Ethical & Legal

• The government is responsible for creating and updating laws to encourage the appropriate use of computers, digital information and software in today's society
• Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013

  Regulations that state the rights of consumers when shopping online
• Requirements of Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013

  • Sellers must provide full descriptions of products being sold
  • All costs must be made available, such as product prices and delivery and return charges
  • A customer has the right to cancel an order and be given a full refund for physical products up to 14 days from the date received
  • Customers who purchase downloaded products containing digital content are not entitled to cancel their order
  • Products sold online that include digital content must contain details on hardware and software compatibility
• Data Protection Act 1998

  Legislation that controls how personal information can be used by organisations
• Eight principles of the Data Protection Act

  • Personal data should be processed fairly and lawfully with the consent of the data subject
  • Be used only for the purpose specified
  • Be adequate and relevant for its intended purpose
  • Be accurate and up to date
  • Not be kept for longer than necessary
  • Be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subject
  • Be held safely and securely
  • Not be transferred outside the European Union without adequate protection laws
• Data subject

  The individual who is the subject of the personal data
• Information commissioner

  Responsible for enforcing the Act, promoting good practice by those responsible for processing personal data and making the general public aware of their rights under the Act
• Data controller

  The person within an organisation who is responsible for controlling the way in which personal data is processed
• Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988

  Law that protects the property rights of individuals and organisations that create and produce material based on originalities, including computer software
• The Act states that it is legal to copy (or download) and distribute software without permission
• Software licence

  A document that provides legally binding guidance for the use and distribution of software within an organisation
• An organisation distributing software without a proper licence is breaking the law under this Act
• Computer Misuse Act 1990

  Act designed to protect users against computer misuse, including unauthorised access to computer systems
• The Act states that it is legal to hack computers to plant viruses or install malicious software such as spyware, and to gain unauthorised access to change passwords and computer settings to prevent users from accessing their accounts, or modify software and data stored on a computer system
• Spyware

  Software that is hidden on a computer system and collects the user's information using their internet connection without their knowledge
• Ethical issues of digital technology

  • Software piracy
  • Phishing
  • Hacking
  • Plagiarism
  • Misuse of the internet in the workplace
  • Sharing of personal data between companies without prior permission
  • Use of location-tracking online adverts or apps to encourage young people to adopt anti-social behaviour
• Our personal data can often be collected and analysed without us being fully aware of it
• Examples of personal data collection

  • Loyalty cards used by supermarkets
  • Mobile phones transmitting geographical location
  • CCTV cameras monitoring activity
  • Analysing credit/debit card transactions
• Social networking

  Subscribing to websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to connect with others and share information
• Some individuals misuse social networking platforms, such as searching for personal information, communicating racial/religious hatred, and creating accounts to steal identities
• GPS (global positioning system)

  Provides location data such as the geographical position of an individual or an object
• The use of cloud-based services can also raise moral and ethical issues, as the global scale of cloud computing has implications for the privacy of personal data
• Privacy laws vary in different countries, e.g. the European Union laws provide more protection than some other countries, which could adversely impact the security of personal data