Civil Liberties

Civil liberties are freedoms that the government puts in place and they include laws which are to be enforces to be able to ensure safety while using the internet. Our lives are surrounding by IT and we need these freedoms to allow us to have the right to life and understand between positive and negative rights.

Data

Data is stored by companies about customers and workers and the information gathering is kept private, however it can be sold on. The two types of data include data subjects and data users. The data is gathered by many companies, even when you are unaware. Data subjects are everyone because we are the people who are having data held about us. Data users are the people who hold the data. A data controller is only used for the people who are holding the data and it is a person who ensures the data protection act is enforced.

Data Protection Act

The data protection act started in 1998 and they had set out to protect the privacy of personal information. It only covers personal information of individuals and it covers data stored on computer and on paper through a filing system. It lets a person check all the data that is being held about them and it is currently run by the information commissioner’s office. The Information Commissioner’s Office is an independent public authority set up to uphold information rights. They believe that they do it by promoting good practice, ruling on complaints, providing information to individuals and organisations and taking appropriate action when the law is broken.

Many people will feel insecure sharing their information with people they do not know, especially when they are unaware of it as they might think it could be a hacker trying to receive information. It is legal for companies to sell your information onto other companies; however the companies have to ensure the person is notified and say: what data they want to store, what they want to use it for, how long they will keep it and who they might pass it onto. They also have to agree to follow the 8 Data Protection Principles.

Exemptions of the Data Protection Act

There are a few cases when the Data Protection Act does not apply. Some of the exemptions of the act include: national security, police investigations and examination results. If the national security is involved within your data then you are not allowed to ask for that data which is being stored. If your information is being used in police investigations then your data is not covered. Finally in examination results, results are not allowed to be seen before publications of the exam board.

CCTV

We are living in what some people call the surveillance society where there are many security cameras all around us. Offices have CCTV cameras and also schools to protect the machinery and equipment. It is said that in the UK for every 32 people there is one CCTV camera. CCTV cameras do not come under the Data Protection Act and you can argue that it is an invasion of privacy because it is as if someone is constantly watching your every move and they can also be used for the wrong reasons as they are used in many places; however some people believe they are to ensure we are kept safe.

Other Aspects

There’s a danger of our own civil liberties becoming damaged, you would want criminals to be caught, but by making their data accessible means that the innocent’s data is also accessible. This essentially means you only have privacy up to a point as they know data about you that could potentially be unnecessary. There are some things that you should never share, for example, keeping your date of birthday secret is very important. There have been cases on the Google search facility about people asking to be taken off Google because they have found defamatory information about them.

Scopes of Civil Liberties

The scopes of civil liberties include that in the Data Protection Act the company informs you about any great amounts of data they want to keep. They also inform you about who they may pass the information onto which helps the person feel more secure about who will receive their data. Finally the data is only kept for a long as they need it which is some cases could be a short amount of time.

Limitations of Civil Liberties

The limitations of civil liberties include having a large amount of invasion of privacy due to CCTV cameras and from some of your data being kept without your knowledge. Also there is a possibility that fraud could happen as someone could receive the information about you and use it against you. Finally it may make the person feel uncomfortable with sharing their data with someone they do not know.

My Personal Opinion

I think that companies should not be allowed to share the information because although the person may agree for them to share their information, they are not aware of who will receive the information and they may be led to a false agreement. I also believe CCTV cameras in some cases are unnecessary because they can be used for the wrong reasons, for example, in a local swimming pool there has been controversy about CCTV cameras in the changing rooms as it is invading your privacy in a more extreme way. However I do think that CCTV cameras are used for our safety and to prevent criminals when on the streets and in very crowded or even deserted places.

Crime and Crime Prevention

There are two things that happen with IT where crime is concerned. The ability it gives to assist us enhancing police work in solving crimes and the opportunities created from crime. There are now many devices which are used within this process and the two elements are fundamental for IT in crime for the general crime and traffic offenses.

Crime Prevention Enhanced by IT

There are many ways in which IT has helped assist the police work in solving crimes by using very developed technology to help prevent crime all around the world. We need IT to be able to help us identify criminals, especially in big cases such as murder. Some criminals are unaware of what they leave behind and with the help of IT police are able to detect fingerprints or any source of DNA from objects the criminal has come in contact with.

CCTV

Another common aspect used by the police is the use of CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras play an important role in being able to solve crimes as they are in use 24/7 and police can visually see any crime scenes happening or if a criminal has been spotted. They have also developed over the years and are now of a higher quality to give a clearer image which again helps to indentify criminals. Statistics show that in the UK, for every 32 people there is one CCTV camera; this makes people feel safer within their communities but some people disagree with this and believe it is an invasion of privacy.

Police Database

Police use a police database which is a database on criminals. Police enter all the characteristics of a crime onto the database, and it comes up with related crimes and the person or people involved allowing the criminal to be indentified quicker. Also if there are any fingerprints or other DNA samples found when investigating the crime then police can find a match with a past criminal on the database. However it can be difficult when there is a new crime as there would be no DNA they could match it up to, therefore making the process a lot longer to obtain accurate results.

Electronic Tagging

Electronic tagging is an electronic device attached to a person or vehicle for monitoring purposes. For example a tracking offender under house arrest has an alarm system on their tag which is programmed with curfew times and it is set off if the offender leaves their house outside the given times. The tag is then connected to the probation service who is immediately alerted if they leave the given area around their house and this is then transferred directly to the police. Electronic tagging helps with keeping down the number of prisoners. Another way in order to cut down theft is having electronic tags on clothing and other products, meaning that they have to be cancelled before you get out the store and they are cancelled by paying.

Contemporary Issues

A big contemporary issue is the police having ability to get the right to look at browsing history, online activity and email. People could argue that they do not look at personal or private things and they are just searching for anything suspicious to indentify criminals and help the safety of everyone. However some people believe that is in an invasion of privacy and that it is unnecessary to look at all those aspects when they should only be looking at one or two just to check.

Opportunities Created by Crime

The advances of technology have lead to more people using these developments to commit crimes such as hacking and piracy. They are using the use of computers and the internet and can cause many people to be lead into false information and accounts. This can cause many problems and difficulties for people to be involved in, then affecting the whole of society.

Hacking

Hacking has been a big issue for a very long time and it is has always been a problem. Hackers can make a living out of what they do as the more advanced they get the more money and satisfaction they get out of it. Hackers are well aware that is it illegal, however some still manage to never get caught. There have been cases of hackers being able to get into the systems of banks and many of the well known companies and this then causes a problem on a wide scale. 

Viruses

In order to stop hacking and a variety of other things people can access, new software is being created. Alongside hacking are viruses which destroy data, even of individuals. Similarly some people also create viruses for a living as they are able to gain money out of it when people are unaware of it. It takes close to a second for a virus to destroy the contents of your data and it can cause many problems on your computer.

Piracy

Piracy is another big issue that has become more frequent over the recent years as downloading has become widely popular. The material of a CD which you buy does not actually belong to you, you only buy the license to listen or watch the contents it contains. This essentially means that no one else is able to use the CD apart from you. This is also the case of music and when music is bought off iTunes, you are the only person who is able to listen to it and if someone else is listening to it, that is in actual fact, illegal. All types of illegal downloads are piracy. There are many recent cases of websites being shut down due to piracy of films that people from all around the world are able to access for free.

Scopes of Crime and Crime Prevention

The scopes of crime and crime prevention include that the use of IT used in crime enables us to prevent future crimes as criminals are put off by the evidence that can be found. Another reason is because people feel a lot safer because of all the CCTV cameras that are around. Also ID hardware can be chipped so that it can be tracked and traced if ever stolen.

Limitations of Crime and Crime Prevention

The limitations of crime and crime prevention include people feel a lack of privacy due to the amount of CCTV cameras. Also large companies and banks are highly affected from hackers. Finally the developing technology can make it easier for hackers to get into computer systems as there are many new ways which they discover.

My Personal Experience

My own experience I have had is about a year ago when my previous laptop had received a virus. The virus had not affected any of my documents or personal data, however it affected the way in which my computer system worked and it resulted in having to have my whole laptop wiped, meaning I lost all the data stored, including pictures and school work.