Information Control and Privacy

At the end of this chapter, the students should

be able to:
I. distinguish a physical resource from a
conceptual resource;
2. Identify the characteristics of information as a
resource;
3. Analyze the phenomenon of information
overload brought by high internet penetration;
4. Explain the major points of the revised Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines
(Republic Act No. 10372); and
5. Highlight the importance of information control and privacy by creating a video
advertisement/awareness campaign.

INTRODUCTION TO RESOURCES
Organizations treat company assets, such as buildings, equipment, and their manpower
as important resources. Resources are the total means available to a company for
increasing production or, profit, including land, labor, capital, and raw materials.
Without resources, Organizations would cease to exist. Imagine a bank without money,
a manufacturing plant without forklifts, or a school without teachers. These resources
are known as physical resources. They are tangible and can be easily identified.
Physical resources usually start from acquisition and are then assembled to be
available for use when needed. Very
often, the assembly process entails
converting an essentially raw
material into a refined form, such as
wood, cement, and steel for building
construction. Once these resources
have been assembled, a manager
strives to maximize their use; this
includes allocating space for office
use and identifying key areas in the
building plans. Finally, the manager
asks for replacement or repairs and
maintenance of these resources at a
critical time—before they become inefficient or obsolete.
Figure 4.2 Philippine peso bills representing monetary values
The other type of resource is called conceptual resources. Conceptual resources are
non-tangible and are considered valuable for what they represent rather than their
physical make-up. Money is considered a conceptual resource as each paper bill
represents a specific monetary value as opposed to the paper where it is printed. The
same goes for human resources. While everyone can be considered employees in a
company, their skills, knowledge, and job experience set them apart from one another,
thus identifying the staff, managers, executives, and laborers.
Managers use conceptual resources to manage physical resources or vice versa. One
such example is the use of computers in organizations. A computer unit, by itself, may
cost thousands of pesos. However, once used, the content saved in those computer
units become even more valuable resources, making the computer unit irreplaceable.
The integrity of the saved files may be compromised, so security checks are often
identified on the computer units—e.g., firewalls, anti-virus, biometric access, etc. - to
make sure they will not be lost. In this case, the saved computer files (conceptual
resource) identify how the computer units (physical resource) will be managed. The
same applies to personal assets such as smartphones. Losing a mobile phone is
considered a tragedy, especially if it contains personal data, such pictures, videos, and
numerous contacts. The pictures, videos, and contact list saved in the phone are
considered conceptual resources while the smartphone is the physical resource
(managing the conceptual resources). In both instances, the conceptual resources
identified are called information.

INFORMATION AS A RESOURCE
Information can be simply defined as "facts about something or someone that are
provided or learned." Facts are considered relevant truths which have been validated
and identified. Data are considered facts; therefore, processed data are considered as
information as they are organized in such a way that they have additional value
beyond the Value of the facts themselves. Unlike other organizational resources,
information is considered:
 Expandable
Information can be expanded without compromising its integrity. In fact, by having
additional information, much more can be understood from it. An example is a person's
personal information. While knowing his or her name, contact details and current work
may be useful, having the person's full curriculum vitae becomes more useful for those
in, for example, the HR Department.
 Compressible
Although expanded information can give a more detailed explanation, it may not always
be needed. An example of this is in news sites. Instead of a barrage of details, news
sites would often give one-liner headlines that provide enough information about the
news, another example is research abstracts. An abstract is normally a half- or a one-
page summary of the entire research.
Living in the Information Technology Era
 Transportable
Information, especially digital information, is easily transportable. With the use of the
internet and various technologies, information can be sent though any of the following:
1. send via email
2. share via Facebook
3. copy onto a flash drive
4. upload on YouTube
 Diffusive
Gossip or rumors tend to spread easily. Unfortunately, the same applies to any kind of
information—be it true or not.
 Sharable
Since information can be easily spread, it is considered sharable as well. Information
can be kept calling it a secret. However, once a person decides to tell it to someone,
then he or she will no longer have control over it. In some cases, certain parts of the
secret can be kept. One such example is the secret recipe of KFC. It is known that there
are 1 1 secret herbs and spices, but as to what these herbs and spices are, people can
only guess.

Information is not all different from other resources. Similar to how physical resources
are managed, information is considered valuable and also has a life cycle. It begins with
transforming raw materials into a finished product—processing data to come up with
valuable information. Weather forecasting is one such example. Scientists use statistical
data from previous days to predict possible weather conditions the next day. Another
example is the academic grades of students in a university. By determining the
students' weighted average from first year to senior year, the school can identify
valedictorians and salutatorians based on their academic standing.

Information can also be available in different grades: and types, and prices can
be measured in monetary equivalent. There are two options in acquiring software
applications online: a free or trial version or a full version. Free versions have limitations
in functionality. To maximize the full range of functions of a certain application, one
should pay a certain amount depending on the type of upgrade needed. A certain
software can have personal editions and enterprise editions, among others which cost
more as the applications become broader in scope.

Depending on how it is used, information can be substituted and its consumption can be
either expanded or capitalized. An individual can search for a person's contact number
through a telephone book. The same information may also be found by directly calling
the phone company and asking the operator for the needed details. But nowadays, you
can also search for the contact details of people through the internet, specifically
through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Thus, contact details are no longer
restricted to just phone numbers. A person's contact details can now also include email
addresses, mobile phone numbers, and even Twitter handles.

And just like physical resources, the cost of information can be controlled through
various accounting techniques. An example is the price difference of DVD movies in
different countries like the Philippines and the U.S. DVD prices are controlled based on
the region codes set by each country. Basically, a DVD can only play on a DVD player
with the same region code setting (Hedden, 2017). This is to prevent people from say,
the U.S., buying DVDs online from an e-commerce site in China. DVDs in countries like
China are much cheaper than those in the U.S. due to "production Costs." However,
bear in mind that the "production costs" mentioned here are not the costs in making the
movie, but rather the costs in mass-producing the DVD.

Just like physical resources, managing information is just as important as managing any
other resource in the organization such as people, money, and equipment. Information,
information. Related activities, technologies, and personnel are also important
organizational resources.

Valuable Information
Let us say your professor assigns you to research on the different parts of a computer
system. You plan to 100k for information online through search engines such as
Google. How can you tell if the information you get is useful, or in this case, valuable for
your research?
Information is said to be valuable if it has the following Characteristics (Stair &
Reynolds, 2016):

 Accurate
Accurate information is error-free. In some cases, inaccurate information is generated
because inaccurate data was processed. Analysts call this as garbage-in-garbage• out."
By typing "parts of a computer" in the search bar, Google gives you a list of several
websites which contain the information you are looking for. However, how do you
determine which are accurate and which are inaccurate? Usually, it is better to trust
sites that are formal in nature rather than informal ones such as blogs or forums,

Table 4.1 Formal Information vs. Informal Information

Formal Information Informal Information

It is official and authoritative. It is more casual, and less authoritative.

It is meant to be taken seriously and is It is presented in a less formal manner.

presented in a formal manner.

It is usually more carefully prepared and It is possibly less reliable.

verified than informal information and its
accuracy and reliability should also be
higher.

Formal information for your research work could come from technical websites as well
as academic websites. Pieces of informal information can still be considered accurate
as long as they provide enough reference and the data can later be verified from the
said reference. Bits of informal information include those from blogs, wikis, social sites,
and public forums. Nowadays, the use of wikis has become a norm when it comes to
information research. The most popular wiki today is Wikipedia.org. the question,
however, is: How accurate is the content in Wikipedia.org?

 Complete
Complete information contains all the important facts. This is especially important in the
field of medicine. Missing information could spell disaster, or worse, lead to death. If the
information regarding allergies has been left out, doctors might inadvertently give wrong
medication that could cause severe allergic reactions to the patient.
  Economical
Information should be relatively economical to produce. Decision-makers must always
balance the value of information with the cost of producing it. With the spread of the
internet, information dissemination has become easier, faster, and a lot cheaper.
However, is the price worth it for the integrity of the information?

 Reliable
Reliable information can be depended on. In many cases, the reliability of information
depends on the validity of the data collection method. In other cases, reliability depends
on the source of information, which brings us back to valuable information being
economical. Torrent sites offer pirated Software, music, and movies for free. However,
the resolution of the movie downloaded, for example, might not be clear and might even
contain malware and virus that could infect the computer system.

 Flexible
Flexible information can be used for different purposes. Depending on the situation,
personal information can be used for a variety of ways. A school ID can be used to
enter the school premises. The same ID can be used to transact business with the
registrar's office during enrolment. It can be used to open a bank account or to apply for
a student driver's permit.

 Relevant
Relevant information is important to the decision-maker. For example, your assignment
calls for searching "parts of a computer" online. You do not visit sites that tackle "parts
of the human body" because they are irrelevant to your research topic.

 Simple
Information should also be simple, not overly complex. Sophisticated and detailed
information may not be needed. Complex information may sometimes lead to confusion
which could result in inaccuracy of details.
  Timely
Timely information is delivered when it is needed. This is true in the case of weather
predictions, stock market forecasts and traffic management.

 Verifiable
This means that information can be checked for correctness and authenticity. Most
authors include references bibliography, or citations in their works to enable readers to
verify the content.

 Accessible
Information should be easily accessible by authorized users to be obtained in the right
format at the right time to meet their needs. In Korea, the U.S., the U.K., and China, a
mobile phone can be used to pay for day-to-day transactions. A mobile pay app can be
downloaded on the smartphone in which the user's Credit card or debit card is enrolled.
Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay all use near-field communications (NFC)
technology so instead of swiping the physical card for payment, the mobile phone is
simply tapped on the card reader or terminal and payment is immediately recorded
(Savvides, 2017).

 Secure
Information should be secure from access by unauthorized users. Mobile pay systems
such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay use biometric authentication, typically a
fingerprint scan, before a transaction is made. This ensures that only the owner of the
phone can use the app for payments.

Value of Information
Information is considered valuable mainly for business purposes as businesses depend
on it to produce quality products and services. This helps organizations become globally
competitive and be up to date with the latest trends and technology. With businesses
gearing towards IT automation, the strategy now is to come up with business activities
that shorten time frames While increasing productivity All of this is possible if companies
have access to valuable information. Valuable information helps managers make good
decisions which is why valuable or useful information is called knowledge.
Some pieces of information have entertainment value, and some have business value,
but regardless of the source of value, People are willing to pay for information. Many
strategies for purveyors of information are based on the fact that consumers differ
greatly on how they value particular information goods. Some information is given away
for free. Examples are weather forecasts, stock index, and personal information.
However, as valuable as it may be, a phone number cannot be sold. But some
information is costly such as cable TV subscriptions—the more channels, the more
expensive the monthly cable bill. So how much will valuable information cost you?
Information, as a resource, has four characteristics, namely it (1) has zero marginal
cost; (2) is non-rivalrous; (3) is non-exclusive; and (4) does not exhibit high degrees of
transparency (Leickly, 2004).

 Zero-marginal cost
The cost of producing the first copy of an information good may be substantial, but the
cost of producing (or reproducing) additional copies is negligible. Avengers: Age of
Ultron released in 2015 is one of the most expensive Hollywood movies ever made with
an estimated budget of However, buying a DVD copy Of the said movie today would
cost about $20 in Amazon.com.

 Non-rivalrous
Simultaneous consumption of information by consumers is possible. Movies nowadays
are sold not only as DVD copies there are also digital formats which anyone can watch
online or download on their mobile devices, either as a rental or paid subscription.

 Non-exclusive
Exclusion is not a natural property of informati011 goods, though it is possible to
construct exclusion artificially However, the nature of information is that if it is known, it
is difficult to exclude others from its use. Through emails and SMS, one can identify only
intended recipients of the message through a specific email address or a phone
number. However' emails and SMS have the capability of forwarding the exact
information to other recipients, without the original sender knowing it. This is much more
evident in social media such as Facebook, in which a "share" automatically means
sending to everyone else.

 No transparency
To evaluate the information, the information must be known, so one has to invest in
learning how to evaluate it. A programmer undergoing boot camp training to learn a new
programming language needs to invest time, money, and effort. The more complicated
the training, the more expensive the cost and the longer the time needed to learn it.
Information Economics
Since people have widely different values for a particular piece of information, value-
based pricing leads naturally to differential pricing. In economics, a good is considered
to be an experience good if consumers must experience it to value it. Virtually any new
product is an experience good, and marketers have developed strategies such as free
samples, promotional pricing, and testimonials to help consumers learn about new
goods.

Information, on the Other hand, may be treated differently, since it is not the asset that
provides value in today's economy: what provides value is the information about the
asset. When buying a shirt, customers are given the opportunity to try it prior to deciding
if they want to buy it or not. Food catering companies offer free taste tests of their
complete menu so their customers get to experience the food they offer prior to
reserving an event. With information. Organizations cannot give the full experience to
customers as this could mean lost interest afterwards.
Imagine you are in a movie theater and you are choosing m two movies to watch. If the
movies are to be treated the way as the shirt and the food that would mean you need to
watch both movies in their entirety before you decide which one good to watch. The
decision would make no sense anymore as you were able to watch both movies
anyway. To avoid this situation, organizations use various strategies to get wary
Customers to overcome their reluctance to purchase information before they know what
they are getting. The tension between giving away your information—to let people know
what you have to offer - and charging them for it to recover your costs, is a fundamental
problem in the information economy. These strategies include browsing previews,
branding, and reputation.

 Browsing previews
An example of this strategy is movie trailers. Movie trailers that normally run from 1 to 3
minutes give viewers a glimpse of what the film is all about. Trailers normally include
highlights from the film which can leave the audience excited to watch the entire film
later On. Another example is music downloaded from iTunes. A 5- to 15-second preview
of the song can be listened to prior to buying it. This gives the user an idea of the song
he or she wants to download if it is worth the amount to be paid.

 Branding
Big names such as Microsoft and Apple have no issues when it comes to launching new
products as people have already established their trust on these brands. According to
American telecommunications (telco) company, Sprint, when Apple introduced iPhone 7
in September 2016, pre-order sales shot up by 375% compared to the launch of iPhone
6.

 Reputation
When a movie is announced, people would often be skeptical if it would be good
enough. However, the reputation of directors and the cast of actors and actresses
normally remove this skepticism. For example, Michael Bay is known for successfully
directing the Transformers movie franchise this reputation has made his movies
blockbuster hits as people have made a connection that if it is a Michael Bay film, it
must be good. This is the reason why his films would often include an introduction as a
"Michael Bay film" instead of just the movie introducing itself.
In the digital world, an experience good may not necessarily translate into a good which
is physical or directly used by consumers. With mobile games becoming more popular,
users feel the need to excel in them, in which the need for more equipment, higher
experience levels, and better gaming results become more of a necessity. For this
reason, game apps offer virtual goods such character gears, equipment, and even level-
up boosts in exchange for virtual money. However, there are cases in which some
would pay real money, usually in U.S. dollars, in exchange for a virtual item.

In general, people value an organization's ability to make their lives easier and better by
using information about their products and operations. This includes providing pre-
determined information to lessen the decision-making of individuals. Think of it as
providing additional information regarding the information itself. Google.com is an
example. Whenever you try to search for something in Google Search, it gives you a list
of websites that pertain to the keywords you have typed in. This means that Google has
provided you with a list of information regarding the information you are looking for.
Another example is buying online via Amazon.com. When you browse through different
items, Amazon would also suggest at the bottom of the screen other items related to
what you are looking for, or inform you about what other items people who bought the
item you are looking at also bought.

Information Overload
Information is now available so quickly, ubiquitously, and inexpensively. Last March
2016, Cisco conducted a study that by the end of 2016. Global internet traffic will have
reached l.I zettabytes per year, and by 2019, global traffic is expected to hit 2
Zettabytes per year. Just how big is 1 zettabyte? A typical external drive is 1 terabyte in
size. One zettabyte is equal to terabytes or one billion external drives. This is because
information s produced at rapidly-increasing rates due to the following reasons:

 Easy duplication and transmission of information

A picture posted on Facebook which is also posted on Instagram and Twitter means
that the same picture has been posted three times on three different sites.

 Increase in communication methods

What used to be mobile phones for SWIS and computers for emails are smartphones
that can do both. Also, a simple text message is no longer restricted to SMS via telco
providers. Through mobile apps such as Viber and Messenger, people can now send
private messages (PM) or direct messages (DM).

t..ÄViber
Connect. Freely:
Figure 4.3 Messaging apps: Messenger and Viber

 Growth archives of historical information

Print or hard copies are now being replaced by' digital ones. These digital copies are
stored on cloud servers that offer maximum storage capacity for end users. One such
example is libraries which contain not only physical books but also computers and other
mobile devices to access eBooks’ e-journals, electronic readings, and other online
resources.

Figure 4.4 Electronic readings

So where does all this information come from? Who and where are these producers and
consumers of information? According to the 2018 Global Digital Suite of reports from
We Are Social and Hootsuite:
• More than half the world now uses the internet (up to 7 percent year-on-year).
• Qatar and United Arab Emirates top the internet penetration ranking with 99% of their
total population using the internet.
• For three years in a row, Filipinos have been spending the greatest amount of time on
social media with an average of four hours a day.
• More than two-thirds of the world's population now has a mobile phone, with most
people now using smartphones.
• More than half of the world's web traffic now comes from
• More than 60% of all mobile connections around the action shopped world are now
'broadband.'
• More than one in five of the world’s population shopped online in the past 30 days.

figure4.5 Digital around the world in 2018

Compared to the year 2017, 2018 has seen exponential growth in terms of digital
information. This could be attributed to the fast growing internet as well as to the latest
technological advancements, especially in mobile devices. The infographic above
shows the number of internet users, active social media users, unique mobile users,
and active mobile social users. The study also highlights how social media has created
a big impact on internet usage with Facebook dominating the global social landscape,
reaching more than 2 billion users at the start of 2018.

This report reveals that while the Philippines has one of the slowest fixed internet
connections in the world — 4.2 Mbps compared to the global average of 6.3 Mbps, the
country has one of the fastest mobile connection speed, averaging at 13.9 Mbps This is
probably the reason why more Filipinos like to spend their time online through different
social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. This report further reveals that the
Philippines topped the ranking for time spent on social media among other countries,
with Filipinos spending almost four hours a day social media compared to people in
other countries (Kemp, 2018).

With the overwhelming "amounts" of data brought about by the exponential growth of
internet users—both producers and consumers of information—information overload, as
in dealing with too much information for one to absorb, happens.

Mobile Social Media and Mobile Commerce

The abundance of mobile devices has greatly changed the way people manage their
day-to-day activities. In business, for example, having a shop where customers can
easily go to use to be enough. However, with the introduction of the internet, market
shifted from a brick-and-mortar set-up to an online operation more commonly known as
e-commerce. And now with mobile internet, people can access internet services
without the need for computers. They have their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile
devices connected to the network to send and receive information wherever they are
and whenever they want to. This connectivity has paved the way to two new scenarios
in communication:

Mobile social media

Mobile social media is the accessing of social media Sites, such as Facebook and
Snapchat, using a mobile device. The device may have an app installed to open
Instagram, for example, or it can use a browser installed in the mobile device to open
Twitter. A study conducted by ComScore in 2016 reveals the impact of social media on
internet users. The same study also shows that nearly 80% of individuals browse
through their social media accounts using their mobile phones. Noticeably, people are
using their desktops less and less in accessing websites. Mobile has grown so fast that
it's now the leading digital platform, with a total activity on smartphones and tablets
accounting for 62% of digital media time spent, and apps alone now representing the
majority of digital media time at 54% (Lella & Lipsman, 2016).

M-commerce
M-commerce or mobile commerce was a term used during the 1997 Global Mobile
Commerce Forum by Kevin Duffey. He described it as the delivery of electronic
commerce capabilities directly into the consumer's hand, anywhere, via wireless
technology. The use of mobile devices has paved the way for data to be transmitted and
received much faster without compromising security and scalability. The global trend in
using mobile devices for socializing and doing commercial transactions is increasing.
Companies are now using digital platforms to market their products and services.
Industries that are now embracing m-Commerce include:
l. Financial services — Banks have introduced Online banking a few years back.
However, nowadays, majority of bank transactions such as money transfers, bills
payment, and even stock portfolios and stock transactions can now be done using the
bank's mobile
2, Mobile ticketing — As payments can be done online, receipts of transactions can
also be sent on mobile devices. Airline companies encourage their customers to book
their flights online, after which, their booking reservation is sent via email or through
their mobile app. The booking ticket can be shown at the airport and is accepted even
as an electronic copy.
3. Service/retail - As consumers are now able to place and pay for orders using their
mobile devices, the e-commerce trend has shifted from desktop computer to mobile
devices. And it does not just include retail items. It also includes content purchasing
such as music, movies, and images, among others another trend seen is the in-
application purchases made by mobile phone users. This is prevalent in gaming
applications in which users buy virtual goods or upgrade to the next game level.
4. Information services — these include the delivery of news, stock quotes, sports
figures, emergency reports, and weather and traffic updates to a single mobile device.
Waze is an example of an application that delivers customized tramc information which
is based on a user's actual travel patterns. It uses geo-location technology to pinpoint
the whereabouts of the user while on the move. Another example of an application that
uses location-based services is Google Maps.

Information Control
With so much information around, how do you make sure they are safe from illegal
activities? A large requirement for information control comes from commerce, industry,
and copyright owners in general. Information control comes in the form of keeping
secrets inside a business or selling IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) to those
prepared to purchase it. Information control is about allowing those who have
appropriate authority access to and use of information on the basis of the authority that
they hold. But why is there a need for control in the first place? Earlier in this chapter,
the concept of information being non-rivalrous and non-exclusive has been discussed.
An example is movies being sold in different formats—DVDs, MP4, etc. If that is the
case, how can you make sure that the said movie will not be distributed illegally?

c
Examples of software piracy as identified by The Software Alliance (2018) include:
 Distributing software or mobile apps from the internet in a manner that violates
the license terms
 Buying a single copy Of a software program and installing it on multiple devices
without authorization
 Making and/or sharing copies of installation CDs
 Sharing the login credentials (without authorization) used to access a web-based
software application ("Software as a Service.”)
Some might say. "I paid for the software already, shouldn't that be mine to use and
distribute wherever and whenever I want to?" As with the discussion earlier this chapter
regarding information having zero-marginal cost, buying a DVD copy of a movie costing
10 dollars, does not mean buying the movie itself. Thus, paying for the movie does not
mean you are buying the actual movie, but paying for the license to watch it for personal
use. So just because a person bought an original DVD of the movie does not mean that
he or she can create copies and distribute it or share it online.

This typical scenario boils down to the fact that information is difficult to control. While
measures are in place, such as DVD region codes and such, Adam Thierer in 2011,
identified four issues which further complicate the problem on information control: (1)
convergence, (2) scale, (3) volume, and (4) unprecedented individual
empowerment/user-generation of content.

1. Convergence
Technological advancements and social media have paved the way for media content
such as music and movies to be distributed from their "traditional" distribution platforms.
What consumers used to buy in the form of CDS Or DVDs, media content can now be
searched, accessed, and consumed using multiple devices and even through different
distribution networks. One such example is Spotify. Consumers before would buy
physical albums in the form of CDs, then later transitioned to digital copies typically
bought via iTunes Store for Apple. However, with social media having a big effect on
song reviews and recommendations, a mobile app such as Spotify is able to create
playlists which can be listened to, and if wanted, downloaded for a fee, As a result, it is
now possible to disseminate, find, or consume the same content/ information via
multiple devices or distribution networks. This convergence of devices and networks,
according to Thierer (201 1), has created issues instead of maintaining an effective
information control policy.
Another such example is an application called VideoFX which is available in Google
Play. According to the app description, you can "create amazing lip sync music videos
with special effects and your choice of music. Simply select a music track and start lip
syncing! Make videos that you'll be proud to share with your friends!" In one mobile
device, you can take a video, select a saved music file, and send it to a social media
platform such as Facebook or Twitter. The issue here is, what if the music used is
copyrighted?

2. Scale
For those who like to watch Japanese anime and Korean dramas, English subtitles are
a must. Before, fans would wait days or weeks before the subtitles become available for
viewing. This is because the subtitles are actually translated, edited, and embedded by
fans of the show, most of whom are not professionals. Majority of them are students
and young adults who simply like watching the series.

With technology and fast internet connectivity, viewers no longer need to wait days to
watch the foreign shows with English subtitles. Oftentimes, the subtitles are ready within
a few hours after the show has been aired in its local country. This is because the
internet has given everyone access to anything they would like to search, upload, and
download in the world. Technology such as Google Translate has also helped make
translation of these shows much faster. Concerns regarding copyright have greatly
increased because of this. But while some countries such as China and North Korea
impose certain restrictions on what their citizens can and cannot access online, Thierer
(2011) mentions that "the scale of modern digital speech and content dissemination
[still] greatly complicates government efforts to control information flows."

3. Volume
Nowadays, news and media outlets abound in print and online. News agencies such as
Manila Bulletin or The Philippine Star have not only print copies of their news (i.e.,
newspapers) but also digital copies which can be accessed through their websites
mb.com.ph and ww.philstar.com, respectively. Broadcasting companies such as ABS-
CBN and GMA7 also have television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, TV radios, and news
websites, most of which have the same content. This development can be attributed to
the increasing volume of media content and communications activities happening
across the world, greatly complicating government regulatory efforts to control
information.

4. Unprecedented individual empowerment

The popularity Of Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has made it
possible for individuals to post anything they want. This also includes creation Of blogs
which have become mainstream media for individuals to showcase their talents, skills,
and hobbies. This Creates issues when it comes to content restriction as most people
are doing this using their private accounts. Unless reported, the said content will be
difficult to control.

So how do we control information dissemination? Organizations, such as The Software

Alliance, software industries such as Microsoft and IBM, as well as government entities
in countries across the globe, are working hand in hand to solve the issue of software
piracy. One solution they have come up with is identifying exclusive rights to
information, as with any given physical asset. This has led to the identification of
intellectual property rights.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Intellectual property UP) refers to a number of distinct types of intangible assets for
which a set of exclusive rights are recognized. IP includes musical, literary, and artistic
works such as Taylor Swift's new album, J. K. Rowling's new book, and the latest
iPhone. However, IP is not just limited to these items. It can also include words,
phrases, symbols, and even designs. Are you familiar with the following logos found in
Figure 4.6?

Figure 4.6 Popular logos

IP is any creation or product of the human mind and may be expressed in the form of
original ideas, expressions, and processes. Intellectual property rights (IPR) are the
rights given to persons over their creations. They usually give the creator an exclusive
right over the use of his or her creation for a certain period of time. According to the
Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293 s. 1998), IPR
consists of the following:
1. Copyright and related rights
2. Trademarks and service marks
3. Geographic indications
4. Industrial design
5. Patents
6. Layout designs (topographies) of Integrated Circuits (ICs)
7. Protection of undisclosed information

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines) is the

government agency in charge Of the implementation of the law protecting intellectual
property rights in the Philippines as provided for under R.A. 8293, orthe Intellectual
Property Code of the Philippines, and the revised Intellectual Property Code of the
Philippines known as R.A. 10372.
Copyright and Related Rights
Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to the creator of an
original work or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for public
disclosure of the work, and includes the right to copy, distribute, and adapt the work.
Copyright owners can license or permanently transfer or assign their exclusive rights
others. Digital rights, on the other hand, is the permission ted to individuals to
legitimately perform actions involving the use of a computer, any electronic device, or a
communications network. It is particularly related to the protection and realization of
existing rights in the context of new digital technologies, especially the internet.

Copyright provides protection for original expression which includes literary,

artistic, scholarly, and scientific creations such as books, articles, newspapers, lectures,
letters, musical compositions, and paintings. It also extends to derivative works such as
illustrations, maps, photographic works, advertisements, computer programs, etc.

In the Philippines, all copyrighted materials are recorded and stored at the
National Library or the Supreme Court Library (R.A. 10372, 2013).

Digital Rights Management

Digital rights management (DRM) is used to describe the processes by which the author
or publisher of a work exerts his or her rights to control what the purchaser of the work
is entitled to do. This represents the control by which one can prevent a person or an
organization from copying, printing, editing, or otherwise making the privileged
information available to other people.
With the introduction of technology and the internet, the print age is slowly becoming
obsolete with publishers shifting to the digital age. Before, a person needed to copy or
re-print a physical book for additional copies. With digital technologies, copies are made
at zero cost with minimal detection. And it is not just books. Movies, music, software
applications, etc. can now be copied and shared faster, with less cost. With this set-up,
the prevalence of Peer-to-peer (P2P) and torrent sites have made information control
much harder.

While information gets to be disseminated faster to consumers, control as to how it is

shared becomes an issue. Downloading pirated music online does not help the music
artists as they are deprived of the royalties they are entitled to. At the same time, getting
the music for free does not mean being safe from malicious software and hacking
attacks.
Thus, companies and organizations have come up with possible solutions to this digital
dilemma. The following are techniques designed to control access and reproduction of
online information:
1. Encryption
Encryption is the process of converting data or information in such a way that
only authorized parties can understand. Its primary purpose is to protect the
confidentiality of digital data stored on computer systems or transmitted via the internet
or other computer networks. Encryption occurs every time someone uses an ATM or
buys something online with a smartphone, makes a mobile phone call, or presses a key
fob to unlock a car. This is done so that information being sent is kept safe and secure.

DRM systems for multimedia often encrypt material in such a way that only a
particular device can play or retrieve it, enforcing constraints on how it is used. DVDs
use an encryption scheme to prevent users from viewing discs on unauthorized players.
This is the concept of region coding discussed earlier. Region coding prevents discs
sold in one part of the world from being used on players sold in another.

2. Serial keys
Also known as a product key or a software key, it is a series of alphanumeric characters
acting as a key to denote that the product or software is original. In some cases, product
keys are used for product activation. One such example is Microsoft Windows OS. A
product key is used to activate the operating system online. Online activation helps
maintain software authenticity by making sure no one else has used the same product
key.

3. Scrambling
Data scrambling is done to hide sensitive information from unauthorized users.
Scrambling is accomplished by the addition of components to the original signal or the
changing of some important component of the original Signal in order to make the
extraction of the original signal difficult. It is often done with the aid of encryption.
While region coding identifies which players can only play Certain DVDs,
computers with DVD drives become another option for would-be pirates. Thus. The
content scramble system (CSS) was introduced to restrict access to content only for
licensed applications. Meaning, even if the DVD was recognized by the DVD player in a
computer, certain applications or programs needed to play the video might not allow it.

4. Tag embedding
Similar to how pictures can include watermarks to denote information on the owner of
the picture, tag embedding does the same to information content. Watermarks are not
complete DRM mechanisms in their own right, but are used as part of a system for
copyright enforcement, such as helping provide prosecution evidence rather than direct
technological for legal purposes, restriction. In terms of data embedded into the actual
content, the use of metadata is included to identify the owner's name, author, and date
of purchase, among other pertinent information.

Patent
A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor for a limited
period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention. The exclusive right
granted to a patentee in most countries is the right to prevent others from making,
using, selling, or distributing the patented invention without permission. One example of
a patented design is that of Apple's iPod.

Figure4.7 Apple's iPod

Trademark
A trademark is a distinctive sign used by an individual, business organization, or
other legal entity to identify the products or services to consumers. The mark comes
from a unique source and it distinguishes its product (trademark) or services (service
mark) from the others. Rights in a mark shall be acquired through registration made
validly in accordance with the provisions of the IP code. For marks with geographical
indications, a notice stating that a given product originates in a given geographical area
must be identified. This is relatively new in the Philippine IP regime as marks are
identified based on the territory, region, or locality attributed. In the Philippines, one of
the most popular trademarks based on locality is the Pampanga's Best delicacies logo.

Protection of Undisclosed Information

Industries and companies need to have information control especially in dealing with
sensitive industry secrets. To protect these industry secrets, also called trade secrets,
companies usually require employees to sign contracts with non-disclosure
agreements (NDAs).
Trade secret is the term used for any method, formula, device, process, or any
information that gives the business a unique competitive advantage over its competition.
It includes company research and development information, software algorithms,
inventions, designs, formulas, ingredients, and devices, among others.
Examples of popular trade secrets are the formulation of Coca-Cola and Listerine, and
the recipe Of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
Table 4.2 IPR terms of protection and penalties as stated in R.A. 8293
Terms of protection Penalty
Copyright Generally, throughout the 1st offense: P50,000 to
life of the author plus 50P150,000 and/or 1-3 years
years after his or her death
imprisonment 2nd offense:
P150,000 to P500,000
and/or 3-6 years
imprisonment
Patient 20 years Not less than PI 00.000 to
(time-bound) not more than p300,OOO
and/or not less than 6
months to not more than 3
years imprisonment
Trademark 10 years from the date of P50.ooo to P200,000 and
filing of the application 2 to 5 years imprisonment
Penalty 139

Information Privacy
The natural state of data is to be copied, logged, transmitted Stored, and stored
again. This is why it takes constant fighting and vigilance to prevent that breach. So
what is information privacy and how private is private?
With Facebook and Twitter often being used as a means of venting out in public,
others may say, "1t's my choice in telling everyone on Twitter what I want to say!" Some
might even reveal too much information which can be regarded or termed as
inappropriate. However, again, it is their choice to tell everyone that is supposed to be
private information. If that is the case, then, what is data privacy?
To highlight a portion of the Yahoo privacy policy, Oath (2018) and its affiliates,
including Yahoo, "collect information from your devices....This information includes
device specific identifiers and information such as IP address, cookie information,
mobile device and advertising identifiers, browser version, operating system type and
version, mobile network information, device settings, and software data." (Information
Collection and Use-General)
Knowing a person's IP address can help identify that person's physical location
anywhere in the world. A cookie is a small file that is stored in the computer’s directory,
often a temporary folder. The cookie contains addresses of websites visited, login
credentials, and even credit card account numbers. This is done so that the next time
the person visits the website, the computer system will no longer reload the same
content or data, saving time and processing power for the computer. Obviously,
however, this is dangerous especially when using public computers, such as those in
internet shops, as the next user will be able to access the previous user's account
Without the latter's knowing it.

Data Privacy Act 10173

With all of these pieces of information made available online and the possible problems
such situation may create, countless have come up with ways to protect their data from
malicious individuals who might use them for illegal purposes. Philippines, with its
booming IT industry. Is no exception. Total IT spending reached $4.4 billion in 2016,
and the sector is expected to more than double by 2020. Filipinos are heavy social
media users with 6.7 million Facebook users, (We are Social and Hootsuite, 2018). The
country is also in the process of enabling free public Wi-Fi in major cities nationwide. To
protect the privacy of Filipino citizens, Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the Data
Privacy Act of 2012, was signed and approved by then President Benigno Aquino Ill on
August 15, 2012.

The law defines sensitive personal information as being:

• About an individual's race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, color, and religious,
philosophical, or political affiliations;
• About an individual's health, education, genetic or sexual life of a person, or to any
proceeding or any offense committed or alleged to have committed;
• issued by government agencies "peculiar" (unique) to an individual, such as social
security number; and marked as classified by an Executive Order or an act of Congress.
All processing of sensitive and personal information is prohibited except in certain
circumstances. The exceptions are:
• Consent of the data subject;
• Pursuant to law that does not require consent;
• Necessity to protect the life and health of a person;
• Necessity for medical treatment; and
• Necessity to protect the lawful rights of data subjects in court proceedings, legal
proceedings, or regulation.
It has also defined the concept of a security incident versus that of a personal data
breach.