Academic literature on the topic 'Information Communication Technology (ICT) Law'

Includes bibliographical references.<br>'Unknown to most of us, we are living inside and alongside a revolution of stupendous power and energy. It is not a communist, socialist, capitalist or even a religious revolution. It is the ICT revolution, the revolution of information communication technologies that is changing the nature and patterns of our social, commercial and political interactions. Like most revolutions, its true scope cannot yet be grasped nor can all the issues it raises be clearly understood even by those at its cutting edges". The Internet and other new technologies play an important role in today's global information society, are now essential in every sector of human life and can be used for the preparation and commission of serious and transnational crimes.

Policing in The United Kingdom is an intricate business, balancing the enforcement of statute and other laws while dealing with public safety and security. Policing engages a diverse and complicated set of organisational structures and processes relying heavily on the skill and expertise of officers on the ground. Their role in preventing and or intercepting crime before, during and after it occurs is integral to sustaining peace, security, law and order in communities. The police operational and logistics staff work day to day with information and communication technologies, ranging from conventional databases and information systems to ubiquitous and specialised tools.  Understanding the use of technology and its management in policing has formed the backbone of this research conducted through a qualitative approach. This study adopted an interpretive paradigmic analytical lens using ethnography situated in the workplace as a methodology. The qualitative study took the form of field immersion for nine months using interviewing, and shadowing/observation to suit the complexity of the socio-technical context. Analysis was conducted using thematic analytical methods. Understanding how the police force interact with and shape the way that information and communication technologies enable them to fight crime is, then, the subject of this thesis. The findings highlighted the complexities and  intricacies involved in the use of technology, identifying unique differentiations in the way technology is engaged and integrated into policing including comparative understanding relative to other sectors and industries.  On the whole the central features of this work highlight understanding of the role information and communication technologies; usefulness, usage in practice and operational activity, strategic business goals, knowledge management, business intelligence and intelligence led architecture, governance and performance models in policing the county of Bedfordshire, England.

Rural development is a priority for poverty alleviation and development in developing countries, as the majority of the poor live in rural areas. Information and knowledge are key strategic resources for social and economic development as they empower rural communities with the ability to expand their choices through knowing what works best in their communities. Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a significant role in supporting rural development activities through providing supportive development information and creating essential interconnectivities between rural areas and more developed regions. However, rural ICT for development (ICT4D) is still at best a ‘working hypothesis’, faced with barriers and challenges associated with implementation and use in the rural environment; which threaten the success, sustainability or relevance of an ICT intervention. Many key questions remain largely unanswered, with no concrete or credible data to support a wide range of claims concerning the use of ICT for development. The evaluation of rural ICT projects is indispensable as it determines the need, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and extent of the awareness of the contribution such projects or programmes can make in poverty alleviation and development. Even so, existing ICT4D evaluations are confrontedwith shortcomings and challenges which influence the accuracy and reliability of evaluation conclusions. These shortcomings highlight the need to embark on a more comprehensive evaluation approach, sensitive to the rural environment. This research study was aimed at developing a comprehensive rural ICT evaluation framework to assess ICT projects and interventions that work toward supporting poverty eradication in rural communities. A multi-method approach was used to determine the multiple variables and components associated with rural ICT evaluation, and then to determine how these variables interrelate. The approach is founded on programme evaluation, ICT for development evaluation, and information systems evaluation. Firstly, key domains of programme evaluations combined with an exploration of the need and shortcomings of ICT4D evaluation, contributed to the development of a template to analyse existing ICT4D evaluation frameworks and information systems frameworks, based on a selection of criteria. The combined analysis of the two groups of frameworks compares and contrasts key characteristics that form the structure of a comprehensive evaluation. This analysis and a review of programme evaluation enabled the development of a Rural ICT Comprehensive Evaluation Framework (RICT-CEF) that encompasses the key components essential for a comprehensive evaluation of rural ICT projects. The theoretical framework aims to inform ICT intervention to improve and support rural development, through the application of fundamental and interconnected evaluation domains sensitive to the rural environment, throughout the project’s lifecycle. In order to obtain a better understanding and application of the RICT-CEF, a real-life case study investigation of the Siyakhula Living Lab reveals the lessons learned (shortcomings and suitability) from applying a prototype of the framework in a rural environment. The study is characteristically a rich case study, as the investigation occurs at two levels: 1) The actual evaluation of the project to obtain results to improve or guide the project, through applying domains of the RICT-CEF, and 2) Observing and investigating the application of the RICT-CEF framework to learn lessons from its evaluation process in a real-life context. The research study reveals the compatibility of the RICT-CEF framework in a real-life rural ICT intervention case, and builds lessons learned for enhancing the framework and guiding future evaluations in ICT4D. The RICT-CEF can possibly be viewed as a platform for the key domains and processes essential for the evaluation of ICT4D interventions; which can be customised for a variety of ICT projects, such that a comparative assessment of projects can provide measurement and further awareness of the impact of rural ICT in developing countries.

Rural development can be supported by information and knowledge which are key strategic resources for socio economic development. ICTs enable the facilitation and communication of information between remotely dispersed individuals or groups and more developed regions. While it has become common place that ICTs possess capabilities to potentially support rural development, the concept of ICT for development (ICT4D) is still fraught with challenges and barriers, which impede the success and sustainability of ICT4D projects. It is therefore essential to evaluate rural ICT projects, as such an analysis may aid in revealing information related to the need, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of these projects. This research seeks to further the implementation and exploration of the Rural ICT Comprehensive Evaluation Framework (RICT-CEF), through the application of the Process Assessment domain in a real life rural ICT project environment. The RICT-CEF framework consisting of 7 evaluation domains has the primary objective of evaluating rural ICT projects from their inception stages to post implementation. A process assessment seeks to determine whether or not a rural ICT project is operating to implement its intended functions in the intended way specified in the projects plan. Such an assessment is invaluable to a comprehensive evaluation. Evaluation questions for a process assessment are centred around critical themes of project performance. Critical themes are aspects of a programme or projects implementation which must be enacted in order to achieve desired project outcomes. This research study is aimed at identifying critical themes of process assessment relevant to rural ICT4D projects. To identify critical themes, assessment approaches on social programme process assessments, evaluation of information systems in use, and rural ICT4D project evaluation case studies are comparatively analysed. Fourteen assessment approaches from these three categories are selected based on criteria. To analyse selected assessment approaches, a template is created based on the research questions, foundational literature on process assessment and identified challenges applicable to process assessments of rural ICT4D projects. Comparing and contrasting critical themes from these assessment approaches highlight critical themes essential to assess in the iterative implementation phase of rural ICT projects. Accentuated critical themes include, service utilization, organizational function and external project factors. These themes, along with suggested guiding principles from literature for conducting process assessments enable the creation of a framework for conducting process assessments of rural ICT projects. The framework is labelled "the Rural ICT Project Process Assessment Framework (RICTP-PAF)". The application of the RICTP-PAF in a real life rural ICT project through a design science case study provides lessons learned (suitability and shortcomings) from applying the framework. This essentially demonstrates the sensitivity of the RICTP-PAF to rural contexts in which it is implemented in. For instance, the implemented prototype of the RICTP-PAF reveals that the framework places a great deal of emphasis on rural beneficiary perspectives. A practice which has been lacking in such evaluation exercises. Furthermore, the guiding principles elucidated, bring to mind best practices to deal with issues such as stakeholder conflict, unreliable data elicitation and unethical assessment practices. The RICTP-PAF represents a fundamental tool for process assessments of rural ICT projects, and may be adopted and customized to various rural ICT project contexts in developing countries.

This study aimed to provide a general picture of ICT education in primary schools. Through this aim, students&rsquo<br>perceived ICT competencies, their attitudes towards the ICT course, the characteristics of the teaching-learning process in the ICT course, the deficiencies of the IT classrooms and the effectiveness of the ICT Student Workbook were analyzed. This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. In order to collect the data, a self-reported questionnaire consisted of 63 items was developed by the researcher. The sample consisted of 442 Grade 8 students in 11 primary schools located in the metropolitan area of Izmit. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Multivariate Analysis of Variances with Pillai&rsquo<br>s Trace test was employed to investigate whether the significant differences among dependent variables across independent variables existed. Results of the study indicated that primary school students generally perceived themselves competent in ICT tasks and they had favorable attitudes towards the ICT course. Significant differences were found in students&rsquo<br>perceived ICT competencies and attitudes with respect to gender, educational background of parents, computer ownership and availability of home assistance related to the ICT course. This study also revealed several obstacles which prevent taking full benefits of IT classrooms, and problems with the implementation of the new ICT program.

The research conducted an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field survey, the results revealed that Tanzania is still lagging behind in the ICT sector due to the lack of an internationally connected terrestrial ICT infrastructure; Internet connectivity to the rest of the world is via expensive satellite links, thus leaving the majority of the population unable to access the Internet services due to its high cost. Therefore, an ICT backbone infrastructure is designed that exploits optical DWDM network technology, which un-locks bandwidth bottlenecks and provides higher capacity which will provide ICT services such as Internet, voice, videos and other multimedia interactions at an affordable cost to the majority of the people who live in the urban and rural areas of Tanzania. The research analyses and compares the performance, and system impairments, in a DWDM system at data transmission rates of 2.5 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s per wavelength channel. The simulation results show that a data transmission rate of 2.5 Gb/s can be successfully transmitted over a greater distance than 10 Gb/s with minimum system impairments. Also operating at the lower data rate delivers a good system performance for the required ICT services. A forty-channel DWDM system will provide a bandwidth of 100 Gb/s. A cost analysis demonstrates the economic worth of incorporating existing optical fibre installations into an optical DWDM network for the creation of an affordable ICT backbone infrastructure; this approach is compared with building a completely new optical fibre DWDM network or a SONET/SDH network. The results show that the ICT backbone infrastructure built with existing SSMF DWDM network technology is a good investment, in terms of profitability, even if the Internet charges are reduced to half current rates. The case for building a completely new optical fibre DWDM network or a SONET/SDH network is difficult to justify using current financial data.

To meet the purpose of the study, three hypotheses were tested: First, it was predicted there was a relationship between spousal connectedness and personal and spousal ICT (information and communication technology) device usage; second, it was predicted satisfaction with personal or spousal ICT device usage were mediators of the primary relationship between spousal connectedness and ICT device usage; and third, it was expected communication moderated the relationship between spousal connectedness and personal ICT device usage. A representative sample of married adults (n=208) were sampled. Personal and spousal ICT device use, satisfaction with personal and spousal ICT device use, spousal connectedness, and communication were measured and the resulting data analyzed. Regression analyses and path analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. The first and third hypotheses were found to be significant, but the second was not. The negative relationship between personal ICT device use and spousal connectedness indicates that as ICT device use increases, connectedness decreases. Communication, however, was shown to buffer this relationship. Data indicated that the more a person recalled communicating with their spouse, the less prominent was the relationship between their personal ICT device use and spousal connectedness.