Information Technology Acts
Chad T Lane
BUS/220
30 June 2014
Mrs Colette Gardner

Information technology is a dynamic and rapidly changing industry. Up until roughly two hundred years ago, all communication required walking, horseback, or some other form of manual labor. The telegraph was the first step down the path of information technology when Claude Chappe first invented it in 1794 (Bellis, ). The telegraph was the gateway to a plethora of other forms of communication that lead to social media, email, blogging, text messaging, etc.
The internet is probably the biggest and most powerful breakthrough in information technology. With that, comes a lot of potential for people to do things they should not, say things they would not say in person, and target an audience that might have gone otherwise unreached. The Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000 was passed in order to prevent children from exposure to pornographic material and things that are not age appropriate for young children in situations where schools or libraries receive internet at a discounted rate (FCC,). Prior to the internet, someone wishing to purchase pornography or R-rated movies would be required to prove legal age to do so because these transactions largely took place in person. The internet has no hard and fast way of verifying age so keeping children away from things they should not see, requires use of filters and other resources to block certain material and websites.
Many people will agree that a door-to-door salesperson is a nuisance. Telemarketers are the functional equivalent of door-to-door salespersons. Telephones are a medium for communicating to multitudes of people across great distances nearly effortlessly. Telephones are a massive force multiplier for organizations to create several contacts with potential clients in a fraction of the time a salesperson could do it in person. This led to complaints to the FCC because many felt harassed by the volume of phone calls. This led to the Do Not Call Implementation Act, 2003 that allows people to place their names on the list to prevent telemarketers from cold calling them (FCC, ). Ethics are not the same across the board, but bombarding someone with unsolicited phone calls and potentially tying up phone lines when a loved one is trying to call for help is certainly unethical.
With any advancement in technology, most will use it for good, many will use it purely in self-interest and some will use it maliciously. Research and careful decision making by the users of this technology is the best defense from abuse of information technology.

References
Bellis, M. (). . Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm
FCC, . (). . Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
FCC, . (). . Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/do-not-call-list