between those people in society that have the necessary ICT skills or money to purchase and use computer equipment to gain benefit from that technology (the haves) and those who are not able to access this new technology so are left even further behind and increasing the social divide (have nots).

Impact on employmentIntroduction of ICT has led to unemployment in:

Manufacturing industries (robots have taken over many tasks (e.g. paint spraying in a car factory)

Computer controlled warehouses (automatic and require no humans to be present) Labour intensive work (e.g. the printing industry, filing)

Introduction of ICT has led to increased employment in: Writing software Maintenance of robots / other ICT equipment Web design and maintenance

Overall effects of ICT Employees need to be retrained to use machinery / technology Cleaner working environment as robots may have taken over the ‘dirty’ manual jobs De-skilling the workforce (highly skilled jobs are now done by technology, e.g. DTP software

in printing, CAD software in engineering) Safer working environment (e.g. less people need to work in dangerous factories) Fewer manual task as heavy lifting can now be done by robots

Benefits to companies No need to employ as many people to do tasks, thus reducing labour costs Robots do not take holidays, get sick or take coffee breaks, which results in higher

productivity Greater consistency in products made (e.g. every product that is made on a computerised /

robot led production line will be identical)

Impact of using ICT for online shopping and banking

Overall Fewer staff needed in traditional shops and banks Newer staff required to provide online services (e.g. packing and sending out orders, etc.) More people are staying at home to buy goods and services, to manage their bank accounts

or to book holidays, etc.o Needs a computer connected to the internet and the use of a credit / debit card

Advantages No need to travel into town (reduces time and money spent on travel, as well as reducing

town centre congestion / pollution) Online shopping provides access to global market Online shopping makes it much easier to compare prices and find the cheapest without

having to physically spend time and money to go around shops Disabled people find it easier to be a part of society as it makes it easier for them to do

things that able bodied people may take for granted (e.g. shopping) Shopping and banking can be done 24/7/365 which makes it better for those people who

work less traditional hours. People have more leisure time as they do not need to spend time travelling to and from the

shops and banks.

Disadvantages Staying at home to do banking / shopping may lead to isolation / lack of socialisation Possible health risks associated with increased computer use Security issues:

o Hacking, stealing credit card detailso Viruses and malware (e.g. phishing, pharming)o Fraudulent websites

Person needs to invest in a computer with internet connection Cannot see or try on goods before buying them Takes time for the item to be delivered Person may end up doing less exercise if they stay at home High street shops and banks may close leading to “ghost towns”

Effects on companies due to the spread of online shopping and banking Fewer staff employed as fewer physical shops and banks required. This decreases labour

costs Less need for physical shops and banks. This decreases costs Internet is global so potential customer base is increased Need to retrain staff leads to increased costs Need to increase number of staff in packing departments leads to increased costs Setting up and maintaining websites leads to increased costs

Lack of customer interaction may lead to less customer loyalty and ultimately less customers.

Should the internet be policed?

Arguments in favour of control Prevent illegal material from being posted on websites (e.g. racist, prejudiced, pornographic,

terrorist material) Too easy to use a search engine to find information that may have serious consequences

(e.g. how to be a hacker, how to make bombs) Prevents children and other vulnerable groups being subjected to undesirable websites As anyone can produce a website, policing it may be able to control the accuracy of sites.

Arguments against some form of control Material on the internet may already be available elsewhere (e.g. books) Very expensive to police (e.g. who would pay for this?) Difficult to enforce rules and regulations on a global scale Policing goes against freedom of information Many of the topics / comments on the internet are already illegal and laws already exist to

deal with the perpetrators.

Microprocessor controlled devices in the homeThese fall into two categories:

1. Labour saving devices (washing machines, microwave ovens, ovens and dishwashers)2. Other household devices (TVs, fridges, freezers, central heating systems)

Advantages of labour saving devices Increased leisure time as devices can be programmed Can make use of embedded web technology

Disadvantages of labour saving devices Lead to unhealthy diets (e.g. TV dinners) People tend to become lazy as they rely more on these devices

Advantages of other household devices Save energy as can switch off automatically Easier to program to do a task than to do it manually

Disadvantages of other household devices A more wasteful society as devices are just thrown away and replaced if faulty Can be too complex for technology illiterate people Leaving devices on standby is a waste of resources

Information from the internetFour main aspects to consider: reliability, undesirability, security, other internet issues

Reliability of information Can be updated more frequently than books Easy to use a search engine to quickly find information Vast amount of information available No checking process in place for websites so information contained may be incorrect,

inaccurate or even biased So much information available may make it difficult to find the most relevant information

Undesirability of certain websites Risk of finding these Sites may have links to undesirable sites Security risks from undesirable sites

Security issues

PhishingCreator sends a legitimate looking email (e.g. pretending to be from a bank), hoping to gather personal and financial information from the recipient of the email. When the link in the email is clicked on the user will be taken to a spoof website and asked for personal or financial details. When these are entered into the spoof website the information could then be used for identity theft.

PharmingUses malicious code (virus) installed on a computer hard disk or server either after the user has visited a website or from an email. This code has the ability to misdirect users to fraudulent websites (without their knowledge) when they think that they are going to a legitimate website (e.g. online banking). Some anti-spyware software will be able to stop this.

SpamThis is electronic junk mail and is a type of advertising sent out to a target mailing list. Usually harmless but can clog up networks so is more of a nuisance than security threat. Can be filtered by email clients / servers.

SpywareSoftware that gathers user information through their network connections without them being aware that this is happening. Once spyware is installed, it monitors all key presses and transmits the information back to the person who sent out the spyware. The original spyware has the ability to install additional spyware, read cookies, and change the default home page or web browser. Anti-spyware software can be used to detect and correct any infection.

Other internet issues - cookiesNot regarded as a security threat but can be a nuisance to an internet user. These are small files sent to a user’s computer when they visit certain websites. They store information about the users and this data is accessed each time they visit the website. For example:

They remember who the user is and sends a message such as “Welcome Daniel” each time they log into the website.

They recognise a user’s buying preferences so related adverts may appear when the user visits certain websites

Note: without cookies, the web server would have no way of knowing that the user had visited the website before.

Internet DevelopmentsWeb 2.0 refers to the second generation of internet development and design and is the most relevant to the iGCSE syllabus (although Web 3.0 is also being developed). Web 2.0 refers to blogs, wikis, and digital media sharing sites, social networking sites and folksonomies.

BlogsThis is an abbreviation of web logs which are personal internet journals where the writer (blogger) will type in their observations on a topic (e.g. political views or celebrity gossip) and / or provide links to certain relevant websites. No training is needed to do this.

Note: comments are not immune from the law and bloggers can still be prosecuted for making offensive statements about people!

Wikis (e.g. Wikipedia)Wikis allow users to easily create and edit web pages using any web browser. Wikis support hyperlinks and have very simple language rules (syntax) for creating pages, sometimes being described as “web pages with an edit button). Anyone with permission can edit the pages, so their content should be treated with caution!

Digital media sharing websites (e.g. YouTube)These allow users to upload video clips and other media to an internet websites where they are stored by a host server. The digital media can then be viewed on the host site or easily embedded in or hyperlinked from other websites.

A big advantage of using these services is that the user doesn’t need to use the space on their own computer.

Social Networking sites (e.g. Facebook)These focus on building online communities of users who share the same interests and activities. Users can share photos, videos, music, what they do in their spare time, what they like to eat, etc.

Usually users join for free and can add friends, post message to their wall and update what they are doing in real time. It allows quick communication on a global scale.

Folksonomies (e.g. used in Flickr)These are closely related to tagging and literally mean “management of people”. Tagging is a type of social bookmarking where a user can tag any webpage with words to describe its contents. Anyone can then view the pages corresponding to the tags that they have searched for.

In folksonomies the visual representation is a tag cloud – a sequence of words with the largest fonts representing the most popular tags relating to a page.

Health and Safety IssuesThere are many health and safety issues associated with the regular use of computer systems. Health and Safety regulations advise that all computer systems have a minimum of a tiltable, anti-glare screen, adjustable chair, foot rest, suitable lighting, and an uncluttered work station. It is also recommended that a user has frequent breaks and regular eye tests.

Note: Health and Safety are different!

Health: how to prevent people becoming ill or affected by daily contact with computers

Safety: how to prevent dangers which could cause serious injury or even loss of life

Health aspects

Health Risk Solution

Back & Neck problems / strains

Fully adjustable chairs for correct posture Foot rests to reduce posture problems Use tiltable screens to ensure neck is at correct

angle

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) – damage to fingers and wrists

Maintain correct posture Use wrist rest for mouse / keyboard Take regular breaks / exercise Use ergonomic keyboards Use voice activation / dictation software

Eyestrain (caused by staring at a computer screen too long or from bad lighting in a room)

Ensure that there is no screen flicker Use TFT rather than CRT screens Take regular breaks / focus on a point some

distance away Use anti-glare screens Use blinds to reduce strong sunlight Have eyes tested regularly

Headaches Use anti-glare screens / window blinds Take regular breaks / exercise Have eyes tested regularly

Ozone irritation (dry skin, respiratory problems, etc) – caused by laser printers in an office area

Ensure proper ventilation House laser printers in a designated room Change to another type of printer (e.g. inkjet)

Safety aspects

Safety Hazard How to eliminate / minimize hazard

Electrocution

Use a circuit breaker Check insulation of wires regularly Do not allow drinks near computers Check equipment regularly

Trailing wires / Trip hazard Use cable ties / ducts to make the wires safe Cover wires / tuck them neatly away Use wireless connections wherever possible

Heavy equipment falling

Make sure desk / table is strong enough to support hardware

Make sure desk / table is big enough so that hardware isn’t sitting on the edge where it can fall

Fire risk

Have appropriate CO2 / dry fire extinguisher nearby (NOT water)

Ensure vents are uncovered to prevent overheating

Fully maintain hardware Ensure room is well ventilated to prevent

overheating of hardware Do not overload plug sockets Change to low voltage hardware if possible (e.g.

replace CRT monitors with TFT)