Week 1: Tutorial Task

Obsessive Communication Parallel with Technology

New communication technologies are convenient, effective and a broad number of people have access to its benefits. Many people now own a telephone or a mobile, a television, a computer, the internet. How are these 'New Technologies' are not old technologies? In my opinion, what's new is what's not only recent, but also commonly used. Old technologies are those which have faded away in use and are no longer relevant to society. Nonetheless with increased possessions comes increased responsibility and there are a few issues which have arised within the area which we should all be aware of. The main issues are those related to health and privacy.

Who has access to your information such as contact details, where you live, who your friends are, where you study, your banking or insurance details? We are constantly uploading personal information to the World Wide Web. I think this is something to consider. This issue of hacking which is the invasion of private material is definitely an issue that needs much consideration from internet users and the creators of websites which contain this private information.

The issue which is said to be of most concern to Australian's is that of Health information. The Australian Government website provides privacy information for individuals regarding their personal information. "All organisations that provide a health service are covered by the Privacy Act, whether or not they are a small business" (citation here). Our personal information is regulated by this Act, which allows certain people of authority to access this information. However, not all organisations are subject to this Act such as public hospitals.

What about tellemarketers and Spam? The Government site also provides information on these issues. If you do not wish for businesses to 'direct market' you, you can cease contact from these businesses using the 'Do Not Call Register'. For spam, it is said not to reply to the issuer giving you grief for they just use this to note that your email is being used. You can however contact the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) or the Privacy Commissioner.



Sources:
(citation of the government page)