Legal & Moral Issues

Copyright Act

Do not copy software/documents for use where not authorised

Computer Misuse Act

Do not copy programs/files/ data/music

Do not steal / damage hardware

The growth and exchange of ideas on the Internet has led to many legal disputes and lack of legal clarity as to one’s intellectual property rights. Do the Copyright Laws of one country apply to another country? Free access principles were applied to ‘text of books, music, essays. There is an ongoing argument between organisation trying to protect the earning potential of their products and those who do not want to see the Internet become ‘owned and controlled’ by a few large corporate organisations as the media has become.

Should you use a resource that you have found on the internet?

If you see a resource on the Internet can you sell that resource to another company?

How do you attribute something when you do not know the author on the internet

• If you put an idea/resource on the Internet do you own it?

• If you see a design on the Internet can you sell that design to a company?

• If you scan in the text of the book e.g. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and put it on the Internet for all to be freely read; are you breaking the law?

• Can you sue someone in another continent who sells you a report on you which is full of factual errors?

Legal – Estate Agent putting false information in adverts or creating false websites.

Estate Agent

Legal requirements = Properties Act

Hardware & software sales

Legal requirements = Trade Descriptions Act

Trades Descriptions Act covers suitability of purpose

A property developer not telling his client the property has subsidence problems or a violent history

Moral – not fully informing potential customers or clients of all available facts concerning products or services e.g. imminent introduction of new models

• Salespersons selling hardware and software soon to become obsolete

• Ensure salesmen do not pressurise unwilling customers to accept e.g. loyalty cards, instore credit accounts or particular brands

• Employees shall not misinterpret or selectively withhold information on capabilities of products, systems or services / Not fully informing potential customers or clients of all available facts concerning products or services

• Employees must not persuade or give opinions on other products or services they have an interest in

• Employees shall complete work on time and to budget and shall advise their client as soon as practical if they cannot do so

Legal requirements = Data Protection Act

Informing data subjects of their legal rights and processes for complying with those rights.

Selling on private information

Don’t access other people’s files/No Hacking

• Monitoring company emails. Electronic monitoring systems can be used to track emails. A systems technician might open other people’s emails to detect misuse or simply to be nosey.

• An employee using company data to create mailing lists for his own private home business

Effects upon the workforce.

ICT has transformed the workplace

• Some people have been de-skilled by the arrival of ICT and their skills are no longer required and they lose their jobs

• Others have gained and have the required skills e.g. computer Programmers

Personal empowerment.

• There have been changes in working patterns e.g. teleworking

• Businesses are able to reach a wider market via the Internet e.g. Individuals can sell goods on Ebay

• Call centres have caused many people to lose jobs as they have been moved abroad where labour is cheaper leading to ICT ‘sweat shops’

• Impersonal communications e.g. being sacked by email / text

• Stress and mental health issues caused by isolation

• Wasting work time by going on social media.

Patent laws /Trade laws

• Ownership and access to information can often determine which organisations will be successful and which will fail.

• As these technologies have to be paid for the richer organisations can afford the technology whilst poorer organisation cannot.

• Consequentially, the rich organisations get richer and the poorer ones get relatively poorer and the gap between them gets greater, e.g. subsidising food production in Europe or putting taxes on imports to prevent the poorer countries obtaining access to richer markets.

• Click on the link for further information on the DIGITAL DIVIDE.

Copyright Act

• Do not copy software for use at home

Computer Misuse Act

• Do not copy programs/files

• Do not steal / damage hardware

• Identity theft

• Bringing in discs from outside

• Virus scan all discs /Don’t spreading a virus

• Do not misuse email /send abusive email

• Do not visit pornographic site on the Internet

• Do not use the printer for personal work

• Do not tell anyone else you password

• Change your password regularly