IT+and+the+Law

=CyberEthics:=

Morality and Law in Cyberspace
The rapid development of the Web and the entire Internet economy is not without its social costs. If it is easier to publish and spread truthful and valuable information, it is also easier to spread libel, falsehoods and inappropriate material. If it is easier to reproduce and share digitized information instanteously, it is also easier to violate copyright protection. And if it is easier to build personal relationships with consumers, it is easir to monitor consumers' behaviour and invade their personal privacy. Thus the internet's vast capabilities can be misused to undermine private property and mock our traditional sense of moral propriety.

The internet is a challenge to legal systems, which have had a difficult time keeping up with this borderless global technology. In the past the internet was an unstructured electronic terrain, a frontier with few rules and restrictions. But now that cyberspace has become a widely used forum for economic transactions and social interactions, many argue that anarchy must yield to some type of order and that news laws must be crafted to restrict and punish asocial users. //__Source__: Cyberethics & Morality and Law in Cyberspace, Richard A Spinello//

Some of the laws that exist to govern information in cyberspace are explained below.

The Computer Misuse Act by Alessio, Jonny & Jordan Copyright Law & Plagiarism by Aamir & Raahem The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 by Ryan & Mike Software Piracy Laws by Yahya & Daniel Freedom of Information Act 2000 by Sam, Nikki & Phillip

__//**Note**//__: the student task above was to: 1. Write a page summarising the main principles of the law and which country the law applies to. 2. Find TWO RELEVANT NEWS ARTICLES that RELATE to your law. If possible one article should be about someone who has broken the law and the punishment imposed for breaking the law.