This basically means that it however sensitive the information held by a company is about a person, that information must only be used for the reason it was collected. This law applies to all businesses and organizations and all the records that ate kept.
Unfortunately there are some exemptions for this ACT. If you process data for personal, family or recreational use you are exempt from the ACT. Exemptions could include birthday lists, personal appointments for the family or information on hobbies. Church administrations, voluntary organisations and some charities are exempt from the ACT. This is a great disadvantage as it is the little details that create the big losses.
The advantage of this ACT is that it prevents loss and keeps our personal information safe and secure. Fortunately many areas now are not exempt form the ACT. If personal data on a computer is used for trading or sharing then their will be no exemption. Such areas could include: health administration, education, legal services, pastoral care and financial services etc. If data is to be held on any individual you need to show that it is for one of the following reasons:
- A contractual agreement with a person is needed
- The individual involved as given permission for the data to be held
- It is necessary under another law
- It is in a businesses interests and is not detrimental to any individual involved
- Protect persons interests.
The Computer Misuse Act (1990)
This act was established in the year 1990 and there are 3 main offences covered by this act
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Unauthorized access to computer material (hacking). This includes copying software illegally (called software piracy).
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Gaining unauthorized access to a computer to carry out serious crimes like fraud or blackmail.
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Unauthorized changing of computer files, including planting viruses and deleting files.
If any of these acts are performed unintentionally then no harm will be done to the defendant as long as they are proved innocent by their legal representative. If anyone is convicted of this act then they will face an unlimited fine or five years in prison.
The advantage of this act is that it protects our private files containing valuable information and prevents other people from accessing them. The disadvantage is that there are some people out there who hack into the computer system and disable the user from accessing it.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1989)
This law was enforced in 1989 and means that if there is anything with the symbol© the it means its subjected to copyright so if anything with that symbol is copied then that means that it is illegal. Sometimes this is done unintentionally but most of the time it is intentional. An example of breaking the copyright law is selling pirate copied films, but as well as the seller the buyer is also breaking the law because he/she is buying an illegal material.
The advantages of this Act is that it prevents loss from businesses but people still break the law by taking a camcorder to the cinema and recording the film and then selling copies to the public.
Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (1992)
The Health and Safety at Work Act was first introduced in 1974 but because of technology at the time no measures taken to protect individuals against technology. This is the reason why the above law was introduced in 1992. The law ensures the following:
- workstations are analysed to reduce health and safety risks
- ensure workstations meet minimum ergonomic requirements
- provide information about risks and measures
- plan daily work routine for users
- offer eye tests and special glasses if necessary
- Provide health and safety training.
The advantage of this Act is that it protects the employee from any harm that is caused by his/ her workplace. It gives them a right to speak for their required needs. The disadvantage is that some workplaces cannot meet the employees need due to the company’s budget. Also some business’s blackmail the employee and tell them not to complain about the workplace situations otherwise the business will encounter a loss. The law has made a change to the community and that is the most important thing.
Overall I think that these law’s have made a change to society and have taught individuals to respect technology and not to misuse it. There are some people who are breaking these law’s but hopefully these people will be locked up behind bars very soon.
