Information Technology Acts

Information Technology Acts

xxxxxxxxx

BIS 220

xxxxxxxxxx

March 12, 2012

There have been many advances in information technology that has resulted in new ethical issues necessitating the creation of each act. The two that I will be discussing in this paper are the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, and Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000. Both of these deemed necessary, the Fair Credit Reporting Act has insured the fairness in obtaining credit, and the Children's Internet Protection Act which was set into place to guard children from inappropriate web pages, and pictures.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act was enacted October 26, 1970, this Act allowed consumer reporting agencies to collect information about consumers to be used for credit evaluation and certain other purposes, including employment. Some employers such as banks, financing companies, and collection agencies hire only people with a good credit history. Meaning that no matter what level of education you have, training, or experience your job employment is solely based on your credit report. This Act was amended to allow a consumer one free credit report a year, after a study was released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in June 2004 found that 79% of the consumer credit reports surveyed contained some kind of error or mistake (Wikipedia, 2012). There are three main credit reporting agencies which are Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, these reporting agencies store your information for companies to have instant access via the internet for your credit worthiness. If you apply for credit and are rejected, you are required by law to receive the rejection letter by mail.

In 2000 the Children's Internet Protection Act was put into law. In passing CIPA, Congress required libraries and K-12 schools using these discounts (sometimes called "E-Rate discounts") on Internet access and internal connections to purchase and use a "technology protection measure" on every computer connected to the Internet (Wikipedia, 2012). This act requires that K-12 schools and libraries in the United States use Internet filters and implements other measures to protect children from harmful online content. This act came at the perfect time, with computers in every