IT and the Law

Impacts of IT and the law

Why do we need laws?

We need laws in the IT sector for many reasons, they are needed to protect our personal information from getting out to individuals who will misuse them. They are also needed to stop online crimes like people getting hacked or scammed through dangerous links. Schools and companies who require peoples data will have to follow many different laws.

The first law that I’m going to write about is the Computer Misuse Act 1980. The following offenses fall within this act.

- Unauthorized access to computer material

- Unauthorized access with intent to commit or facilitate further offenses

- Unauthorized modification of computer material

- Unauthorized acts with intent to impair or with recklessness as to impairing the operation of a computer

- Unauthorized acts causing, or creating the risk of, serious damage

Making, supplying, or obtaining articles for use in computer misuse offenses. The Computer Misuse act means it is illegal for a person who hasn’t got consent to go onto someone else’s computer and change data or steal it. Furthermore, it means hacking onto someone else’s device for the purpose of committing crime, or damaging information. By damaging it refers to making a computer slower or breaking a computer, or even making it unreliable. It can also mean changing personal data on a database to use for crime. However, for this to be an actual crime the person behind it has to have a purpose behind doing it as they could’ve seen private information by accident. These things happen when a computer or device is left open or important data isn’t safe.

Data Protection Act (DPA)

DPA is how a company or a school etc holds your personal information and how it can or can’t be shared. Personal data like your Name, Address, Date of birth etc should only be allowed for you and people who you have given consent to view. This protection act counts for information online and on paper. Companies and schools etc must follow the law, only necessary data should be collected, data shouldn’t be kept for longer than it should, information should be handled securely and not seen by others etc. These are some of the following offenses that fall within this act.

- Unlawful obtaining, disclosure, sale, or retention of data

- Tampering with data for subject access requests

- Prohibition on requiring personal records for employment

The law was changed in 2018 and they are stricter than when they were first introduced, things like consent are more stricter and will make sure you confirm them firmly. Furthermore, Children’s data has changed, in 2018 they changed the laws to require parental consent for some social media apps. Another one was “the right to be forgotten” this meant that people had the right to view their personal data and ask to delete their information from a social media app or a company which has your personal info.

The CDPA act covers work or music or games etc and makes sure that no one else can steal your work without your permission. It was first introduced in 1988. Copyright is often committed by people who copy others work for their benefit, as they can sell the work, music or games on and make money off of doing so. The people who own the work have the right to choose who can use or change their work and the owners can charge people to get that right. These are called licenses and buying something that requires one doesn’t mean you fully own it, you are just able to use it. After buying a license and going to use the software normally some will require special codes and passwords for you to actually use it. These are some of the offences that are covered in this act.