1.6.1 Legislation relevant to computer science

How does the data protection act 2018 work?

• each person who has their data stored is known as a data subject

• an employee within a company must be appointed as a data controller and they are responsible for registering with the information comissioner

• the information comissioner is the person in the uk who is responsible for managing several laws

• the data controller must be clear on exactly what information they are collecting, why it is being collected andwhat the data will be used for

What are the 6 principles of the data protection act?

• data must be collected lawfully and processed fairly

• data must only be used for the reasons specified

• data must be relevant and not excessive

• data must be accurate and up to date

• data must not be stored for longer than necessary

• data must be stored and processed fairly

What is the computer misuse act 1990?

• this act was introduced as computers became cheaper and more common at home and work. this act attempts to stop and punish those who use computers inappropriately

• breaking any of the three principles could result in fines and a jail sentence if it can be proved that it was done on purpose

What are the 3 principles of the computer misuse act?

• no unauthorised access to data

• no unauthorised access to data that could be used for further illegal activities

• no unauthorised modification of data

What is the copyright, designs and patents act 1988?

• this act makes it a criminal offence to copy work that is not your own without the permission of the creator or the copyright holder

• this does not prevent others from copying and using it but it means that the owner can bring legal proceedings in court to those who have stolen their work

What does the copright, designs and patents acts prohibit?

• making copies of copyrighted material to sell to others

• importing and downloading illegallly copied material (except for personal use)

• distributing enough copyrighted material to have a noticeable effect on the copyright holder

• possessing equipment used to copy copyrighted material as part of a business

What are the features of open source software?

• source code is software code written by programmers

• if the software is open source, it means that users can view and modify the source code

• linux, python and firefox for example

What are the benefits and drawbacks of open source software?

Advantages

• because the source code is available to edit, it can be customised to the oranisations needs

• unwanted features can be removed to make the software run faster

• often shared in the public domain so users can work together to modify, debug and improve software

• often free

disadvantages

• there are security risks as some editors may add malicious code to the program

• the code may be prone to errors as it may not have been tested fully

• it may be difficult to receive support as development is often distributed between people in different locations

• it requires technical skills to be able to adapt source code efficiently and to maintain it

What are the features of proprietary software?

• the code is restricted - users are prevented from from being able to view or modify the source code

• you can buy the right to use it but not own it

What are the benefits and drawbacks of proprietary software?

Advantages

• the code is well tested and has been professionally developed. updates will generally be secure

• the company can be held to account if it does not perform as listed in the terms and conditions upon purchase

• most developers will provide some help and support

Disadvantages

• users must rely on the company to provide updates and fix issues. this might be infrequent or stop completely

• often not free and may be expensive

• users cannot modify, debug or improve the code for their own benefit