Contemporary Society - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 23

among all workers. These leaders will treat new information in a manner much
different than those who wish to control it. In these examples, the philosophy of
management focuses on the locus of control, and that control is determined to a
large extent by access to information. How information is controlled and distributed
is dependent on leadership style or philosophy. Political structure can be a major
factor in the flow and content of information within and transmitted from an organ-
ization. Providing guidelines for the fair and equitable use of information in this age
of technology is determined through laws and through information policies, as out-
lined below.
Legislation and Regulations
Legislation and regulations are issued by legislative and regulatory agencies of
government. Where the political paradigm is controlled by the scope and limits of a
constitution (e.g., the United States Constitution), freedom of access to information
is at the core of this paradigm and is the bedrock of any information system de-
signed for public use. The United States Constitution guarantees, through the First
Amendment, the right of free expression of ideas, and other laws (e.g., copyright
law) also protect individuals or groups who create new packages of information, so
that others will not steal those ideas and call them their own.
Copyright protects various forms of expression, including songs and music, as
well as prose and poetry. Similarly, patents protect the rights of inventors who cre-
ate new products of various kinds, including hardware and software that may ac-
cess, organize, store, or retrieve information.
A trademark is a recognizable design or expression that identifies services or
products from a particular manufacturer or source. An individual, a business, or
some other entity may own a trademark. Although trademarks are used in nearly
every type of business, in the fashion industry a certain label or trademark can be
very valuable in merchandizing clothing.
Still other laws, like securities laws, provide a framework for the exchange of
stock information, determining when this information can be exchanged fairly. Se-
curities laws also define what is considered illegal “insider” trading of information.
Legislation and regulations are formal controls placed on the content and flow of
information within an organization or a legal entity.
Information Policy
Information policy includes guidelines regarding secrecy, censorship, privacy,
ownership, the public's right to know, and the government's responsibility to inform.
Legislation is a formal policy adopted by a governmental body at the local, state,