AS Computing
1.17 Economic, Moral, Legal, Ethical and Cultural Issues Relating to Computer Science
What do you use computers for?
1. Shopping
2. Listening to Music
3. Chatting
4. Social networking
5. Programming
6. Homework
7. Entertainment
What legal issues might arise from these activities?
Pirating Music, Films etc.
Internet access rules can differ per country
Viruses from downloads
Bullying on social networks
Data Protection Act 1998
The data protection act of 1998 sets out to protect the privacy of personal information. It covers
personal information about living individuals, not about businesses. It covers data stored on a
computer or in a paper-based filing system. It lets people see what data is being held about them
and is run by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Subjects and Users
Data subjects are people who have data held about them, which is pretty much everyone alive
today. Whereas data users are the people or organisations who hold the data. Most, if not all,
businesses are data users. An organisation has to have a data controller, a person who makes sure
the Data Protection Act is followed.
Principles of Data Protection
The Data Protection Act of 1998 says that data must be:
1. Fairly and lawfully processed
2. Used for limited purposes
3. Adequate and relevant
4. Accurate and up to date
5. Not kept for longer than is necessary
6. Accessible to the individual and able to be corrected or removed when necessary
7. Held securely
8. Not transferred to countries outside the EU without adequate protection
Page |1 Luca Passariello AS Computing
1.17 Economic, Moral, Legal, Ethical and Cultural Issues Relating to Computer Science
What do you use computers for?
1. Shopping
2. Listening to Music
3. Chatting
4. Social networking
5. Programming
6. Homework
7. Entertainment
What legal issues might arise from these activities?
Pirating Music, Films etc.
Internet access rules can differ per country
Viruses from downloads
Bullying on social networks
Data Protection Act 1998
The data protection act of 1998 sets out to protect the privacy of personal information. It covers
personal information about living individuals, not about businesses. It covers data stored on a
computer or in a paper-based filing system. It lets people see what data is being held about them
and is run by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Subjects and Users
Data subjects are people who have data held about them, which is pretty much everyone alive
today. Whereas data users are the people or organisations who hold the data. Most, if not all,
businesses are data users. An organisation has to have a data controller, a person who makes sure
the Data Protection Act is followed.
Principles of Data Protection
The Data Protection Act of 1998 says that data must be:
1. Fairly and lawfully processed
2. Used for limited purposes
3. Adequate and relevant
4. Accurate and up to date
5. Not kept for longer than is necessary
6. Accessible to the individual and able to be corrected or removed when necessary
7. Held securely
8. Not transferred to countries outside the EU without adequate protection
Page |1 Luca Passariello AS Computing
