Society, Law and Ethics

Contents:

• Digital Footprints
• Net and Communication etiquettes
• Data Protection
• Intellectual Property Rights(IPR)
• Plagiarism
• Licesing and Copyrighting
• Free and Open Source (FOSS)
• Cybercrime
• Phishing
• Hacking
• Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Trolls
• Cyber Law
• Information Technology Act, 2000
• E-Waste Management
• Health Concerns related to overuse of technology

Digital Footprints:

This is the term used to describe the trail, traces or “footprints” that people leave online. Digital footprints are recorded with each and every online activity we perform
Digital footprints should be properly managed so as to safeguard your personal information, freedom and to prevent any possibility of incurring financial loss. If proper care is not taken, digital footprints may result in online threats such as scams, identity theft, privacy issues and fake websites.

Measure to be taken to manage digital footprint:

• Double-check privacy settings; don’t trust unsafe sites (sites without https prefix)
• Create strong, memorable passwords.
• Review the mobile usage. Delete unwanted and obsolete (.temp-temporary) files from your device
• Build reputation through online behaviour

Net and Communicatioe Etiquettes:

Netiquette is the short form of “internet etiquette” or communication etiquettes over the internet. Netiquette is a code of good behaviour while working on the internet. It includes several aspects of the internet, such as social media, email, online chat, web forums, website comments, multiplayer gaming and other types of online communication.

Do’s and Don’ts that one should follow while working on the internet.

Data Protection:

Data protection addresses the practices, safeguards, and binding rules put in place to protect your personal information and ensure that it remains in control while working online

Any kind of unprotected data or data breach as it may contribute to several serious issues:

• Physical data loss
• Attack by a virus, worm or malicious code
• Targeted by hackers
• DDoS(Distributed denial of service) attacks
• Intellectual property at risk

Data Protection can be achived by:

• Through Data Encryption.
• Not sharing private information such as passwords, credit card credentials, etc.
• Not oversharing on social networking sites using public domain.
• Adopting complete security mechanism for protection against possible threats.
• Avoiding opening phishing emails.
• Being careful about using open Wi-Fi connections.

Intellectual Property Rights(IPR):

Intellectual property refers to creations of the intellect, inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce are part of it.

Intellectual property is usually divided into two branches, namely industrial property which includes trademarks, industrial design, inventions etc and copyright which protects literary and artistic works.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and then passing it off as one’s own.
Plagiarism can be classified as accidental/unintentional or deliberate/intentional. Intentional plagiarism includes copying someone else’s work, cutting and pasting blocks of text or any kind of media (audio, video files or movie clips) from electronic sources without documenting and at the same time publishing it on the web without the permission of developers/creators. On the other hand, unintentional/accidental plagiarism involves careless paraphrasing (changing the words or sentence construction of a copied document), quoting text excessively along with poor documentation.

How to avoid plagiarism

• Use your own words and ideas.
• Always provide reference or give credit to the source from where you have received your information.
• As far as possible, try to include the source in your works citing page number

Licensing and Copyrighting:

Software Licensing is the legal right to run or the privilege given to you by a company to access their application (or program).

Licences can be further classified into two types on the basis of criteria of their use as Proprietary Licences and Free and Open Source Licences.

In Proprietary Licences, exclusive rights in the software are retained with the owner/developer/publisher. They reserve all the freedoms and rights to use and distribute these proprietary software. Violation of the proprietary licence amounts to copyright infringement.

Free and Open Source Licence refers to a software that users can safely run, adapt and redistribute without legal restraint, and which emphasizes on freedom. Open source software is the software with source code that is publicly available under a licence that gives users the right to study, change, and distribute that software and emphasizes on security, cost-saving, and transparency

NOTE: Copyright is a type of intellectual property protection and licensing is a kind of risk control measure that can be applied to control copyright and less exposure, so the licensor (copyright owner) can grant permission that usually takes the form of a licensing agreement to use its copyrighted material.

Cybercrime:

Cybercrime is defined as a crime in which a computer is the object of the crime (hacking, phishing, spamming) or is used as a tool to commit an offence (child pornography, hate crimes). Cybercriminals may use computer technology to access personal information, business trade secrets or use the internet for exploitative or malicious purposes.
Common types of cybercrime include online bank information theft, identity theft, online predatory crimes and unauthorized computer access.

Phishing:

Phishing is an attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging and it often directs the users to enter personal information at a fake website, the look and feel of which is identical to the legitimate one, the only difference being the URL of the website in question.

The protective measures to be followed against Phishing:

• Never open or download a file from an unsolicited email
• Keep your operating system updated.
• Enable two-factor authentication whenever available.
• Confirm the authenticity of a website prior to entering login credentials by looking for a reputable security trust mark.
• Look for HTTPS in the address bar when you enter any sensitive personal information on a website to make sure your data will be encrypted.

Hacking:

Hacking is the process of gaining unauthorized access to a computing device or a group of computer systems.

Types of hacker:

• Black Hat Hackers or Crackers are individuals with extraordinary computing skills, resorting to malicious/destructive activities. Black hat hackers use their knowledge and skills for their own personal gains probably by hurting others.
• White Hat Hackers are individuals who use their hacking skills for defence. This means that white hat hackers use their knowledge and skills for the common good. Ethical hacking, also known as penetration testing
• Grey Hat Hackers are individuals who work both offensively and defensively at different times. Their behaviour cannot be predicted. Sometimes they use their skills for the common good while at other times they use them for personal gains.

Prevent Hacking

• Download software from authorized websites only
• Scan all types of hard drives before running
• Keep strong passwords.
• Never store or share login information
• Do not click and open random email attachments.

Cyber Bullying:

Cyber bullying is the attack upon an individual or group through the use of electronic means such as instant messaging, social media, email and other forms of online communication with the intent to abuse, intimidate or overpower.

Following acts are considered as cyber bullying:

• Posting any kind of humiliating content about the victim.
• Hacking the victim’s account.
• Sending or posting vulgar messages online.
• Threatening to commit acts of violence.
• Stalking by means of calls, messages, etc.

Different Types of Cyber Bullying

• Doxing – Publishing revealing personal information about an individual online, for the purpose of defaming, humiliating or harassing the victim.
• Harassment – Posting threatening, hurtful or intimidating messages online, or sending them directly to someone, with the intention of harming that person.
• Impersonation – Creating fake accounts or gaining access to a person’s real social media accounts and posting things to damage the victim’s reputation.
• Cyberstalking – Tracking and monitoring a person’s online activity and using the internet to stalk or harass an individual.

How to Prevent Cyber Bullying

The victims of cyber bullying are usually young children. So parents must ensure proper vigilance

• Be aware of the child’s online activities.
• Watch for the following signs of cyber bullying in children:
  • Refusal to allow to see what they are doing online/li>
  • Refusal to discuss what they are doing online
  • Sudden, unexplained increase or decrease in online activity
  • Emotional responses (including sadness, anger, happiness) linked to their device usage
  • Deactivating social media accounts

Cyber Troll:

Internet Troll/Cyber Troll is a behaviour wherein the troll(person) intends to inflame , upset or otherwise damage civil discourse. It tends towards disrupting the online or public communication of other through the use of vile invective, insult and other verbal havoc.

Cyber Law:

Cyber law is the part of the legal system that deals with cyberspace, internet and legal issues. It covers a broad area, like freedom of expression, access to and utilization of internet, and online security or online privacy. It is commonly known as the law of the web.

IMPORTANCE: Cyber law plays a very important role in this new approach to technology. It is important as it is concerned with almost all aspects of activities and transactions that take place either on the internet or other communication devices.

Information Technology Act, 2000:

The Information Technology Act, 2000 (also known as ITA-2000, or the IT Act) is an Act of the Indian Parliament (No. 21 of 2000) notified on 17 October, 2000. It is the primary law in India dealing with cybercrime and electronic commerce.

Offencenes and their penalty recognized under IT Act 2000 is listed below.

E-Waste Management:

Whenever an electronic device covers up its working life, or becomes non-usable due to technological advancements or becomes non-functional, it is not used anymore and comes under the category of e-waste or electronic waste.

DEF: Managing such non-functional electronic devices is termed as e-waste management

E-waste Hazards

On Environment • Acidification of soil • Air pollution • Pollution of groundwater • Landfills with lead and heavy metals
On Human Health • Lung cancer • DNA damage • Asthmatic bronchitis • Chronic brain damage

some eco-friendly waste disposal techniques that you can use to dispose of electronic waste locally:

• Give your Electronic Waste to a Certified E-Waste Recycler
• Sell off your Outdated Technology
• Donating your Outdated Technology
• Give Back to your Electronic Companies or Leave at Drop-off Points
• Safeguard both the Environment and your Sensitive Information

Health Concerns related to overuse of technology:

Technology can have a large impact on users' mental and physical health. Being overly connected can cause psychological issues such as distraction, narcissism, expectation of instant gratification and even depression. Besides affecting users' mental health, use of technology can also have negative repercussions on physical health causing vision problems, hearing loss and neck strain.

References:

• SUmita arora for Class 12 IP