EMERGENCE OF THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: THE CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION AND COMMERCE 

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Newer information and communication technologies

The 20th Century is now gone, but it leaves in its wake some of the most outstanding inventions in the history of civilisation. Each new invention has had profound effects on world societies. Perhaps, the greatest of these inventions is the integrated circuit (IC) which was invented in 1959 by Robert Noyce and patented in 1961. This invention made it possible to put an entire electronic circuit on a tiny silicon chip.123 The microchip or microprocessor has had the greatest impact, compared with other important milestone inventions such as the radio, telephone, television etcetera. These technologies now incorporate the microprocessor in their systems. Without it, none of the other great technological innovations would have been able to touch the lives of as many people as they do today. According to John Hollar, « It became the electronics technology through which we have created our contemporary digital world. It is indispensable to modern life. »124 The mass production of virtually all electronic gadgets in use today was made possible by the microchip and even moresignificantly, it brought the desktop computer to the reach of the individual user.125
The first high-speed electronic computer, ENIAC, (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was built in 1946 and signalled the start of the computer industry.126 The early computers produced in the 1950s were massive mainframe juggernauts that would fill a whole room and were affordable to governments and large corporate entities only. The first commercial microprocessor was introduced into the market in 1971, while the first personal computer was produced in 1975, but it was not until 1981 that IBM, (International Business Machines) introduced the personal computer into the market on a commercial basis.127 The personal computer, as the name suggests, brought computing to a personal level and sparked off the ICT revolution which is still impacting the whole world through a myriad of on-going technological innovations.

Convergence of technology, information and commerce

The most significant of these technological innovations in the last century was the convergence128 of technologies in communication, computing (computers, software, services) and broadcasting (publishing, entertainment and information providers), to create the interactive multimedia and the information highway. This convergence of computing and communications technologies, which are now called Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), heralded the Information Society of the late 20th century. The concept of the Information Society has taken centre stage in the 21st century public discourse, simply because the synergies produced by the convergenc  teecommunications and computer technologies continue to impact societies in ways never imagined. The Bangemann Report of 1994129 helped to draw world attention to the opportunities afforded by the emerging information society powered by ICTs.

 Information society

The Bangemann Report pointed to the fact that ICTs were generating a new industrial revolution based on information, with a huge capacity to change the way we work and live together. The information society was thus seen as capable of improving the quality of life of Europe‘s citizens, the efficiency of Europe‘s social and economic organisations and to reinforce cohesion. The vision of ICTs being deployed as potent agents for development has not only resonated in the Western developed societies, but increasingly so in the developing countries of Asia and Africa where ICTs are portrayed as providing opportunities to take giant leaps in the race towards development.
This view of ICTs transforming the industrial society into an information society was endorsed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a public policy instrument in 1997 as a follow up to the Bangemann Report. Recognising that the development of a global information society can help governments contribute to further enhancement of public goals, the OECD declared that:
The development of an information society is expected to have important beneficial impacts on economies and societies; it is expected to stimulate economic growth and productivity, create new economic activities and jobs. As well, a number of social benefits are expected to develop, including improved education opportunities, improved healthcare

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CHAPTER 1: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM 
1. INTRODUCTION
2. IDENTIFYING THE ISSUES AND THE CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
3. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
4. RESEARCH METHOD
5. RESEARCH OUTLINE
CHAPTER 2: EMERGENCE OF THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: THE CONVERGENCE OF TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION AND COMMERCE 
1. INTRODUCTION: TECHNOLOGY AS CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
2. THE INFORMATION ECONOMY
3. ICTs AND THE INTERNET: THEIR IMPACT ON GLOBAL COMMERCE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
4. THE GLOBAL TRADE IN INFORMATION AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS
5. GLOBALISATION, TRANS-BORDER FLOWS OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY CONCERNS
CHAPTER 3: THE NIGERIAN STATE AND SOCIETY IN THE INFORMATION AGE
1. NIGERIA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
2. KEY ISSUES IN NIGERIA’S COMPUTER AND INTERNET PENETRATION
3. ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION SOCIETY IN NIGERIA
4. REGULATORY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INTERNET USAGE
5. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
CHAPTER 4: THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF PRIVACY: A HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL OVERVIEW 
1. INTRODUCTION: THE RISE OF PRIVACY PROTECTION
2. HISTORICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS OF PRIVACY
3. RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER 5: HOW UNREGULATED ACCESS TO INFORMATION INTERFERES WITH INFORMATION PRIVACY: RECONCILING INFORMATION PRIVACY WITH THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 
1 AIM OF CHAPTER
1.1 INTRODUCTION: ACCESS TO INFORMATION
2. UNREGULATED ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION AND THE THREATS TO INFORMATION PRIVACY
3. BALANCING THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION AND THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY
CHAPTER 6: INTERNATIONAL REGULATION OF TRANS-BORDER DATA FLOWS 
CHAPTER 7: INTEGRATING NIGERIA INTO THE GLOBAL NETWORK ECONOMY THROUGH LAW REFORM 
CHAPTER 8: ENACTING A DATA PROTECTION LAW FOR NIGERIA
CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSION, SUMMARIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

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DATA PROTECTION AND TRANSBORDER DATA FLOWS: IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA’S INTEGRATION INTO THE GLOBAL NETWORK ECONOMY

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