When people use computers, phones and the internet, they create and share huge amounts of data and digital content. To protect people and organisations, the UK has several important laws that control how technology can be used.
In this activity, you will be sorting real-world inspired case files into the correct legal category. Before you start, here is a quick reminder of the three main UK laws you need to know for Computer Science and Digital Technology courses.
In the UK, there are three main acts that are very relevant to the use of computer science technologies:
- The Copyright, Designs & Patents Act
- The Data Protection Act
- The Computer Misuse Act
Let’s find out more about this legislation.
The Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Act works alongside GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) to protect people’s personal data.
The purpose of this act is to ensure our personal data is being used and dealt with sensibly.
Example of personal data:
- Name and address
- Date of birth
- Employment records
- Medical records
- Religion/faith
This act stipulates that personal information stored on a computer system must be kept securely.
Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully in accordance with the rights of data subjects.
When an organisation stores personal data about individuals on a computer system, they must only store data that is relevant/necessary, accurate and up-to-date.
Personal data kept by an organisation on a computer system shall not be kept for longer than is necessary and should be deleted if it is no longer needed.
When personal data is shared with a third party, it has to be done fairly and lawfully, securely and with the permission of the data subject.
The Computer Misuse Act
The purpose of this act is to discourage people from accessing computer systems without permission (hacking) whether to intend to commit further illegal activities or not.
This acts make it illegal to access data on a computer when that material will be used to commit further illegal activity, such as fraud or blackmail.
It is also illegal to access and change the contents of someone’s files without their permission. It is therefore illegal to install a virus or other malware on someone’s computer as this is done without their consent.
This act also makes it illegal to carry out attacks that stop systems from working (e.g. DDoS attacks)
The Copyright, Designs & Patents Act
This act provides a legal means of ensuring that content creators can protect the work they have produced.
When anyone creates something, they automatically own it. This could include:
- a picture, drawing or photograph
- an animation, a film or a video clip
- a sound file, podcast or music
- a piece of text incl. an article, news report, blog post or a book
- a video game or a computer program (e.g. source code)
When using copyrighted material, it is illegal to…
- Make copies
- Publish
- Distribute
- Sell copies
…unless you have been given permission by the copyright owner.
UK Legislation Quiz
You will now be shown a series of case files based on real events involving:
- Data leaks
- Hacking attacks
- Illegal sharing of digital content
Your task is to:
- Read each case carefully
- Decide which law it is most closely related to
- Drag the case into the correct legal folder
You can change your mind and move cases again before finishing!
Can you correctly sort all the cases and get a perfect score? Good luck, and think carefully about which law applies in each situation!
UK Legislation – Drag and DropOpen in New Window
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