TC 9 – ICT
and Society - Aims and
Scopes
est. 1976, revised 2008, 2009
AIMS
The TC9 aims:
To develop
understanding of how ICT innovation is associated with change in society;
To influence the shaping of socially responsible and
ethical policies and professional practices.
SCOPES
The TC9 fosters multidisciplinary
discourse into:
The role of
ICT in the change of particular domains of human
activity, including work; the home and private life;
governance.
Ethical, political, economic
and cultural dimensions of ICT innovation.
Issues stemming from ICT innovation, such as gender,
the phenomenon of virtuality, sustainable development.
WG9.1 - Computers and Work
est. 1977
AIMS
to study and report on how computers have affected
employment levels, job content and structure, working conditions, career
patterns, and participation problems;
to give an account of problems relating to computers
and work, and of proposed measures for dealing with these problems;
to encourage and support the design and development of
systems which promote not only efficiency but provide job satisfaction, for
example through interesting work and reduction of stress.
SCOPES
The effects of computerization on the
lives of three distinct groups of person:
computer professionals,
users of computers,
non-users affected by computers.
WG9.2 - Social Accountability
est. 1977, revised 2009
AIMS
To provide an international forum for assessing the
social consequences of ubiquitous Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT) and its applications
To promote the safe and socially beneficial
development and use of ICT
To encourage a human-centred
and inclusive approach in the design and implementation of ICT, together with
responsible long-range planning
To foster academic discussion on the use of ICT in its
capacity to enhance the quality of life
SCOPES
Those aspects of ICT development and
implementation that impact on society in general and which affect the public interest in particular, such as:
Privacy and confidentiality
Inclusion, access for all, and choice
Equality in system relationships
User and IT professional education and awareness
Social consequences of future technologies
Ethical, legal and regulatory
issues
WG9.4 – The
Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development
est. 1989, revised 2007, revised 2020
AIMS
To collect, exchange and disseminate the social,
cultural, economic, environmental and political experiences of information and
digital technology implementation in all the contexts of the ‘Global South’ as
well as disadvantaged groups in societies more generally;
To develop greater awareness amongst professionals,
policy makers and the public on the social and ethical implications of
information and digital technologies for development;
To develop criteria, guidelines, methods and theory
(including indigenous ones) appropriate to the study of information and digital
technologies for development;
To establish international collaboration networks of
researchers and practitioners interested in the use of information and digital
technology for addressing the complex and pressing problems of development in society;
To mentor academics and PhD students from across the
international collaboration network;
To promote sustainability and inclusion in all the
arenas where we undertake research and practice, with particular focus on development;
To enable open access to content wherever possible so as to ensure that all stakeholders can freely benefit
from the research that we undertake.
SCOPES
International, national, regional and local ICT policy
issues;
Culturally adapted digital technology and information systems;
The role of local, regional (including South-South),
triangular and international cooperation and self-sufficiency in the
development and application of information and digital technology for
addressing societal challenges and related to sustainable development;
Social awareness of information and digital literacy,
paying particular attention to disadvantaged communities more generally.
WG9.5 –Our Digital Lives
est. 1989, revised 1999, 2000, 2006, 2008,
2019
AIMS
The IFIP Working Group 9.5 (Our Digital Lives) views digital technologies at
large as intertwined with everyday life. With digital technologies playing such
a central role in our lives, the group aims to bring together academics,
practitioners and policy makers interested in how the ‘digital’ influences our
lives and society at large, what opportunities and challenges it presents, and
how it can be managed. Through workshops, conferences, edited collections, and
digital avenues, the group will provide a space for interdisciplinary dialogue
and mutual exchange from a diverse set of disciplines (e.g.
computing, information systems, media studies, social theory, philosophy,
anthropology, psychology, organizational studies, gender studies, politics and
ethics, among others) interested in different aspects of the ‘digital’.
SCOPES
The scope of the working group is around
the ‘digital’ as evident in a multiplicity of empirical sites and social
phenomena. Given its scope, we welcome contributors from, but not limited to,
the following areas:
Social media and online communities
Digital platforms
Digital health
Connectivitiy
Crowdsourcing
Digital labour
Digital tourism
E-government
Augmented reality/Virtual reality
Emerging technologies
Human enhancement
Artificial intelligence
WG9.6/11.7 - Information Technology Mis-Use and the Law
est. 1990, revised 1992, 2001
AIMS
To foster co-operation between the "Computers and
Society" and "Information Security" communities on issues of
"IT misuse and the law".
To develop an understanding in IFIP committees and
national bodies of:
To propose and/or evaluate legal and other prescriptions
to combat these threats and their associated risks.
To engender information exchange on threats, their
origins, and possible consequences.
To propose and/or evaluate legal and other appropriate
courses of action.
SCOPES
Analysis of existing and emerging threats to IT
systems security, and the associated risks to people, organisations and society.
Analysis of security principles.
Aspects of the law where the use or introduction of IT
on a global scale has rendered the current law (and/or its interpretations)
obsolete or obsolescent or made it unenforcable.
Analysis of potential means of countering and
mitigating threats, e.g. legal frameworks, ethical
standards, managerial procedures, and other social factors applicable to behaviour and responsibilities in the context of IT
systems.
Possible solutions.
New legal, social and organisational consequences of the development and use of
IT systems.
WG9.7 - History of Computing
est. 1992
AIMS
To provide a central vehicle for information
interchange regarding the methods and techniques of historio-graphy,
especially as related to the opportunities for the studies of contemporary
history.
To provide expertise for the design, implementation and operation of archives and displays
related to the history of information processing.
To encourage the development of national archives.
To develop a program of &132;Pioneers'
Days" which recognize the contribution of
pioneers and anniversaries of major events.
To identify pioneers worthy of an
appreciation and distinction and make "IFIP Pioneer Awards".
To develop publication plans for histories of
Information Processing.
To promote the inclusion of historical modules in
appropriate curricula.
SCOPES
The history
of computing and informatics with a view to providing the impetus to preserve
the records and artifacts of information processing inventions, practices and activities throughout the world under the
auspices of IFIP and its constituent organizations. One special focus is the
socio-historical context and consequences of Information Technologies.
WG9.8 Gender, Diversity and ICT
est. 2001; revised
2009, 2019
AIMS
This WG is dedicated to research and action regarding how gender and diversity are
accounted for and/or come into being in close relations with the social and
material world, including not least digital technologies. It is based on the
integration of gender studies and fields concerned with ICT, such as
informatics, digital design, computer sciences, etc. Membership in WG 9.8 is
inclusive.
In this context the WG aims to:
serve as an international,
interdisciplinary communication forum and to hold discussions in workshops and
conferences,
exchange experiences of gender
and diversity as scholars and professionals in information technology,
integrate feminist
perspectives into fields concerned with ICT, such as informatics, digital
design, computer sciences, etc.
develop an understanding in
the IFIP communities and national bodies of gender and diversity aspects of
design, realisation, implementation
and use of information systems,
propose and/or evaluate appropriate courses of action
for fostering greater equality and diversity.
SCOPES
The topics cover
the transitions from traditional gendered work to work based on modern digital
technologies, from communication within personal communities to virtual
communities, from traditional gendered life to new gendered perspectives.
Digitalization is understood in the narrow sense of digital systems as well as
in the broader sense which includes the organisational,
ethical, social and material contexts of design and
usage.
Discourses are linked to:
the analysis of the deep
entanglement of human beings with digital technologies, with other species, and
with the world in which we live,
the analysis of opportunities
and risks of digital technologies for work in the paid labour
force, in domestic and public spheres, and in national and global societies,
the analysis of gender
perspectives in the formative and constructive processes of computers and
information systems,
the analysis of gender in
computing education and educational strategies.
ACTIVITIES
The WG pursues
these aims by way of:
organizing a track of papers
and presentations devoted to Gender, Diversity and ICT as part of the IFIP TC9
Human Choice and Computers conferences, and as part of the IFIP World Computer
Congress conferences (see, e.g., http://hcc13.net/programme/#4),
promoting on-going research
and dialogue on matters of Gender, Diversity, and digital technologies, e.g.,
through regional conferences and workshops,
fostering communication and
exchange among members and interested colleagues by way of informal
conversation channels,
encouraging attention to
gender diversity and ICT in diverse educational settings, including the
development and offering of courses on these topics; Gender Diversity as a
component of Computer Ethics courses; Gender Diversity as an explicit aim of
local “teach kids coding” projects, DIY initiatives, etc.
offering support and
information to colleagues who seek to introduce Gender Diversity and related
issues in their teaching and scholarship,
encouraging attention to
gender and diversity with reference to locally and
global impacts of digital technologies.
WG9.9 ICT and Sustainable Development
est. 2005
AIMS
To contribute to the development of an information society
that meets the human needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
To be actively involved in the development of ICT
applications which involve the goal of sustainable development.
To investigate the interactionamong social, environmental
and economic issues in the development of ICTs and their applications.
To promote worldwide research and practice for further
advancement of ICT towards a safe and sustainable self
developing World
To strengthen inderdisciplinary
research efforts in technology assessment for ICTs with a focus on ICT-induced
opportunities and risks for the individual, for social systems and for the
global ecosystem.
To provide a platform for presenting and discussing
emerging ideas and trends in the intersection of the topics 'information
society' and 'sustainable development'.
To promote or support the organization of meetings as
well as easy access to high-quality data, information and knowledge in this
area and related areas.
SCOPES
To create a network of experts working on ICT
applications or implications related to sustainable development
To support the coordination of policies related to
information society issues with policies related to sustanable
development
To support applications of ICT for global
environmental and development issues
To facilitate research assessing the environmental and
health impacts
a) of ICT hardware life cycles; production, use, recycling
and final disposal
b) of ICT
applications with respect to the resource efficiency of processes they
influence
c) of
ICT-induced long-term changes of consumption patterns or lifestyles.
To promote the communication between computer
professionals and other experts on relationships between ICT and sustainable
development
To promote prospective studies to disseminate early
warnings on consequences of applications of ICT that could compromise the goal
of sustainable development, and encourage the
development of strategies to ensure that ICT applications will contribute to
sustainable development.
WG9.10 ICT Uses in Peace and War
est. 2013
AIM
The aim of this
working group is to focus the efforts of academia and research institutions,
industry, governments, civic society, and the military to promote creative
thinking in this field and to encourage viable solutions to so-far unanswered
questions. This group will encourage dialogue by providing a platform for the
presentation of research papers, current research or
the result of research in progress, case studies, use cases, lessons learned,
and risk assessment/impact assessment.
SCOPES
The scope of the
working group includes any aspects that pertain to how ICT may influence,
affect, or threaten individuals, society or nations in
relation to either war or peace, as well as how these concerns are perceived by
these three levels of grouping (persons, society or nations).
The following
themes are all relevant in terms of their orientation in their use in war and
peace. The items which are listed in alphabetic order do not reflect the
eventual prioritization of the subjects to be covered:
Cyber warfare
Cyber security awareness
Forensic applications and solutions
Governance and standards
Hacking, cracking and other
technical challenges
ICT, critical infrastructure
and society
Social aspects of critical infrastructure protection
ICT strategies from a holistic, peaceful, and humane
perspective
ICT uses to prevent conflicts and contribute to peace
ICT uses from a military perspective
Legal, ethical and social issues related to
information security
Promotion of democratic practices through ICT uses
Social networking
Socio-technical aspects of ICT uses in peace and war
Strategic information security
Vulnerability assessments
Research and education on the impact of ICT in peace
and war
While it is anticipated that this working
group will build associations with other working groups in TC9, and possibly
with working groups in TC11 or TC3, it is also feasible that it could become
associated with work undertaken by such international and national associations
as the International Telecommunications Union, United Nations
and UNESCO.