Data security and Legal issues

Data security and

Legal issues

Q1) What is the data protection act?

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

Q2) Who is the information commissioner?

A data commissioner is someone who is responsible with the safety and integrity of information/data in an organisation. He/she oversees compliance with the terms of the legislation. The Commissioner has a wide range of enforcement powers, including investigation of organisation records and record-keeping practices.

Q3) Who is the data controller?

A data controller is the individual or the legal person who controls and is responsible for the keeping and use of personal information on computer or in structured manual files.

Q4) Who are the data subjects?

Anyone who has data stored about them that is outside their direct control.

Q5) What is personal data?

Personal data means data which relate to a living individual who can be identified either from those data, or from those data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of, the data controller, and includes any expression of opinion about the individual and any indication of the intentions of the data controller or any other person in respect of the individual.

Q6) Find and list all eight points of the data protection act.

Everyone who is responsible for using data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’. They must make sure the information is:

1.    used fairly and lawfully

2.    used for limited, specifically stated purposes

3.    used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive

4.    accurate

5.    kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary

6.    handled according to people’s data protection rights

7.    kept safe and secure

8.    not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection

There is stronger legal protection for more sensitive information, such as:

1.    ethnic background

2.    political opinions

3.    religious beliefs

4.    health

5.    sexual health

6.    criminal records

online services

ONLINE SERVICES

Q1) Define online services.

An online service provider can for example be an Internet service provider, email provider, news provider (press), entertainment provider (music, movies), search, e-shopping site (online stores), e-finance or e-banking site, e-health site, e-government site, Wikipedia, Usenet. In its original more limited definition, it referred only to a commercial computer communication service in which paid members could dial via a computer modem the service's private computer network and access various services and information resources such as bulletin boards, downloadable files and programs, news articles, chat rooms, and electronic mail services.

Q2) Describe the effects of the online services on society.

ICT has a great impact on society, some of these effects are good but others are bad.

The Good effects:)

•  Many of the hard and time-taking jobs which were done manually can be done now using ICT which makes it easier.
 • Computerization has improved levels of productivity, which means that workers need to work shorter hours and still maintain the same standard of living.
•  Without ICT many things would not be possible (e.g. Credit cards, digital television, DVDs, space travel, mobile telephones).
• ICT has created many new jobs; such as software development. More people can work from home rather than have to travel to an office every day.
 • Many manufacturing tasks are 24/7 – they take place for twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week – and are constantly monitored and controlled by computers.

• Since many of the jobs can now be done by robots and computers the industries and organizations save more money as they aren’t going to pay salaries for machines.

 The Bad effects:)
          • Life without ICT tends to be slower and less stressful.
          • Computerization of many jobs in industry (e.g. manufacturing) has led to unemployment.
          • Many of the new ICT jobs require high levels of skills and/or qualifications, and are not easily filled by older, less ICT-literate workers.
         • The storage of personal data on computer systems has eroded people’s privacy.
         • ICT systems often fail at inconvenient times – leaving businesses unable to function because they are so dependent on ICT.
        • Although industries and organizations can save more money by using robots and computers to do many tasks which were done by people in the past they still have to pay money for buying these devices and for repair as well.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Online shopping

Online Shopping

1-      Define online shopping.

Online shopping or e-shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. Alternative names are: e-web-store, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, online storefront and virtual store.

2-    Identify the pros and cons of online shopping for customers.

Pros:)        

1.        Save Time & Hassle - Shop online and there’s no need to leave the house!

2.       Save Gas - Shopping online means no gas required.

3.       The Ability To Price Compare - When you’re shopping online, you can simply search the item and find the best price instantly.

4.       Shop 24/7.

5.       Unlimited Sizes/ Options.

6.       No pushy sales people.

7.       Customer Reviews.

Cons:)

1.        Shipping Costs.

2.       Wait Time – you have to wait for a day or two to receive your new purchase.

3.       Can’t Try It On.

4.       Payment Insecurities – you might be stolen, so be careful!

5.       Damage - When you’re dealing with shipping, damage is always a possibility.

3-    Describe how online shopping operates.

1.        Decide which online shop to use.

2.       Browsing product categories.

3.       Using the virtual shopping basket.

4.       Going to the checkout.

4-   Identify the security issues.

The major threats of e-commerce include; unauthorized access by fraudsters, sale of fake products, and impersonation among others. However, these can be prevented through usage of authenticated and encrypted internet connections.

Evaluation

 

 

Once the new system has been implemented and is in full use, the system should be evaluated (this means that we take a long, critical look at it).
The purpose of an evaluation is to assess the system to see if it does what it was supposed to do, that it is working well, and that everyone is happy with it.

What Does an Evaluation Look For?

When the systems analyst evaluates the new system, the following questions will be asked:

Is the system efficient?

Does it operate quickly, smoothly and with minimal waste?

Is the system saving time, and resources?

Is the system easy to use?

Are all of the system's users able to use the system easily and effectively?

Can new staff understand and use the system with minimal training?

Is the system suitable for that particular business / organisation?

Does the system actually meet the needs of the business / organisation?

How is a System Evaluated?

The systems analyst will use a number of techniques to evaluate the system...

Check against the Requirements Specification

If you remember, earlier on in the Systems Analysis, the old system was analysed, and a checklist of targets was drawn up for the new system.

This list was called the Requirements Specification.

The systems analyst will use this document to check the new system. Going through the requirements one-by-one the analyst will check if they have been met.

 

Check the Users' Responses

It is essential to get feedback from the users of the system...

• Do they like it?
• Does it make their work easier?
• What, if anything, could be improved?

The systems analyst can get this feedback in the same way they collected information about the original system.

 

What Happens Next?

The outcome of the evaluation will be to identify any limitations or problems with the new system.

The system analyst will then need to begin the task of system analysis from the beginning, but this time analysing the new system, and then designing, testing and implementing improvements.

Thus the whole process repeats.

 

 

Documentation

Documentation

 

There are two types of documentation that should be produced when creating a new system:

• User documentation
• Technical documentation

 

User Documentation

The user documentation is intended to help the users of the system.

The users are usually non-technical people, who don't need to know how the system works. They just need to know how to use it.

User documentation usually includes:

• List of minimum hardware and software required to use the system
• How to install the system
• How to start / stop the system
• How to use the features of the system
• Screenshots showing the system in typical use
• Example inputs and outputs
• Explanations of any error messages that might be shown
• A troubleshooting guide

 

Technical Documentation

The technical documentation is intended to help the maintainers of the system (the people who need to keep the system running smoothly, fix problems, etc.)

The maintainers are usually technical people, who need to know exactly how the system works.

Technical documentation usually includes:

• Details of the hardware and software required for the system
• Details of data structures (data types, field names, etc.)
• Details of expected inputs
• Details of validation checks
• Details of how data is processed
• Diagrams showing how data moves through the system
• Flowcharts describing how the system works