LO4

• name current UK legislation and regulation?

  data protection act 1998

  regulation of investigating powers act 2000

  protection of freedoms act 2012

  privacy and electronic communications regulations 2003(amended 2011)

  freedom of information act 2000

  computer misuse act 1990

  information commissioners office (ICO) codes of practice

  copyright, designs and patents act 1998

  equality act (EQA) 2011
• what are the 8 key principles of the data protection act?

  data should be processed fairly and lawfully.

  pd can only be obtained for clearly stated purposes.

  the amount of data collected and stored should not be more than required.

  pd should be accurate

  pd should only be used for the purpose for which it was collected.

  pd should only be processed within the rights of the data subject.

  pd should be protected from theft or unlawful access.

  pd cannot be transferred to anywhere outside of the EU unless the country has the same level of legal protection as set by the DPA.
• what does the data protection act 1998 do?


  governs the way in which organisations collect, process and store private data.
• what does the regulation of investigatory powers act do?

  covers the power of public bodies to carry out investigations and surveillance. this includes surveillance of communications.
• what does RIPA 2000 stand for?

  regulation of investigatory powers act 2000.
• types of power RIPA enables:

  • interception of communication e.g. reading post, email and phone tapping.
  • directed surveillance e.g. following people
  • use of communications e.g. investigate the type of communication used but not its content.
  • covert human intelligence sources e.g. undercover agents/informers
  • intrusive surveillance e.g. bugging houses, tracking devices on cars.
• protection of freedom act 2012:

  a wide reaching act that ranges from strengthening the freedom of information act through to how DNA, fingerprints and footprints should be stored, handled and destroyed.
• what does the privacy and electronic communications regulations 2003 (amended 2011) do?

  governs the ways organisations can use electric communications to contact customers. the core theme is privacy, including the right to be able to relax without interruption at home.
• what does the freedom of information act 2000 do?

  provides the public with the 'right to access' information about the activities carried out by public authorities. the act defines public authorities as organisations funded by the state therefore charities are exempt.
• computer misuse act 1990:

  this act basically covers hacking, specifically:

  • unauthorised access to computer material
  • unauthorised access to computer systems with intent to commit another offence
  • authorised modification of computer material.
• what does the information commissioners office (ICO) codes of practice do?

  theses codes of practice interpret the data protection act and apply them to specific practices. for example, there is a code of practice for the use of CCTV, including when it is acceptable to use automatic number plate recognition software.
• copyright, designs and patents act 1988:

  this act provides the person who created a piece of art or music, or who designed or invented a particular technology, with control over what they have created as well as restricting the rights of others to use it.
• what does the equality act (EQA) 2011 do?

  combined a number of previous acts into one overall act intended to protect UK citizens from being discriminated against. as well as bringing other acts into one overall act, it also strengthened some protections that had already existed.
• data protection outside of the UK:

  • personal data should not be transferred outside of the UK unless the country receiving the data has adequate data protection laws that match the data protection act (2018)/GDPR.
  • GDPR was introduced in all European union (EU) countries in 2018. this set of regulations ensure that personal data is protected and can be sent between EU countries.
  • however, many other countries only have partially adequate data protection laws (such as USA and Canada) whilst many nations have inadequate or no laws regarding data protection.
• EU-US privacy shield:

  • personal data can be sent between European countries (such as UK) and the US because of the 'safe harbour' scheme (2000-2015) and 'the EU-US privacy shield' (2015-2020).
  • provided protection to European data in the US and required both companies engaged in data transcription to sign up to the scheme before pd could be transferred. the companies must have been assessed as responsible for the security of the data.
  • the scheme stopped in July 2020 because the European court of justice argued that it didn't adequately protect the pd of Europeans from government access.
• what does UNCPRD stand for?

  United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• the UNCRPD is a united nations humans right that states disable people should be able to access information systems and use digital means to express their opinion. example include text-to-speech and the ability to change font size.
• what is green IT?

  the use of computers and IT resources in an efficient an environmentally responsible way to reduce an organisations carbon footprint. to reduce carbon footprint means to decrease the amount of pollution produced by an organisation and to engage in more eco-friendly practice.
• what are some example of green IT practice?

  turn off computers, monitors and other connected devices when not in use.

  use cloud storage or virtualisation to reduce the number of physical devices being bought. powered or maintained.

  consider it is necessary to print a document before doing so and print only what is required.

  adjust power options to help minimse power consumption.

  repair older devices rather than throwing them out.

  recycle ink cartridges and paper. donate older equipment to charities or schools for reuse.
• Digital footprint- any traceable action you or others take on the internet. 
• Carbon footprint- the impact of organisations and individuals on the environment. 
• if green IT is successful, then the negative impact of IT is reduced the climate benefits. The reduction in emissions that lead to climate change should reduce the pressure on the ecosystem, while any reduction in pollution or non-degradable waste allows us to create a  more systainable society in which future generations may prosper. 
• UK government policy: in 2011, the greening government ICT strategy made a commitment to adopt more green policies across government departments. The use of cloud storage and shared services were identified as areas in which the government could reduce its carbon footprint.
• United nations climate change summits: these annual meeting discuss climate change and ways in which the threat can be reduced and managed. Their focus has been on the reduction of carbon footprints across the world and in doing so they have considered the use and disposal of computers and computing equipment. 
• Global requirements on organiations and individuals: Green IT is an attempt to make computing more eco-friendly. This can influence the materials that make computers, the manner in which they are manufactured, the way in which they are manufactured, how they are transported and how they are eventually disposed of.  

   Many local initiatives recycle computers for use by others. This is an example of organisations taking a global awareness viewpoint in an attempt to extend the working life of computers beyond the short one that business may dictate. 
• reasons why organizations should should use green IT:

  • to become more sustainable by reducing the companies carbon footprint and positively impacting the environment.
  • reducing energy costs and saving money.
  • improving the public image of the Organisation as people are increasingly environmentally conscious and will prefer to do business with an environmentally friendly company.
• positive consequnces of the greening government ICT strategy:

  • using more cloud storage technology reduces emissions.
  • using social media more widely to contact voters, saves money by posting fewer letters or posters.
  • increasing the use of teleconfererecing and video calls- reducing the need for travel which decreases pollution.
• what does UNCCS stand for?

  united nations climate change summit
• what does UNCRPD stand for? United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities