Security Issues and Legal Constraints of Websites

How might someone obtain information about another person on the ? Identify a website where this may happen.

Users can easily obtain information from unknown people online such as by viewing at their profile where their contact details are sometimes their bank details are too.

These websites are MySpace and Facebook which are all popular for the users because they are social network group. When people give information about them self online, they make it easier for hackers to find people offline. So people should think carefully about who they give out their address to, what their phone number is or which school / job they go to.

What potential security issues could this access cause?

The potential security issue caused are that they can see people details which may include their full name, date of birth, address and even their bank account. When hackers steal information about the person they often target steal money of that person. For example if the hacker gets enough details about the person, the hacker may be able to apply for credit card or a loan the name of the owner.  After the hackers have taken off with the money, this could result to the person left with bill and bad credit rating. Another example is, a person is a planning a party and post details on his MySpace page which includes his address. On the day, a stranger shows up uninvited, gatecrashes the party and destroys his house. This could happen when person gives full details about themselves online.

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Which law is in place in the UK to enforce how personal data is used?

The current UK legislation covering data held about living individual people is the data protection 1998. This Act is a law designed protect people privacy so that data cannot be misuse.

Organisations that stores personal data must take by certain rules:

  • They must protect the data from unauthorised access.
  • -they must not pass on the data to other organisations without the individual’s permission.
  • The data they hold must be accurate and up to date, and must not be held for longer than ...

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