Assessment Task: Society & Information Report

DUE: 26 May 2014

Submission Requirements

Submissions should be in a Word document of approximately 1200-1700 words (excluding references and appendices).
Present the final assignment as a report structured to include
Cover page (see below),

Table of Contents,
Body of assignment that includes restatement of the questions, and Conclusions resulting from your critique where applicable.
Reference using the Harvard System published by the Swinburne Library.

Report Subject

You will be looking at issues of information and disinformation as applying to civil liberties, privacy, and use of information by organisations, with a specific focus on how Terms and Conditions may conflict with the interests of citizens and broader society.

As a starting point two press articles are included that highlight some of these issues:

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/theres-really-bad-stuff-buried-those-terms-and-conditions-youre-expected-not- read

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/4217:the-network-of-global-corporate-control

Note, however, that in addition to these articles other references will be required, with a preference for peer-reviewed or edited works such as published books. Where possible your argument and discussion should be linked to relevant social or information theory.

The assignment provides the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply critical concepts in a practical context.

Thus is it suggested that you should review all materials covered to date taking particular note of the relevance of those materials to such topics as:

• The ’public interest’ of our society as a whole;

• The aspects of individual civil liberties,and public expectations of privacy; and

• How organisations and governments have worked together to facilitate gathering of information in the aftermath of leaks on the US NSA.

Specifically, the requirements of the assignment are:

a) Identify, discuss and critique the key areas where organisations have used Terms and Conditions to possibly, or not, influence the balance of rights of organisations and individuals. Consider copyright and other legal implications in relation to this.

b) Discuss how Terms and Conditions – and other aspects related to possible losses of privacy – may affect (and be affecting) aspects of society as a whole. In your discussion consider possible justifications for or against common privacy related practices and the actual or possible role of regulation in regard to profit models of organisations that store and exchange private data.

Note that both of the above aspects will contribute equally to the final assessment.