Legal Impacts on IT

Reference : http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/legal/
Data Protection Act (1998)

The data protection act protects personal information about living individuals in the UK. Many companies hold information about their customer which they are personal.

This personal information may be:

·         Addresses

·         Phone numbers

·         Names

·         If needed, also people’s background

Data Protection act does not apply only in companies but also in Hospitals, Police and etc.

This law requires that companies that keep any personal information about people on their databases, to register with the Data Protection Registrar, and respects the eight data protection principles, which are:

·         Companies can use personal data for the only purpose which it was collected

·         Companies must not share personal information with others

·         People have the right to access at their information at any time

·         Personal information must not be kept, if its no longer needed

·         The person must agree if the information goes outside Europe

·         All companies that collects personal information must first register with the information commissioner’s office

·         Companies that holds personal information must have an adequate security measure

·         In case the information is not correct, people have the right to request a correction

Breaking the Data Protection Act, it will lead everyone to a fine to pay.

Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988)

The Copyright, Design & Patents Act protects people’s work avoinding from being copied or used it to get benefits of it. This law applies to things like:

·         Articles

·         Pictures

·         Videos

·         EBooks

·         Music

·         Software Applications

This law gives power to the owner to take control of his/her work, and puts a rule whether the work can be copied or not. For example a software application, the person who bought the application cannot share it with other people or upload it into the internet because it breaks the law, and this will take the person into serious consequences, by getting a fine or also go to prison if this is not the first time.

Computer Misuse Act (1990)

The computer misuse protects people and avoids them to use computer to commit a bad action. Examples of computer misuses may be:

·         Hackers trying to enter someone else’s computer or network

·         Copying someone else’s work which is very easy to do because information can be viewed so easily

·         People who make threats to others risking their lives

·         Bullying

·         Under 18 people getting access at porn websites

Any of these commitments the user will get a fine to pay or even go to prison. Fine may also get so high depending on the commitment done.