Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
pages is collected into massive databases. When you perform a query, the search engine
consults its database to find the closest matches.
The second type of Web search engine relies upon humans to build the database
of information about various Web pages. People who develop a Web site can submit a
summary of their site to the keepers of the search engine. Alternatively, those responsible
for the search engine may create their own reviews of Web sites. The advantage of this
kind of search engine is that humans can create more accurate summaries of a Web page
than a spider program. The disadvantage of this approach is that only a small fraction of
the Web can be cataloged. The Open Directory Project falls into this category.
Information technology
(IT) refers to devices used in the creation, storage, manipula-
tion, exchange, and dissemination of data, including text, sound, and images. Comput-
ers, telephones, and video cameras are examples of IT. The cost of IT devices continues
to fall while their capabilities continue to increase. As a result, people are making greater
use of IT in their everyday lives. Some of these uses create new issues that need to be
resolved. Let's look at a few of the questions raised by the growth of IT.
The great power of email is that it allows (at least in principle) anyone to send email
to anyone else with an email address. Now that just about everyone has an email account,
it is easier than ever to contact friends and family. Parents who used to complain because
they never got letters from their children at college found out that it was much easier to
keep in touch via email. On the other hand, most email traffic is spam: unsolicited, bulk,
commercial email. Is spam destroying the value of email?
Thanks to the Web, it is easier than ever to share information with people all over the
world. Imagine I live in Canada and post some controversial files on my Web site. Some
Americans visit my Web site and download the files, an action that violates US laws.
Should I be prevented from posting material that is legal in Canada but illegal in the
United States?
For many items of value, making the original copy is expensive, but making copies
of the original is inexpensive. For example, an entertainment company may spend hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars to produce a CD, but once a CD has been ripped into MP3
files, the Internet provides a fast and free way to distribute the music. As a result, unau-
thorized copies of songs, movies, and computer programs are proliferating. Should we
continue to give ownership rights to creators of intellectual property, or is it hopeless?
If we no longer give ownership rights to creators of intellectual property, will creativity
suffer?
If I use a credit card to purchase an item, the credit card company now has infor-
mation about my spending habits. Who has a right to that information? For example, if
I buy a pair of water skis with my credit card, does the credit card company have a right
to sell my name, address, and phone number to other companies that may want to sell
me related products?
The use of IT has changed the way that banks process loan applications. Rather than
