SLR 1.8 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns Flashcards
Which laws do you need to know about for GCSE Computer Science?
The Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988
The Computer Misuse Act 1990
The Data Protection Act 1998
The Freedom of Information Act 2000
What are the main principles of the Data Protection Act 1998?
- Data must be processed fairly and lawfully
- Data must only be used for the purpose specified.
- Data must be relevant and not excessive.
- Data must be accurate and up-to-date.
- Data must only be kept for as long as necessary.
- Individuals have a right to access data kept about them.
- Data must be kept secure.
- Data cannot be transferred outside the EU unless a country has adequate data protection laws.
What is the main principles of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1990?
It gives the creators of written, dramatic, musical and artistic works the right to control the ways in which their material may be used (written work includes software)
What are the main principles of the Computer Misuse Act of 1990?
It is designed to protect computer users against wilful attacks and theft of information. Offences under the act include hacking, unauthorised access to computer systems and purposefully spreading malicious and damaging software (malware), such as viruses
What are the main principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000?
- Members of the public can request information from public bodies about their activities.
- Public authorities are obliged to publish this data.
State two reasons why a country might decide to restrict access to the internet for its citizens.
- Preventing criticism of a ruler, government, or religion.
- Preventing violations of national laws.
- Preventing loss of the cultural identity of the country.
Describe three environmental issues with the manufacturing, use and disposal of computer technology.
- Fossil fuels, or significant energy required for production.
- Limited natural resources.
- Computers in data centres are left on continually.
- Computers contain hazardous materials.
- Computers are often sent to other countries for disposal presenting health issues for the local population.
State two differences between open source and proprietary software
- Users can distribute open source software, proprietary cannot be freely distributed.
- Users can access/modify open source code; users cannot access/modify proprietary source code.
- Open source software can be installed on any number of computers; proprietary software is usually licensed per user/machine.
- Support is provided by a community for open source software, proprietary software is supported by a company.
- Open source software may not be fully tested, proprietary software is tested before distribution.
What is Creative Commons licencing?
A standardised way to grant copyright permissions to creative work. It allows an author to retain copyright while allowing others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work with specified constraints.
