Vol. II: Shaping Information and Communication ... - IMA,ZLW & IfU

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Beyond such business data, enterprises increasingly need additional data which concern the
natural environment in order to allow fundamental improvements of the environmental
performance of industrial production. These sets of data describe the industrial metabolism:
the flow and processing of raw materials and products, by-products and waste, and the use,
transportation and recycling of all goods we consume. The industrial enterprise information
systems will soon need to process such data. These data flows incorporate world-wide data
exchange in a new and unprecedented way as Briefs et al. have demanded for future industrial
information systems (Briefs et al., 1999).
On the other hand, we may need to restrict data access to a certain extent because the systems
being implemented around us in the near future would allow everybody to listen to and watch
whatever we are doing or saying. One specific set of data needs to be considered here because
it is particularly risky if everybody is allowed to know them: our health data and all data
referring to genetic processes and documentation - an area of research in information
technology which is developing both very exciting and very frightening dimensions for many
concerned citizens.
We all have gained experiences with the misuse of the web and the breaking of data security.
Thus we need to develop new systems which restrict access to specific data in order to avoid
any misuse: a great technological challenge. Our present systems of firewalls are already
fairly successful in preventing hackers from entering computer networks without permission.
They are. however, obviously not sufficient as some recent accidents, virus and hacker attacks
have shown. Furthermore we as concerned citizens may need to help politics to define and put
into power new regulations for data access and data use in order to protect individual freedom
and personal data security. Not everyone world-wide should be able to know everything
about everybody else - even if the web and the smart dust or the embedded systems around us
would allow it. Especially the marketing strategy of creating profiles of all of us makes us
aware that we may need limits to data availability.
It is becoming necessary to establish national and international democratic control concerning
the agencies as well as the technologies for gathering data and information about people and
business, and concerning the access to such data markets. Meanwhile discussions have
already started to internationalise laws concerning data security. It may be followed by the
movement to establish an UNO organisation for data availability and security which may be
called the “UNESCO Control Panel”.