IT is often blamed for invading privacy and depersonalising communications, but it is also praised for the increased efficiency of communication
Sheree Russouw
The only sounds are the jarring sounds of fingers hitting keyboards. A harsh glare erupts from the computer screens, illuminating bodies that appear part of the machines. Seated in a dark corner at this Internet caf, an elderly man is writing to a young girl in a chatroom. He claims he is a young stud, a professional model just keen to get to know her better. She will probably never know that he isn’t. In the world of the Internet, anonymity is sacred.
On March 18 Professor Peter Clayton, the head of the department of computer science at Rhodes University and head of the Centre for Distributed Multimedia, will be chairing a panel discussion on Hacking, Hot Babes and Hatespeak. Together with his panel, he will be debating whether a new set of rules can exist for the information age.
He defines information technology (IT) as consisting of “computers, networks, hardware input and output devices, software packages, data, systems and procedures that comprise modern information management and communications systems”. Fast communications, says Clayton, are communications that take seconds, or even milliseconds, to reach their destination. Consider that your e-mail is ideally delivered via the Internet in a matter of seconds as opposed to a handwritten letter that could take weeks to reach your aunty in Olifansfontein.
For every negative sentiment about IT or fast communications, there is a converted Web surfer or cellphone addict who will profess that these technologies have spawned a global information society. But it’s a society that, in instances, does face counting the costs. In 1999 unscrupulous crackers computer hackers with malicious intentions who gain illegitimate access to computer systems either to exploit the system’s resources or to steal or destroy information stole R5 from every credit-card holder of a major local bank.
But there are many positive stories too. In South Africa the Internet has been successfully used to further distance education. Communities also benefit from IT. The International Development Research Centre is an organisation that provides funding for IT-related policies in the developing world. Recently it got together with the Acacia Project on Communities and the Information Society in Africa recently set out to demonstrate how concerted investments in and the application of information and communications could enable communities to solve development problems. The government has even jumped on the bandwagon by using IT to provide communities with access to expertise and information.
IT seems to be a two-headed demon. Clayton explains: “IT is frequently blamed for depersonalising communications and invading privacy [through e-mail, mail-merge letters] but at the same time it is praised for the increased efficiency of communication and information retrieval.”
The issue of censorship on the Internet draws ire from all camps. Avedon Carol, a founding member of Feminists Against Censorship, says that available censorware (software that restricts what is sent to you via the Internet) is “designed by people with an extensive political agenda”. She says that among the list of censored items on certain censorware, Peacefire Teen Anti-Censorship, the National Organisation for Women, the American Civil Liberties Union, and her own organisation were included.
Indeed Clayton tells of the efforts of privacy and freedom of association groups in the United States to oppose attempts by the FBI to restrict the distribution of software, which facilitates encrypted communications and so prevent their use for criminal activities. “The issues raised about the Internet are not really very different to other forms of media that governments and groups seek to moderate in terms of its content [print, radio and video material]. But the huge reach of the Internet magnifies the problem cases, and the rapid rate of distribution makes it very difficult to police. It is difficult to set up border controls on the Internet,” he says.
The same issues are relevant in South Africa, he says, despite Internet penetration not being as high as that of developed countries. In 1995, South African spent R9-billion on IT facilities. Then, it was estimated that there were 25 000 IT professionals, 420 000 Internet users and 80 000 Internet host firms. These are figures that have only increased as more and more people hook themselves up for a technology transfusion.
According to Clayton, the big market for expanding the penetration of IT is generally believed to be in developing countries, as developed countries are heading towards saturation in their uptake of communication and information systems. Conversely, manufacturers are making increased efforts to make information products attractive and affordable to developing markets.
Clayton says that it cannot be disputed that information and communication systems have impacted on societies throughout the world. Work environments and lifestyles have been affected as companies latch on to the latest technology in their bid to increase productivity and raise profit margins.
“Many of the impacts are viewed as positive. For example, IT contributes to more interesting jobs, mobile offices, more informed strategic decisions, improved structures for work coordination, greater productivity, work opportunities for physically disabled people and constant communications,” he says.
But the downside is that new opportunities present themselves for criminals (Internet fraud), work patterns change, expectations of greater productivity lead to greater stress in the workplace. Even new occupational hazards are cropping up with frequently alarming tendencies like computer vision syndrome and repetitive stress injury. Time will tell how we’ll head down the potholed information superhighway in future.
Professor Peter Clayton will be leading a panel discussion on Hacking, Hot Babes and Hatespeak Is there a new set of rules for the information age? on Monday March 18 at the Monument Theatre in Grahamstown