Knowledge Organiser: Legal Issues in Computing
This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser: Legal Issues in Computing within Legal Issues for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Legal Issues in Impacts of Technology for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 14 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 7 of 7 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 7 of 7
Practice
15 questions
Recall
14 flashcards
Knowledge Organiser: Legal Issues in Computing
Key Terms
- Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR): Protects personal data and gives individuals control over their information
- Computer Misuse Act 1990: Makes unauthorised access to computer systems illegal
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: Protects creators' rights over their original work
- Freedom of Information Act 2000: Gives the public the right to request information held by public bodies
- Intellectual property: Creative works owned by their creator (software, music, images, text)
Must-Know Facts
- Data Protection: data must be lawfully collected, accurate, secure, and not kept longer than needed
- Individuals' rights under UK GDPR: access, correction, deletion ("right to be forgotten"), portability
- Computer Misuse Act Section 1: unauthorised access (up to 2 years)
- Computer Misuse Act Section 2: unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences (up to 5 years)
- Computer Misuse Act Section 3: unauthorised modification/damage to impair computer operation (up to 10 years)
- Computer Misuse Act Section 3A: making, supplying or obtaining tools for computer misuse offences (up to 2 years)
- Copyright: you cannot copy, distribute, or modify software/media without permission
- Creative Commons licences allow creators to specify how their work may be used
Key Concepts
- UK GDPR 6 principles: lawful/fair/transparent, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, security
- Computer Misuse Act: Section 1 (access), Section 2 (access + further offences), Section 3 (damage/modification), Section 3A (making/supplying hacking tools)
- Open source software: free to use, modify, distribute (e.g. Linux)
- Proprietary software: licensed for use only; copying is illegal
- Exam tip: distinguish between ethical issues (what is right) and legal issues (what is lawful)
Common Mistakes
- Applying the wrong Act to a scenario: Data Protection covers personal data (names, addresses); Copyright covers creative works (software, music, images) — they are different laws
- Thinking unauthorised access is only illegal if damage is done: Computer Misuse Act Section 1 makes unauthorised access illegal even with no intent to cause harm
- Confusing ethical and legal issues: Legal = what is lawful by statute; ethical = what is morally right — something can be legal but unethical (e.g. collecting excessive data)
- Forgetting individuals' rights under UK GDPR: Individuals have the right to access, correct, and request deletion of their personal data
- Saying open source software has no rules: Open source software has licence conditions (e.g. attribution, share-alike) — it is not simply "free to do anything with"
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Practice Questions for Legal Issues
Which law makes it illegal to access a computer system without permission?
Explain what the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects and give one example of an act that would be illegal under this law.
Quick Recall Flashcards
15 questions on Legal Issues — practise free
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