ICT and the Law Mr Conti

Did you see anything wrong with that? Most people wouldn’t want that sort of information posted in a public place. Why? Because it is private and personal – nothing to do with anyone else. In order to keep our details private, we need a Data Protection Act.

The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out to protect the privacy of personal information. It only covers personal information about living individuals, not about businesses. It covers data stored on computer or in a paper-based filing system. It lets people check what data is being held about them. It is run by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Data subjects are people who have data held about them – just about everybody really. Data users are the people or organizations who hold the data. There are far more data users than many people think. An organization holding data has to have a data controller – a person who makes sure the act is followed. Subjects and users

what data they want to store what they want to use it for how long they will keep it who they might pass it on to. What do data users have to do? They have to notify the Information Commissioner and say: They also have to agree to follow the eight Data Protection Principles.

It’s the principle of the thing The act says that data must be: 1.fairly and lawfully processed (used) 2.used for limited purposes 3.adequate and relevant. Only what is needed may be used 4.accurate 5.not kept for longer than is necessary 6.accessible to the individual and able to be corrected or removed where necessary 7.secure 8.not transferred to countries without adequate protection.

see what data is being held about them if they ask the data user. They may have to pay to see it What rights do data subjects have? They have the right to: change anything that is wrong refuse to have some data stored at all, if it might cause damage or distress refuse to allow processing for direct marketing – junk mail complain to the Data Protection Commission if they think the rules have been broken claim compensation if they can prove they have been caused damage by a data controller breaking the rules.

national security – you cannot demand to see your data if national security is at stake police investigations – information being used to prevent crime is not covered (though police records are) examination results are exempt until they are published by the examining bodies. Do users always have those rights? There are a few cases when the Data Protection Act does not apply. These are called exemptions to the Act. Here are a few of them:

Socrative Task 1 Data Protection Student Log In Room

Look, this is my new program! You say the words you want and it types them for you. Guaranteed 100% accurate. That’s amazing!

But the best bit is, it can change it to any language you want just by pressing this button, and it always gets it right. Wow. Did it take long to write? Years and years, but I’m so proud of it I’m going to give it away to everyone who wants it! Do you want a copy?

Did you notice anything wrong with the previous slide? Would you give away years of work and knowledge without expecting a reward for it? Most people feel that they have a right to be paid for the work they do. That’s why we need copyright laws. The Copyright and Patents Act aims to protect people who invent things from having their ideas stolen. It covers software as a whole, and also the code that makes up the software. When you buy software, you don’t actually buy the software itself. You buy the right to use it, which is called a license. You can only use it in the way the license says you can.

The Copyright and Patents Act aims to protect people who invent things from having their ideas stolen. It covers software as a whole, and also the code that makes up the software. When you buy software, you don’t actually buy the software itself. You buy the right to use it, which is called a license. You can only use it in the way the license says you can.

Socrative Task 2 Copyright Student Log In Room

1. Unauthorized access to computer material is an offence. That’s bad. That’s worse. That’s the worst! 2. Accessing with intent to commit or facilitate committing another offence. 3. Unauthorized modification to computer material. The Computer Misuse Act was passed to stop unauthorized access to computers, often called hacking. There are three offences in the act.

Many people think of hackers as glamorous teenage whizz kids who know lots about computers. Hackers Who is the hacker? Some hackers are teenagers, often bored ones, but others may be system administrators, business rivals, thieves, foreign security services or disgruntled employees. Hackers may not mean to damage anything, but they might do so by accident. It could be any one of them!

Firewalls A firewall can stop others from hacking into your computer. This is a program which filters data coming in through the Internet to a computer or network. It stops people hacking into your system, taking control of your computer and using your machine as a host to access or run programs.

Computer viruses A virus is a piece of computer code which copies itself, usually without your permission. Some viruses can damage data. All viruses use up system resources (memory, hard disk space, etc.). Viruses are written by people, they don't just appear. On many occasions they are sent as attachments to s. Because viruses cause computer code to be modified (changed), they are illegal under the Computer Misuse Act. The first British virus writer to be prosecuted, in 1995, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Preventing infections Install anti-virus software and ensure it is updated regularly. Avoid downloading programs from unknown sources. Never run macros in programs unless you know what they are. Never open an attachment if it is not from someone you know.

Summary The Computer Misuse Act was passed in It is designed to stop unauthorized access. Hackers attempt to take control by viewing, accessing or running programs from another person’s computer without their permission. A firewall stops other users from hacking into your computer by filtering data coming in through the Internet to a computer or network. A virus, virus, worm and Trojan horse are all types of electronic infections. Anti-virus software prevents infections, providing it is regularly updated.

Socrative Task 3 Computer Misuse Student Log In Room