2359: Theory Topic 07 Computer Laws

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2359 Theory Topic 07Computer Laws

• Mr C Johnston
• ICT Teacher Sidney Stringer Community Technical
  College, Coventry
• (www.computech.me.uk)

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What I Need To Learn

• Describe the main aspects of the Data Protection
  Act,
• Describe the purpose of the Computer Misuse Act,

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Topic Tasks

• Read pages 80 82 and page 84 (Computer Misuse
  Act Heading) of the text book ,
• Copy the blue boxes from each page into your
  exercise book as revision notes,
• Using a piece of suitable software create a
  leaflet stating
• The 8 principles of the Data Protection Act,
• What the act classes as sensitive information,
• The rights the act gives us,
• Who is exempt from the Act.
• Using a piece of suitable pieces of software
  create a poster to tell people about the Computer
  Misuse Act and what the Act makes illegal,
• Print out both and stick them into your books as
  revision notes,
• Watch the video entitled Barry's Bad Data Day
• Complete this topics homework.

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The Data Protection Act (1984)

• The Data Protection Act was introduced in 1984
  and contained 8 principles to control the way
  data about people is collected, stored and
  processed,
• The act was considered necessary because more and
  more data was being stored in computer files,
• In 1998 the Act was amended to to include
  manually held data and other data transferred
  over the internet, or held in large databases for
  marketing purposes,
• It also introduced additional rights for data
  subjects.

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8 Principles of The Act

• The 8 principles of the Act broadly state that
  personal data of a data subject must be
• Fairly and lawfully obtained and processed,
• Processed for one or more specified and lawful
  purposes,
• Relevant, adequate and not excessive for the
  stated purpose
• Kept as accurate as possible,
• Not kept longer than necessary,
• Processed in accordance with the subjects rights,
• Kept in a secure manner,
• Not transferred to countries without adequate
  protection of the subjects rights,

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Organisation Responsibilities

• Organisations who wish to use personal data must
  notify the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC)
  an authority who is responsible for upholding the
  law and investigating complaints,
• To notify the DPC an organisation must supply
  details of
• Their name and address,
• A description of the data being held,
• A description of the purpose for processing the
  data,
• A description of who processed data will be
  passed on to,
• Failure to notify the DPC of use of personal data
  can result in organisations being taken to court
  penalties could be anything up to an unlimited
  fine and compensation to those who data was held
  about.

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Rights of Individuals

• The Data Protection Act allows individuals to
  have access to information help about themselves
  on computer and where appropriate to have it
  corrected or deleted,
• You can also complain to the DPC if you feel an
  organisation has misused personal data held about
  yourself.

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Exceptions

• Certain organisations are exempt from the Data
  Protection Act
• Those involved with National Security e.g MI5,
• Those involved with preventing and detecting
  crime and prosecuting offenders e.g. Police,
• Those who carry out regulatory and inspection
  activities e.g. OFSTED and OFTEL,
• Those who carry out activities which generates
  public information e.g. information used for
  research or statistical purposes,
• Domestic Data e.g. Home Accounts.

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Computer Misuse Act (1990)

• The Computer Misuse Act (1990) was passed to
  recognise that people who access a computer
  system without authorisation are committing a
  crime and need punishing,
• The Act made illegal a number of computer misuses
  including
• Accessing / using somebody's computer without
  permission for whatever reason,
• Hacking into somebodys computer without
  permission intending to see data, changing or
  deleting it,
• Hacking into somebodys computer without
  permission and stealing changing or deleting
  data,
• Using computer equipment to commit fraud,
• Software piracy copying software for own use or
  to sell,
• Deliberately spreading a virus onto somebody
  elses computer system.