General Purpose Packages The Law of Information General Purpose Packages

Why Do We Need Laws? Flow of information A wide area network such as the Internet allows users to access and share the same information from anywhere in the world. The exchange of accurate and up to date information can help to make a company more efficient. However this information could possibly get into the wrong hands

Why Do We Need Laws? Personal Privacy With all this information potentially changing hands some people are very worried that information about them could be accessed. What if the data held about YOU was incorrect or out of date. How might it affect you? So we have the Data Protection Act. It was brought in to protect people and their personal data. The act was introduced in 1984 and updated in 1998.

Data Protection Act 1984 Data Controller Data User Data Subject The person, business or organisation controlling the collection, contents and use of personal data. E.g. The school Data User An authorised user within the organisation or business. E.g. The teacher. Data Subject The people who have information held about them. E.g. YOU! Data Protection Register Holds the details about who holds information on members of the public. This can be found in a public library.

The data protection principals Data Protection Act 1984 The data protection principals Data must be: Obtained Lawfully & Fairly Held for reasons listed by data user Used for reasons listed by data user Adequate, relevant & not excessive Accurate & up-to-date Kept no longer than necessary Made available to data subject on request Protected against unauthorised use.

Data Protection Act 1984 Data Subject Rights The Data Subject has the right to: Know what & why information held about them. Inspect the information Have incorrect information changed Apply for compensation if incorrect information has causes distress. Certain exceptions exist, for example the police, government and your doctor do not need to show you this information.

Computer Misuse Act 1990 It is illegal to: Access computer material without authorisation Unauthorised access with intent to commit other offences

Computer Misuse Act 1990 Unauthorised modification of computer material Changing software or data to perform different operations or changes the content. Preventing access to authorised users Interfering with system so that it doesn’t run properly Penalties are up to five years in prison and fines!

Precautions Once data is stored in the computer system the data controller must protect it against loss or damage. This can be done by: Creating regular backups including multiple copies. Taking measures to prevent unauthorised hacking.

Data Security Measures Physical security measures Fit security locks on computer rooms Have security keys on computer workstations Install workstations without disk drives

Data Security Measures System security measures Set up IDs and passwords for access to different levels Encode data (encryption) Install anti-virus software Use audit software to trace who has accessed accounts Advanced security systems fingerprint or voice recognition

Computer Designs & Patents Act 1988 Most published material (including text, images, video, music, software etc) is protected by the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

Computer Designs & Patents Act 1988 Copyright may be infringed if you: Copy a work (including scanning or storing electronically) Issue copies to the public Perform, show or play the work in public Broadcast the work or include it in a cable programme Make an adaptation of the work

Computer Designs & Patents Act 1988 If you do any of these without permission, you are liable to be held personally responsible. Infringing the law may be a criminal offence. To avoid this always ask permission first!