Publisher's Synopsis
Information is a valuable resource, and the control and exploitation of information are important issues for governments, private companies, public authorities and the general public. This book discusses information in a social context, but also by type of information: technical, economic, political and personal. The importance of how information is transmitted through the media and the effects of this upon it are examined.;Trends in major policy initiatives in terms of commercial exploitation, especially concerning information as property, are discussed as part of an overall view on how information can be used as a bureaucratic tool particularly in terms of political and personal information involving citizenship. Other areas covered include culture and entertainment, quality of provision, the place of education in raising awareness of information issues, trends in the use relating to value for money, the electronics revolution, social compartmentalization and personal privacy. This book argues that there is a need for the profession to adopt a strategy on information transfer issues.;Although the main emphasis of this book is on UK law, comparisons with other EEC countries and the US are made which highlight the international application of policies.;This is a basic text on legal and policy issues for use on courses in information, science and technology, and information technology in business studies, as well as being a general text for European studies courses.
