The Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR), the Computer Misuse Act 1990, copyright, and open source and proprietary licences.
What you will learn
- Apply the data protection principles and rights
- Name the three Computer Misuse Act offences
- Explain copyright and software licences
Data protection
The Data Protection Act 2018 (the UK's version of the GDPR) controls how organisations use personal data: data about an identifiable living person.
An organisation needs a lawful reason, such as the person's consent, to use personal data, so people stay in control of information about them. Facts about things, places or prices on their own (the price of a console, the number of computers in a school) are not personal data.
Personal data must be: used lawfully and fairly with a clear purpose; limited to what is needed; accurate; kept no longer than necessary (storage limitation); kept secure. "Limited to what is needed" is called data minimisation: collecting extra data just in case breaks it.
The data subject can see their data (a subject access request) and have it corrected or deleted. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces the law and can fine organisations.
The rest of this lesson and its 7 practice questions are locked.
In this lesson
- Data protection
- Computer misuse and copyright
- Try it: Which offence?
7 practice questions, marked as you go; about 25 minutes in all.
Key terms
Storage limitation, Data subject, Patent, Open source, Proprietary
In this unit: Ethical, legal and environmental impacts
Privacy, fairness, jobs and the digital divide; the Data Protection Act, Computer Misuse Act and copyright; open source and proprietary licences; the energy and e-waste behind our devices; and the questions raised by wearables, implants, self-driving cars, AI and robots, with patents, trademarks and licences.