Computing and the Enviroment

Many of the technologies we use every day consume a lot more resources and power than they need to, and using and manufacturing them can create a mess. Here are a few of the ways that technology can harm the environment:

• Pollution - Air, water, heat and noise pollution can all be caused by producing and using technology
• Consuming resources - Non-renewable resources, including precious metals like gold, are used to make technology. Many others, such as coal, are consumed to generate the electricity to use technology. Even some renewable resources, like trees and water, are becoming contaminated or are used up faster than they can renew themselves because of technology.
• Waste - Manufacturing technology creates large amounts of waste, and used computers and electronics get thrown out when they break or become outdated. Called "technotrash," these electronics contain all sorts of hazardous materials that are very unsafe for the environment. They need to be disposed of using special methods.
• Disrupting ecology - Clearing land where animals used to live to build factories and allowing pollution to contaminate the food chain can greatly affect the environment's natural cycles.
• Health hazards - Using toxic materials that can harm our health can cause cancer, and technology addiction can lead to other health problems like obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome.

You can encourage manufacturers by choosing to buy more energy-efficient and less hazardous electronics and by supporting companies that make protecting the environment a priority. You can also do your own part to reduce enviromental impact by not being wasteful and disposing of your electronics safely and properly.

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.
It does this in two ways:

• public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and
• members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. Information held by Scottish public authorities is covered by Scotland’s own Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces. However, the Act does not necessarily cover every organisation that receives public money. For example, it does not cover some charities that receive grants and certain private sector organisations that perform public functions.

Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings.

The Act does not give people access to their own personal data such as their health records or credit reference file. If a member of the public wants to see information that a public authority holds about them, they should make a subject access request under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Netiquette

The word netiquette is a combination of ’net’ (from internet) and ’etiquette’. It means respecting other users’ views and displaying common courtesy when posting your views to online discussion groups.

Basic Rules

1. Refrain from personal abuse. You may express robust disagreement with what someone says, but don't call them names or threaten them with personal violence.
2. Don't spam. That is, don't repeatedly post the same advertisement for products or services. Most sites have strict and specific rules about who is allowed to post ads and what kind of ads they are.
3. Write clearly and succinctly. On a site that has many non-native English speakers, avoid using slang they may not understand.
4. Remember that your posts are public. They can be read by your partner, your children, your parents, or your employer.
5. Stay on-topic, especially when you're new. Don't post about football in a hair-care forum or about hair care in a gardening forum!
6. Don't expect other people to do your homework for you. If you're looking for technical help, for example, don't ask questions you could easily answer yourself by reading the manual or online help provided with the product. When you do ask for help, include details of what attempts you've made to solve the problem. It will save time and also show people that you are making an effort to help yourself.
7. Do not post copyrighted material to which you do not own the rights. Sites vary in how strict they are about this, but as well as facing the possibility of legal action by the rights holder, you may also get the site sued.
8. The site's owner, perhaps assisted by one or more moderators, has the final say in enforcing the rules.

Phising and Spam

The Copyright Designs and patents Act

The Act simplifies the different categories of work which are protected by copyright, eliminating the specific treatment of engravings and photographs.

- literary, dramatic and musical works: these must be recorded in writing or otherwise to be granted copyright, and copyright subsists from the date at which recording takes place
- artistic works: includes buildings, photographs, engravings and works of artistic craftsmanship.
- sound recordings and films
- broadcasts: a broadcast is a transmission by wireless telegraphy which is intended for, and capable of reception by, members of the public.
- cable programmes. A cable programme is a part of a service which transmits images, sound or other information to two or more different places or to members of the public by any means other than wireless telegraphy. There are several exceptions, including general Internet use, which may be modified by Order in council
- published editions means the published edition of the whole or part of one or more literary, dramatic or musical works.

When you want to use someone elses work, name, pictures etc without permission from the orginal creator you need copyright. it is illegal to use someone else work with copyright permission and you can be fined up to £1000. 

The Data Protetion Act

1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and, in particular, shall not be processed unless - at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met, and in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is also met.

2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.

3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed.

4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.

5. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

6. About the rights of individuals e.g. personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects.

7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.

The Data Protection Act protects personal information and controls how personal information is used by the government, organisations or businesses.

The Computer Misue Act

The Computer Misuse Act of 1990 is a law in the United Kingdom that makes certain activities illegal, such as hacking into other people’s systems, misusing software, or helping a person to gain access to protected files of someone else's computer. The act was created after the 1984-1985 R v. Gold case, which was appealed in 1988. The appeal was successful, inspiring parliament to create a law that would make punishable the behavior committed by Robert Schifreen and Stephen Gold.

The computer Misue act recognised the following new offences:
 - Unauthorised access to computer material
 - Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime
 - Unoauthorised modification of computing material
 - Making, supplying or obtaining anything which can be used in computer misuse offences