As a result of their nature and purpose, computers have often been used for criminal purposes, or in a way which endangers the users. In addition, the limits of computer technology in the modern day affects our lives, and will continue to do so in the future. An important act regarding appropriate computer use is the Computer Misuse Act 1990, which is a legal framework in order to punish accessing others' data without permission (often through using someone else's login) at its most basic level, but with more severe punishments if further crimes were committed (such as that person's password being distributed) and at its most severe changing data. This act is used to protect against computer use without permission, often through the use of hacking which involves breaking into computer systems, or cracking which refers to breaking codes in software, often with the view of changing the code or distributing the software.
Another key piece of legislation is the Data Protection Act of 1984 and 1998, which focusses around eight key principles: gathering, purpose, quantity, lifetime, individual rights, internal security and external security. These principles aim to make it the case that any data collected is not done so in an untruthful way, is not inappropriate (e.g. a Credit Card limit on a school questionnaire), is not excessive (more that the organization needs), can be requested or deleted by the subject at any time, will be disposed of once the organization is finished with the data, is not collected for an unsavoury purpose, is secure, and will not be transferred to a country with fewer or no data protection laws.
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 prohibits the interception of messages whether public or private, and defines to what extent and under what conditions intelligence agencies can monitor individuals. Without sufficient grounds and permission of the Secretary of State these agencies are not allowed to do so, but if they believe that an individual has engaged or is engaging in some kind of criminal activity across the internet then they may be able to intercept e-mails, telephone calls, internet traffic and texts in transit. They can also force ISPs to comply, even through making ISPs give them encryption keys to decrypt the data being transferred which would otherwise not be understandable. Lastly they access messages after they have reached the recipient, as at this point they are protected by the Data Protection Act.
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act consists of copyright of intellectual property which protects media such as films or music, in addition to the protection of designs and as such a certain aesthetic or way something works, patents which refer to ideas, and trademarks such as a name or logo. Copyrighted items may only be used with permission of the author.
One last piece of legislation is the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations of 1992, which protects workers who use computers for prolonged periods of time. The main provisions this act consists of are an appropriate position and posture in order to prevent Repetitive Strain Injury, fatigue or damage to the back - as well as complimentary eye tests for these staff, and appropriate software design in order to prevent straining the eyes through looking at clashing colours or small fonts, as well as minimizing the number of clicks needed to do something.
In the past software and media companies have often utilised Digital Rights Management in order to combat piracy and protect copyright. This consists of constraints in order to control how something is used, what machine it is used on, what piece of software it is used in (if it is music), and controls to prevent copying and distribution as well as limit how many times something can be installed (if it is software). In addition it will stop changes being made to the coding. The type of software this protects is known as proprietary software, and generally involves a licence to use which may dictate things such as how many times the software can be installed and if backup copies can be made. The opposite of this is free software such as the Linux operating system, which is open source, and as such one can make modifications to the coding and redistribute it, but not to make a profit.
Another way we are controlled outside of the law is through the code of conduct of an organization, which will limit our activities on computers. It is a behaviour policy, and if broken disciplinary action such as sacking may be taken, but no legal action unless a crime has been committed using their computers. It may contain rules such as not accessing a personal e-mail account on a work computer, not accessing others' accounts, and not installing software.
Robots also currently have and will continue to have an effect on society. They can be used in extreme environments, can conduct laborious tasks without assistance, make fewer mistakes, and may minimize risk to human life. In addition they can be used to explore places beyond the reach of humans (e.g. Mars). They are not fully independent however, and require human instructions in the form of programs due to an incapability to think or make decisions. Furthermore they can only conduct specific tasks that they are programmed to do, and cannot conduct these tasks if obstacles are met.
To conclude, computers have many positive effects in life, such as freedom of information and access to more information than before. In addition computers have been used to advance society. There are downsides however, such as reducing the social capability of individuals if they become obsessed with their use, the spread of false information or rumours, crime over the internet, and other individual social factors such as obesity due to a lack of exercise because of excessive computer use.
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