Chapter 8 Legal Moral Ethical Issues Flashcards
The Data Protection Act 1998
This law applies to information stored both on computers and in organised paper filing systems. The law covers personal data, which is any data which can be used to identify a living person. Furthermore, data which can be used in combination with other data to identify a living person is also classified as personal data. Examples of personal data include a person’s name and address.
The Data Protection Act 1998 8 ways the government has laid it out:
- Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully
- Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purpose
- Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive for its purpose(s)
- Personal data shall be accurate and where necessary kept up to date
- Personal data shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for its purpose(s)
- Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
under this Act - Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against
unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data - Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European
Economic Area, unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of data protection
The Computer Misuse Act 1990
Sometimes referred to as CMA, The Computer Misuse Act 1990 concerns the malicious use of computers. The Act was originally created to ensure that computer hacking was covered by law, but has since been frequently updated to ensure it remains relevant.
The Computer Misuse Act 1990 outlines three primary offences:
- Unauthorised access to computer materials.
For example: Finding a teacher’s password and opening their files. - Unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences.
For example: Finding a teacher’s password and opening their files with the
intention of increasing your mark on their markbook. - Unauthorised modification of computer material.
For example: Finding a teacher’s password, opening their files and
increasing your mark on their markbook.
The consequences of the second and third offenses are generally worse than the first, with
each offence being punishable with imprisonment.
The Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988
This act was brought in to protect people’s property online. It covers everything from logos to music recordings. If a work is original, copyright automatically applies and doesn’t expire until 25-70 years after the death of the creator, depending on the type of work.
In 1992, the Act was extended to include computer programs as a type of literary work, meaning that copyright automatically applies to code.
If an individual believes that their work has been copied, it is their responsibility to take action under the Act.
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Sometimes referred to as RIPA, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act covers investigation, surveillance and interception of communication by public bodies. For example, the Secret Service can legally wire-trap online conversations in the interests of national security provided that a warrant has been issued.
Furthermore, the act enforces internet service providers and mobile phone companies to give up information upon request from an authorised authority and to ensure that their networks have sufficient hardware installed to facilitate surveillance.
This Act is particularly controversial as its powers extend to small agencies like local councils. In addition, some people feel that the Act is an invasion of privacy, or that it is often improperly used
Ethics and Morals
Ethics are concerned with our values as a community and how these will impact different groups of people in society. Morals are to do with our personal code of conduct and encompass how we choose to behave, including the decisions we make at the expense of others.
With computers becoming an integral part of almost every aspect of our day-to-day lives, it is important that we consider the moral, ethical, environmental, social and cultural implications of these changes. Identifying these issues is the first step to resolving them.
Advantages of computers in the workplace
There are many advantages to involving computers in the workforce, which is why they are key to modern businesses. First, they improve efficiency. For companies such as Amazon and Effidence, machines have successfully been used to reduce delivery times and speed up manufacturing processes, thus improving customer satisfaction and reducing unit labour costs which feed through as lower prices for consumers. While Amazon uses robots in their warehouses to package and transfer goods between stations, Effidence’s PostBot is able to navigate through neighbourhoods to deliver letters and parcels from door-to-door. Another advantage of these computerised roles is that they reduce strain on workers and reduce the need to work in a repetitive and tedious environment.
Disadvantage of computers in the workplace
On the other hand, this has resulted in a number of people losing their jobs, creating high levels of structural unemployment. The effects of this may not necessarily be long-term as it is likely that higher consumer demand due to cheaper services will create employment in other sections of the business. For the effects to be made less severe, governments must invest in providing retraining programmes so people are able to change occupation. The question is whether this is enough to counteract the effects of computerisation.
