Saturday, February 15, 2020

Daniel R. Headrick, The Tools of Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Daniel R. Headrick, The Tools of Empire - Essay Example He argues throughout the book, with reference to many well-researched examples, that pre-Industrial Revolution, the journeying, living and conquering of such regions simply was not possible, as the technology was just not available for this to be achieved, managed or sustained successfully. However, as Headrick argues, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution and the technological advances this forged, these technological advances allowed people to travel and live in countries other than their own, such that the expansion of the Empire became possible at this period in history. Continuing on from this general introduction, throughout the book, Headrick analyzes the technological advances that allowed this dominance to proceed, both by presenting a straight-forward mechanical analysis of the actions of the people and the inventions and technological advances involved, and by presenting a detailed analysis of secondary sources, which allows him to offer an interpretation of the thoughts and motivations of the people involved; this e... Thus, the text moves forward apace, discussing what could be rather dry historical texts and documents, in a light and easy to read manner. This use of interpreting secondary sources for his own means, to present information from entirely his own perspective leads, however, to several major problems with the text, which will be discussed later in this review. In the book, Headrick spends a long time discussing inventions of relevance in this period; for example, much of the book is devoted to a discussion of anti-malarial drugs and how they enabled Europeans to travel, live and work in the tropical regions. This discussion is not, however, centred around why there was a desire to colonize and conquer these regions and its people; indeed, the book steers away from this subject at every opportunity, almost as if it is something not to be discussed. Yet this is precisely the issue that is opportune in such a tome: in scientific or technological achievements, it is usually the motivations which drive people to achieve leaps of progress, and not the leaps of progress themselves which drive people to want to achieve technological or scientific advancement. It would have been extremely interesting, as a reader, to be presented with alternate arguments for why at this particular point in history, aside from technological advances which enabled travel to these regions to become easier, Europeans decided to travel to these regions - what were they seeking Where did the funds for travel and expeditions come from How did they plan and execute journeys and colonisation strategies A more strategic analysis of the era, in terms of political and economic motivations would have been welcome, as this would have offered a complete picture of the events of the time, which

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Privacy Laws related to Information Technology use Research Paper

Privacy Laws related to Information Technology use - Research Paper Example In this regard, it is arguable that the privacy of individual data depends on the ability of organizations to employ security measures for the protection of individual information and private data (Kerr, 2004). The various online companies and websites such as Facebook, Google, LimkedIn, Yahoo and Skype are mandated by the law to protect the privacy of individuals. Regardless of the provisions of the law, it is notable that many online organizations and companies have disclosed private information to third parties such as advertisers who use it without the consent of the holders of the information. Sensitive information such as financial records, bank and credit card details are also protected by the legal framework. This is due to the need for the security of personal data and the consequent prevention of possible fraud (Gillmor, 1998). The modern computing and transactional environments are characterized by online shopping and banking. This means that the users of the online bankin g services are predisposed to the risk of disclosure of their private information to organizations (Messmer, 2001). Additionally, digital records of employees within various organization is at a risk f unauthorized access and use. ... that organizations and individuals are protected from unauthorized use of private information by internal or external intruders to information systems (Miller and Tucker, 2007). The law also protects individual information from misuse by government agencies and the media (Sullivan, 2005). According to the fourth amendment, individual data and information must be kept private and free from unauthorized access and use (Lock, Conger and Oz, 1998). This illustrates the role of the law in ensuring that organizations keep the information on their employees and clients as private as necessary (OConnor and Matthews, 2011). Infringement of the privacy of individual information is thus a legal felony (Thibodeau, 2001). Sometimes governing authorities such as the police perform thorough surveillance of a suspect’s private information and activities. Regardless of the justification that the governing authorities give for the infringement of individual privacy, such actions are legally wro ng (Lock, Conger and Oz, 1998). The emergency of creative, innovative and up to date technological tools represents the challenge which many individuals and organizations face in trying to achieve adherence to information privacy laws. Nonetheless, the application of information systems within organizations and institutions is attributed to the increased challenge of securing private information (Canoni, 2004). However, organizations have laid security policies which are geared at promoting the enforcement of legal framework on the privacy of private information (Bernstein, 2007). Information security policies play a significant role in defining the procedure of access, retrieval, modification and use of private information with a view of ensuring preservation of individual rights to privacy