Establishing the Human Dimension of the Digital Divide

This chapter will explore the human dimension of the digital divide. It argues that existing digital divide research takes primarily a socio-economic perspective and that few studies have considered the social, psychological or cultural barriers that may contribute to digital inequality within community. This chapter will discuss an ongoing research project that explores the psychological factors that contribute to the digital divide. Using the Social Cognitive Theory, the research examines the Internet self-efficacy of Internet users and non-users in Brisbane, Australia and San Jose, California, USA. Developing a psychological perspective of the digital divide will expand current understanding of a phenomenon that has far reaching social and economic implications. It will allow a more precise understanding of what is and who represents the digital divide in community. Organisations who are involved in bridging the digital divide will be better placed to develop strategies and programs that can more effectively narrow the gap between ICT “haves” and “have-nots”.

Information Security Policies in Large Organizations

While the importance of the information security policy (ISP) is widely acknowledged in the academic literature, there has, to date, been little empirical analysis of its impact. To help fill this gap a study was initiated that sought to explore the relationship between the uptake, scope and dissemination of information security policies and the accompanying levels of security breaches. To this end, a questionnaire was designed, validated and then targeted at IT managers within large organisations in the United Kingdom. The aim of this chapter is to provide a progress report on this study by describing the objectives of the research and the design of the conceptual framework.

Mobile Communities and the "Generation that Beeps and Hums"

The rapid appropriation of mobile phone technology by young people is occurring at the same time as critics are debating the so-called demise of community, purportedly as a result of our increasingly technologised and globalised society. Opposing theorists, however, argue that the notion of community is itself nebulous and that it represents an imagined ideal rather than a vanishing reality. Thus, they argue, it follows that debates about the greater authenticity of “real,” face-to-face communities over “virtual communities”—those centered on technological rather than geographical links —are based on a false premise. This chapter argues that young people today are utilizing mobile phones—sometimes in combination with the Internet—to establish and maintain social networks combining both their geographically present and absent peers. These networks are mobile, heavily reliant on technology and are comprised of a mix of “real” and “virtual” communication. They are also characterized by a sense of belonging to a group—a concept integral to the notion of community.

Metrics Based Security Assessment

This chapter introduces the Metrics Based Security Assessment (MBSA) as a means of measuring an organization’s information security maturity. It argues that the historical (i.e., first through third generations) approaches used to assess/ensure system security are not effective and thereby combines the strengths of two industry proven information security models, the ISO 17799 Standard and the Systems Security Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SSE-CMM), to overcome their inherent weaknesses. Furthermore, the authors trust that the use of information security metrics will enable information security practitioners to measure their information security efforts in a more consistent, reliable, and timely manner. Such a solution will allow a more reliable qualitative measurement of the return achieved through given information security investments. Ultimately, the MBSA will allow professionals an additional, more robust self-assessment tool in answering management questions similar to: “How secure are we?”

Cryptography

The emphasis and increased awareness of information security require an understanding and knowledge of the technology that supports it. As the risks and complexity of security keep growing along with the development of the Internet and e-commerce, securing information has become of utmost importance. With the worries about cyber-terrorism, hackers, and white-collar crimes, the demand for a stronger security mechanism in cryptography becomes apparent. Although wireless cryptography is still in its infancy, there are encryption technologies that may support the limitations of a mobile device.

Insights from Y2K and 9/11 for Enhancing IT Security

In the post-9/11 environment, there has been an increasing awareness of the need for information security. This chapter presents an analysis of the Y2K problem and 9/11 disaster from the perspective of Lally’s extension of Perrow’s Normal Accident Theory and the Theory of High Reliability Organizations. Insights into: 1) how characteristics of current IT infrastructures and organizational cultures make disasters more likely, 2) how organizations can respond to potential threats and mitigate the damage of those that do materialize, and 3) how IT can be used to identify future threats and mitigate their impact in the future, emerge from the analysis.

Protection of Minors from Harmful Internet Content

The Internet provides access to speech both conventional and unconventional. Some speech is considered harmful to minors. This chapter discusses the important social issue of how to best protect minors from such speech without violating the free speech rights of adults. It examines the Australian experience, one that has relevance to other relatively open societies like those found in North America and Europe. It concludes that the Australian regulatory framework has limited success in protecting minors from harmful Internet content and it risks compromising the free rights of adults.

A Method of Assessing Information System Security Controls

This chapter introduces a method of assessing the state of an organization’s information system security by evaluating the effectiveness of the various IS controls that are in place. It describes how the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) methodology (Kiresuk, Smith & Cardillo, 1994) was used within a South Australian Government Agency and summarizes the results of this research. The major purpose of this research was to investigate whether the GAS methodology is a feasible method of assessing the state of security of an organization’s information systems. Additional objectives of this research were to determine the suitability of the GAS methodology as a self-evaluation tool and its usefulness in determining the extent of compliance with a mandated IS security standard.

Internet Voting

When designing information systems, it is important to consider the needs of users with disabilities, including those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or color-blindness. This is especially important for designing Websites. It takes time and money to create or redesign Websites for easy access for users with disabilities. This is also known as Web accessibility. This chapter will discuss the ethical implications involved with Web accessibility. An ethical analysis of Web accessibility will be performed using a partial combination of two structured analysis approaches. It is the position of the authors of this chapter that Website development should consider accessibility for users with sensory and motor disabilities as an ethical requirement.

Web Accessibility for Users with Disabilities

When designing information systems, it is important to consider the needs of users with disabilities, including those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, or color-blindness. This is especially important for designing Websites. It takes time and money to create or redesign Websites for easy access for users with disabilities. This is also known as Web accessibility. This chapter will discuss the ethical implications involved with Web accessibility. An ethical analysis of Web accessibility will be performed using a partial combination of two structured analysis approaches. It is the position of the authors of this chapter that Website development should consider accessibility for users with sensory and motor disabilities as an ethical requirement.