My school ensures they comply with the DPA (Data Protection Act) in dealing with student’s personal data by only letting trusted members of staff handle student’s personal data. This law works very well because other companies cannot take any one else’s personal detail with out their permission.
There have been many situations where many companies/organisations have been prosecuted for disobeying the Data Protection Act and here is an example of an organisation. In 1995 the ODPR brought a case against a manager of a company called Woolwich Building Society for disclosing a costumer’s personal data that was not sanctioned by the Woolwich’s Data Protection register entry. This was a case, therefore Woolwich Building Society were taken to court. The manager had been trying to trace a Woolwich customer who was allegedly in arrears with the Woolwich mortgage. In doing so the manager disclosed to a tenant of the customer that he was in arrears. The manager was successfully prosecuted for the unauthorised disclosure. On the basis of that the prosecution had jeopardized the manager’s career. The court dealt with matters relatively leniently by imposing a conditional discharge.
In my point of view the Data Protection Act works in many different ways, the act mentions data called sensitive personal data that may not be disclosed and this could include information about:
- The racial or ethnic origin of the data subject
- Their religious beliefs
- Whether or not they are the member of trade union
- The commission or alleged commission by them of any offence any other proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed by them and if they are convicted, they will receive a sentence that they are given.
- Their political opinions
The data protection act controller means a person who determines the purpose for which, and the manner in which, any personal data is processed. The data controller is therefore the person who decides what to do with the data once it has been entered onto the system. I think the only way the law works when there are fixed penalty or fines set by the magistrate court or an unlimited fine in the high court.
The Computer Misuse Act (1990)
The computer Misuse act law was designed because people miss used computers a lot example; Downloading Viruses, Hacking into other peoples computers and networks to gain others personal details, Data misuse and unauthorised transfer or copying, Copying and distributing software, making music and film copies with out permission, Email and chat room abuses, using unsuitable material, Identity and financial abuses and giving threats and blackmailing people.
The Computer Misuse Act was passed by Parliament and made three new offences which are:
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Accessing computer material without permission e.g. looking at someone else's files.
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Accessing computer material without permission with intent to commit further criminal offences e.g. hacking into the bank's computer and wanting to increase the amount in your account.
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Altering computer data without permission e.g. writing a virus to destroy someone else's data, or actually changing the money in an account.
Copyright, Design and Patents Act (1989)
The Copyright, Design & Patents Act (1989) came into force on 1st August 1989. This law comes into action when there is someone that copies someone else’s idea (design/product) to make it there own and then to sell it off by making copies with out the original owners permission. Examples music CDs, DVDs, games and etc. This law is designed to a subsequent amendment to the 1988 Copyright Act confused the issue of life time of Copyright by acting retrospectively. This amendment came into effect on 1st January 1996. This meant that some materials that had come out of Copyright suddenly gained Copyright again. It increased the term of Copyright (for some works) from 50 to 70 years from 31st December of the year the creator died. For anonymous works then it is 70 years from the end of the year of publication. In all aspects, it is best to refer to the law in operation at the time the material was created, for example if a photograph was created in 1956, then you have to refer to the 1956 Copyright Act to define the Copyright owner and who to approach for clearance.
Law firms are now trying to crack down on Copyright and are now being advised alerts clients and there own staff to the dangers of having illegal Copyright materials on computers following tougher regulations which have now been introduced. Many people have breached this act by copying music from Internet web sites.
I have not ever come across this Act before meaning that I have not ever copied any designs such as games and music. If this Act never existed there would have been many arguments internationally (around the world). This law works leally well because people cant copy others designs with out their permission.
Health & Safety at Work Act (1974)
The Health and safety Act (1974) is designed to make further for securing the Health, Safety welfare of employed people at work. For protecting others against risks to keep safety in connection with the activities of an employed person at work. This Act applies to everyone who is employed that works because it is all to do with Health and Safety. Examples having on the right equipment when working with chemicals, fuels and gases or anywhere near them. In some work places it is the council’s duty and responsibility to ensure that the work place is safe to work in. In some work places there have been many injuries caused by work places accidents and also out of work but there have been a huge number of people with in work, which have had injuries. Here some statistics below.
In 2002/03, employers reported 154230 injuries, which occurred during work that’s a rate of 614.1 per hundred thousand employees.
235 Fatal injuries to workers in 2003/04, which is a rate of 0.81per hundred thousand workers.
This law works quiet well because the number of people getting injuries has decreased very greatly since this Act had came in effect.
Health & Safety Regulations (1992)
This Act is designed to show us all the Health and Safety Regulations and why they are needed. We need these regulations because these Regulations bring force into the EC Safety Signs Directive to protect workers working in the European Union on provide and use of safety signs at work. The purpose of the directive is to encourage the standardisation of safety signs throughout the members states of European Union so that Health and Safety signs, should be where there’s a risk in danger some where with in work.
These Regulations effect the staffs routines at my local community group because they have to make everything safe for example if there is a wet patch the workers there should put a sign up showing up that its wet and warning people not to go near it. If they don’t and someone could gets injured by slipping and falling they are responsible and the blame goes to them. The UK (United Kingdom) National Health Service makes sure that these regulations are insured by every organisation.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000)
This Act called Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is about defining the powers o the governments and its security’s intelligence, communications and data handling. This Act allows the government to issue an interception warrant to an ISP or even a mobile company/organisation for some communications data on vague grounds such as ‘’national Security’’, ‘’preventing or detecting crimes’’ or even ‘’safe guarding the economic well being of the UK’’. If they do this, the employee(s) the interception warrant is served to must comply with it or face up to 2 years in jail locked up. They must NEVER tell anyone about it either or face up to five years in jail locked up. The government could demand all the data that flows to and from your Internet account checked with you never knowing about it.
From my point of view I think that this is a bad Act because the Act requires of any employee of a company to provide a public telecommunications service which they have to then obey interception warrants weather they like it or not, but if they disobey the Act they will then have to face up to 2 years In jail locked up. This Act is working well as far as I know because all companies/organisations are cooperating with this Act perfectly.
GCSE ICT COURSEWORK
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