Legal issues Flashcards
What year was the Copyrights, Designs and Patents act passed?
1988
What does the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act allow?
It allows the creator of something full control over the way that it is used
What does the Computer misuse act state?
It defines and criminalises a number of offences involving the use of a computer
Give one example of what the Computer misuse act defines as a crime.
Unauthorised access to computer systems
What is does the Data Protection Act protect?
Personal information of customers and employees
Name two ways that personal information is protected by the Data Protection Act.
One way that you are protected is that any data about you that is held by a company must be available to you if you ask. Another way that your data is protected is that as soon as data is not needed it must be deleted. Also, collecting companies must have security measures to protect the data.
Name two more ways that personal information is protected by the Data Protection Act.
One way is that personal data must be fairly and lawfully processed which means that the company must say what they will do with the data. One other way is that the company can only ask for data that is immediately needed.
What are the two main parts of the Freedom of Information act?
One of them is that members of the public are allowed to request information from public authorities. Also, public authorities have to post information about their activities.
Give an explanation of what Creative Commons licensing is.
When you download open source software you are given a license with terms and conditions which you agree to. You can use the software and can modify it according to certain rules, but you cannot sell it as if it were your own. Creative commons licencing determines how a product can be used by the public.
What is the intent of Creative Commons licensing?
To let the open source (and creative) community benefit from each other rather than be harmed.
Which law would be best suited to protect against a spyware attack?
The computer misuse act, because it protects against unauthorised access to computer material.
Which law is most relevant for a major company like Google, which collect lots of data?
The data protection act: the company must protect customer and employee data.
What does the computer misuse act protect against?
Unauthorised access to computer material
Which industry would most use the freedom of information act?
Journalism - Information is needed for articles. For example, recently the Guardian used a request to fins that thousands of academies in the UK have no sponsorship and are lacking funding.
What are the exceptions to the freedom of information act?
- If it is in the interest of national security
2. If the request is a joke- if it is not serious.
