Computer Misuse Act
You
need to be familiar with the following ideas about data and computer misuse: that data stored
electronically is easier to misuse; that software
should not be copied without permission; the consequences of software piracy; that hacking can lead to corruption
of data, either accidentally or on purpose.
Types of computer misuse
Misuse
of computers and communications systems comes in several forms:
Hacking
Hacking
is where an unauthorised person uses a network,
Internet or modem connection to gain
access past security passwords or other security to see data stored on another
computer. Hackers sometimes use software hacking tools and often target, for
example, particular sites on the Internet.
Data misuse and unauthorised transfer or copying
Copying
and illegal transfer of data is very quick and easy using online computers and
large storage devices such as hard disks,
memory sticks and DVDs. Personal data, company research and
written work, such as novels and textbooks, cannot be copied without the
copyright holder's permission.
Copying and distributing copyrighted software, music and film
This
includes copying music and movies with computer equipment and distributing it
on the Internet without the copyright
holder's permission. This is a widespread misuse of both computers and the
Internet that breaks copyright regulations.
Email and chat room abuses
Internet
services such as chat rooms and email have been the subject of many
well-publicised cases of impersonation and deception where people who are
online pretend to have a different identity. Chat rooms have been used to
spread rumours about well known personalities. A growing area of abuse of the
Internet is email spam, where millions of emails are sent to advertise both
legal and illegal products and services.
Pornography
A
lot of indecent material and pornography is available through the Internet and
can be stored in electronic form. There have been several cases of material,
which is classified as illegal, or which shows illegal acts, being found stored
on computers followed by prosecutions for possession of the material.
Identity and financial abuses
This
topic includes misuse of stolen or fictional credit card numbers to obtain
goods or services on the Internet, and use of computers in financial frauds.
These can range from complex well thought out deceptions to simple uses such as
printing counterfeit money with colour printers.
Viruses
Viruses are relatively simple programs written by people and designed to
cause nuisance or damage to computers or their files.
How to prevent computer misuse
The
Computer Misuse Act (1990)
This was passed by
Parliament and made three new offences:
- Accessing computer material without permission, eg looking at someone else's files.
- Accessing computer material without permission with intent to commit further criminal offences, eg hacking into the bank's computer and wanting to increase the amount in your account.
- Altering computer data without permission, eg writing a virus to destroy someone else's data, or actually changing the money in an account.
The
Data Protection Act
This was introduced to
regulate personal data. This helps to provide protection against the abuse of
personal information.
1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in
particular, shall not be processed
unless-
2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified
and lawful purposes, and shall not be
further processed in any manner incompatible
with that purpose or those purposes.
3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in
relation to the purpose or purposes
for which they are processed.
4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to
date.
5.Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be
kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights
of data subjects under this Act.
7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken
against un-authorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental
loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
Copyright
law
This provides protection to
the owners of the copyright and covers the copying of written, musical, or film
works using computers. FAST is the industry body which is against software
theft. You can find out more about it in the Copyright section.
There have been cases where
laws such as Copyright have been used to crack down on file sharing websites or
individuals who store and illegally distribute copyrighted material, eg music.
There is a massive problem with many people around the world obtaining
copyrighted material illegally.
Close
down chat rooms
Some chat rooms have been
closed down due to abuses, especially where children are vulnerable. Some have
moderators who help to prevent abuses. Advice about sensible use is important;
especially to never give personal contact details or arrange meetings without extreme
caution.
Reduce
email spamming
This may be reduced by:
- never replying to anonymous emails
- setting filters on email accounts
- reporting spammers to ISPs, who are beginning to get together to blacklist email abusers
- governments passing laws to punish persistent spammers with heavy fines
Regular
backups and security
Just making something
illegal or setting up regulations does not stop it happening. Responsible
computer users need to take reasonable steps to keep their data safe. This
includes regular backups and sufficient security with passwords.
nice info
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