Introduction
Due to the rapid technological development in the new millennium, communication has been able to speed up multiple times. The amounts of data transferred each minute are estimated in hundreds of terabytes. In such a dense flow, the protection of personal and organizational data becomes an urgent issue (Blyth & Kovacich, 2013). The occurrences of stealing data for evil purposes have now increased. Hackers around the world frequently exploit network weaknesses, which creates a necessity for protection (Schou & Hernandez, 2014). Apart from that, the quality and accessibility of information also pose a concern in some environments, such as private businesses and public institutions (Wilson, 2013). Information assurance encompasses practices that address the weaknesses of the information management systems. Given the concerns for quality, safety, and accessibility, such information assurance incentives as data integrity protection, cryptography, and privacy need to be examined in relation to city science.
Integrity Protection
Integrity protection is defined by the use of technologies that ensure that data is accurate and consistent as long as it is being processed, stored and, retrieved. This is a critical concern for any data management mechanisms as the content needs to satisfy the user at all times. There are two types of data integrity depending on the realm of operation: physical integrity and logical integrity. Physical integrity stands for the intactness of equipment that is responsible for the storage, processing, and withdrawal of data. Ensuring its proper operation and maintenance is the main way to succeed at protecting information from corruption. Another way to establish physical integrity is the use of cloud technologies. It allows abstaining from many data storage tools prone to frequent failures such as flash drives or hard drives (Song, Shi, Fischer, & Shankar, 2012). However, this method is also not lacking in flaws. Servers that maintain cloud services can also fail in case of emergency, but the number of protective mechanisms is higher, and overall they fail less frequently. For city information and communications technology (ICT) solutions cloud services seem like a viable option in terms of physical integrity.
As for logical integrity, it stands for correctness, sensibility, and cohesion of a piece of information. Logical integrity can be compromised in cases of database flaws, bugs or human errors. Only fully automated and carefully designed systems seem to possess a high degree of logical integrity. However, every system has an environment that is prone to change, which can harm even the closest to flawlessness system. For public institutions, it is vital to ensure that information handling is always correct in order to provide a high quality of service to citizens and be able to function properly as an organization using only logically sound data.
Cryptography
Cryptography is a theory and practice of protecting information from third parties for whom it is not intended. It is mostly based on computer algorithms that allow encrypting and decrypting information before exchange to ensure its safety (Kahate, 2013). It is intertwined with the notion of integrity since the data protected by thorough cryptographical algorithms have to be logically cohesive only to the parties that are intended for receiving and sending information. In a city science setting, it is also vital that encryption and decryption are not too burdening for the ultimate customer of goods and services related to the frequent information accessing. If the system is placing an overwhelming accent on security from third parties, the service may not be popular among the target audience due to personal factors such as time allocation, the degree of competency, and other notions.
Privacy
Privacy refers to protecting personal data submitted by a user to a system. Privacy is firmly linked to cryptography as an instrument that allows privacy to exist in the first place (Stallings & Tahiliani, 2014). Various city information initiatives involve not only one-way information transmission but also the establishment of a two-way communication process. In the case of the latter, the exchange system designers need to be aware of two types of users. The first exhibit carelessness in relation to protecting their personal information. The problem is that once they lose it to third parties, the system or service provider might be blamed. The second type of user often protects their data well due to being extremely technologically minded or simply aware of basic rules of privacy protection. The implication for city information systems design is that there needs to be a balance between these two types. The system needs to provide an adequate amount of protection to each user while not being overly complicated.
Conclusion
All things considered, prior to planning a city initiative that involves using information transmission and exchange systems, key issues of information assurance need to be addressed. Privacy, cryptography, and integrity protection problems need to be eliminated in order for a system to be balanced and deliver high-quality services to the target audience. Proper management of these three areas on information assurance could result in better safety, integrity, accessibility, and privacy of the information ensuring that each party is satisfied with the outcomes of such exchange.
References
Blyth, A., & Kovacich, G. L. (2013). Information assurance: Surviving in the information environment. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media.
Kahate, A. (2013). Cryptography and network security (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Schou, C., & Hernandez, S. (2014). Information assurance handbook: Effective computer security and risk management strategies. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education Group.
Song, D., Shi, E., Fischer, I., & Shankar, U. (2012). Cloud data protection for the masses. Computer, 45(1), 39-45.
Stallings, W., & Tahiliani, M. P. (2014). Cryptography and network security: Principles and practice, Vol. 6 (4th ed.). London, UK: Pearson.
Wilson, K. S. (2013). Conflicts among the pillars of information assurance. IT Professional, 15(4), 44-49.