SLR 1.6 Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Concerns

Question 1

What are the six principles that govern how data should be stored and processed?

Answer 1

1. Fairly and lawfully processed
2. Used for specific purposes only
3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive
4. Accurate and up-to-date
5. Not kept longer than necessary
6. Kept secure

Question 2

What are the three offenses under the Computer Misuse Act 1990?

Answer 2

1. Unauthorized access to computer material
2. Unauthorized access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime
3. Unauthorized modification of a computer material.

Question 3

What are the three things that are illegal to be used in computer misuse offenses?

Answer 3

1. Make
2. Supply
3. Obtain

Question 4

What is the Copyright, Designs and Patens Act 1988?

Answer 4

It is designed to protect the works of companies and individuals from being illegally used, copied or distributed. ‘Works’ include books, music, images, video and software.

Question 5

What is a software license?

Answer 5

A contract between the user and the developer or owner that grants permission to use the software under given conditions. These conditions may stipulate a time period or further limitations such as non-commercial use only.

Question 6

What is Open Source Software?

Answer 6

It is a software licensed but free to use. The source code can be viewed and edited. Any derivates of the work must also be made available (open) to others with the source code.

Question 7

What is Proprietary Software?

Answer 7

This type of software is created and sold by the companies in the form of a license. You do not own the software or its copyright, only a license to use it. You will not get access to the source code to modify the software and licenses are commonly limited by the number of users. Microsoft Office is one such example of proprietary software available off-the-shelf.

Question 8

What is freeware?

Answer 8

It is a free software but it will require a license, commonly restricting its use and distribution, much like proprietary software.

Question 9

What are some ethical and cultural issues to consider?

Answer 9

1. Providing a means of access to inappropriate or illegal content.
2. Safety decisions and judgements made by machines, for example self-driving vehicles
3. Social platforms or media that enable cyberbullying, trolling, sexting
4. Social pressure to be online and purchase more of the latest technology
5. Not everyone can pay for digital devices or access broadband internet. This leads to a ‘digital divide’

Question 10

What are some legal issues to consider?

Answer 10

1. How to keep personal data safe
2. How to protect computers from hackers
3. The ability to protect digital media from being illegally copied