Copyright is a law that enforces a person right to own the material that they create. Since the introduction of computers and particularly the introduction of the Internet there has been an ever-increasing need for people to protect the content and media that they create. One law that assists people with the protection of their media is the copyright law as well as the ability to ‘license’ material. I will now tell you what I know about copyright law.
Copyright law grants legal protection to people who create media of most types. It was originally intended for use in protecting music, books and photos but its use has been expanded to accompany much more protection.
The purpose of copyright is to protect the content of any person’s expression of ideas. It was established to combat piracy.
How ICT Impacts small businesses
Computer Programs can be great tools for small businesses. below are a few examples of programs that make it easier for them to operate.
Spreadsheets are use for businesses that want to keep records of their profits and losses. They can be used to write up accounts of a businesses transactions.
Graphic programs can be useful for people who want to create attractive posters or advertisements for their business. Graphic designers would make specific use of graphics programs to make extremely attractive designs.
Word processing is good for many reasons. People can use it to create forms, letters and legal documents. It also features a large list of templates of different types of letter, and legal documents. A business might draft a letter before sending it in an email.
Databases can be used to host vast amounts of information. they can be updated with new records and information very easily. Shop businesses, such as the Newry computer store, would have a database system installed in their cash register in order to record stock levels, sales, expenditures and other information.
E-mail can be used in businesses for many helpful activities, such as contacting business partners or employees quickly. Shops that are low on stock might email a supplier to receive more stock.
How IT is used in Banking
IT has had a colossal impact upon the banking industry. Nowadays, almost every action taken by any bank, building society or credit union is recorded and documented for on a network of computers. A simple example of this would be direct debit, whereby a company extracts a payment from your account on regular basis in return for goods or services. This transaction takes place entirely on computers without any physical money changing hands.
IT has made banking and the payment of goods and services much easier and faster than ever before. Atms machines, telephone banking, credit cards, debit cards and MICR are all features that have been created by advances in IT.
How IT is used in Supermarkets
EPOS is a method of sale used by supermarkets that uses technology such as scanners, databases and electronic tills. An advantage of using EPOS is how there are many features to make your shopping experience faster and more convienient. There is better security within the shopping centre and the databases within tills provide the company with features such as stock control that allow them to maintain stock levels.
EPOS is a method of sale used by supermarkets that uses technology such as scanners, databases and electronic tills. An advantage of using EPOS is how there are many features to make your shopping experience faster and more convienient. There is better security within the shopping centre and the databases within tills provide the company with features such as stock control that allow them to maintain stock levels.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking sites
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter can offer many advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
You can organise events easily and meet new friends. You can communicate with family even if they are abroad. Many of these social networking sites offer a chat service that allows you to communicate instantly with friends and family and there is also advertising that can be customised to your tastes manually, e.g. if you enjoy gaming, game advertisements will often appear. These are the main advantages you can get from using social networks on a regular basis.
Disadvantages
Social networking sites are a leading cause of cyber bullying, whereby a person is subjected to direct or indirect abuse from either a peer, statement, group or page containing offensive material. Internet stalking is also a common scare, whereby a person will consistently stalk another person for a prolonged period of time, possibly sending them messages and maybe threats or malicious messages. Viruses are spread on social network sites usually in the form of viral advertisements and spam mail and identity theft can be a cause of the phishing sites that spam mails may link to. These are the main disadvantages of using social networking sites.
Disadvantages
Social networking sites are a leading cause of cyber bullying, whereby a person is subjected to direct or indirect abuse from either a peer, statement, group or page containing offensive material. Internet stalking is also a common scare, whereby a person will consistently stalk another person for a prolonged period of time, possibly sending them messages and maybe threats or malicious messages. Viruses are spread on social network sites usually in the form of viral advertisements and spam mail and identity theft can be a cause of the phishing sites that spam mails may link to. These are the main disadvantages of using social networking sites.
CAD and CAM
CAD, or computer aided design, is a process of creating plans or designs using computers. Companies that produce similar products on a regular basis sometimes find it hard to replicate their work perfectly. CAD is a process whereby a company can easily refer to a pin-point perfect diagram.
On right is an image of a CAD diagram of different parts of a mouse. This aids in development as it makes it easier to know what part goes where.
CAM, or computer aided manufacturing, is a process of instructions that are used to instruct computers and robots to complete mundane and sometimes repetitive tasks. Some of the first and most common uses of CAM are in automotive and aerospace companies. Nowadays you find CAM being used in any mass produced product.
IT in the Health Service
There are many devices and programs availiable for use within a hospital. There are machines and computers to assist with most peoples situation. There are also machines to aid people who have visual and hearing impairment.
Some machines are used for the monitoring of patients, such as a heart monitor.
There are websites that can help people to learn the processes involved in training doctors in how to carry out certain operations.
There are special expert devices for use in examining particular parts of her body. An example of one of these devices would be an x-ray machine, CAT scanner or MRI scanner.
Computers in School
Computers can be used in schools for many tools and services. Online services such as moodle create an online learning environment. This helps students to learn outside of school premises and assists people within colleges who aim to complete assignments and work ahead outside of college time.
Impact of IT on the average day person
IT has become a great help in every persons day to day life. It is a good tool that has enhanced almost every aspect of our lives. It has brought about new ways to do almost everything. Some of the impacts IT has had are good and some are bad.
IT has brought about many good benefits in relation to our ability to communicate, our ability to do business, our ability to work faster and more efficiently and even to emergency services.
Emergency services such as ambulances are now equipped with equipment to aid potentially dying patients. Examples of these technologies are communicative devices, heart monitors and portable defibrillators, which are devices used to shock a patients heart back to action when their heart stops beating. There are many more forms of IT based equipment that many forms of the emergency services may use to work more efficiently. All of these new found "IT" based devices have undoubtedly saved lives.
Communicative services such as facebook, twitter, skype, blackberry messenger, SMS, MMS, E-Mail and many other services have revolutionised the way we contact other people. Nowadays, you can almost instantly get in contact with people who may be miles away or even half way around the world.
Recieving paychecks and paying for good has never been as secure and as fast as it is today. Instead of hulking around your money whenever you decide to make a purchase you can use your credit/debit card to make quick purchases on the go. Direct debit ensures you get your salary on time, every time, transferring an agreed amount of money from one account to another.
The disadvantages of IT, while they may pale and shrink in comparison to the advantages, pose a significant threat to the welfare and safety of the common person. People who use internet banking or pay for services using credit or debit cards online may find that they may lose money due to identity theft, whereby a phishing website or virus will steal their bank account details.
IT has proven to be a useful, if sometimes dangerous asset to the common person.
IT has brought about many good benefits in relation to our ability to communicate, our ability to do business, our ability to work faster and more efficiently and even to emergency services.
Emergency services such as ambulances are now equipped with equipment to aid potentially dying patients. Examples of these technologies are communicative devices, heart monitors and portable defibrillators, which are devices used to shock a patients heart back to action when their heart stops beating. There are many more forms of IT based equipment that many forms of the emergency services may use to work more efficiently. All of these new found "IT" based devices have undoubtedly saved lives.
Communicative services such as facebook, twitter, skype, blackberry messenger, SMS, MMS, E-Mail and many other services have revolutionised the way we contact other people. Nowadays, you can almost instantly get in contact with people who may be miles away or even half way around the world.
Recieving paychecks and paying for good has never been as secure and as fast as it is today. Instead of hulking around your money whenever you decide to make a purchase you can use your credit/debit card to make quick purchases on the go. Direct debit ensures you get your salary on time, every time, transferring an agreed amount of money from one account to another.
The disadvantages of IT, while they may pale and shrink in comparison to the advantages, pose a significant threat to the welfare and safety of the common person. People who use internet banking or pay for services using credit or debit cards online may find that they may lose money due to identity theft, whereby a phishing website or virus will steal their bank account details.
IT has proven to be a useful, if sometimes dangerous asset to the common person.
Potential threats that are introduced by the use of IT.
Potential threats that are introduced by the use of IT.
There are many threat that an IT user can face. Some of these threats include online stalking, internet scams, identity theft, online harassment (also known as trolling) and viral infection. All of these risks have the potential ability to cause the average IT user damage as well as distress.
Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone gathers specific information about you in order to use your “identity” to their own personal or monetary gain, usually at the expense of the IT user. The easiest way to avoid identity theft is to keep as much of your personal information secure as possible. There are many different forms of identity theft such as account takeover, fraudulent transactions and new account creation.
Identity theft is when someone gathers specific information about you in order to use your “identity” to their own personal or monetary gain, usually at the expense of the IT user. The easiest way to avoid identity theft is to keep as much of your personal information secure as possible. There are many different forms of identity theft such as account takeover, fraudulent transactions and new account creation.
Identity theft - Account TakeoverAccount takeover is when the identity thief assumes the identity of the victim in order to purchase goods or services using their account. Account takeover can happen in many ways. One of the most common ways for an identity thief to steal your identity is to use a cloned website to trick the user into believing they are purchasing a product in the same process as they would be on the official website except the purchased items would not be delivered and the paid money would be paid into the identity thief’s account.
Identity theft - Fraudulent TransactionsFraudulent transactions are transactions whereby the identity thief will use another person’s information in order to purchase online goods. The goods would be delivered to an address chosen by the identity thief where the goods would be delivered and collected by the identity thief without having to pay for them. This form of identity theft can be very hefty as the thief can order goods from as many stores as the thief likes.
Internet bullying and trollsInternet Trolls are people who insult other users in a forum, mainly because they are in a situation of complete security. Internet bullying is when a person is subjected to insulting language or when they are sent messages by malicious people who have the sole intention of causing distress to the IT user. Internet bullying can occur through many forms. It can occur on social networking sites such as facebook and twitter in the form of cyber stalking, harassment, impersonation (such as a profile dedicated to slandering an individual) and more serious bullying such as password theft and sending a victim a virus or trojan. Fox News reported of a 14 year old middle school girl who committed suicide due to internet bullying. The family report of how the girl had “endured years of bullying, both online and in the classroom”, and how “it ultimately led her to commit suicide”.
Since the introduction of IT, postal services have been used less and less to communicate with friends and family. This has had a negative effect on the postal industry as there is less stress and demand on the postal services. Postal services recently were forced to raise the price of postal stamps. In an UTV Live article it is stated that “Stamps will cost 30% extra from 30 April”. This was caused directly by the introduction of IT.
Spam
Spam is less of a threat than other problems and it is considered more of an annoyance. Spam spreads easily from inbox to inbox and statistically, according to an article discussing the potential threats introduced by IT, one in three people would open a spam email, however each email opened will essentially resend that email to all of the contacts of the person who opened the email which in turn would cause for spam mail to spread very rapidly. Spam mail is rarely a threat to computers unless they are accompanied by separate links that have viruses within them.
Phishing
Phishing is one of the biggest threats active on the internet. Dictionary.com defines phishing as “the practice of using fraudulent e-mails and copies of legitimate websites to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft”. Phishing often occurs on clone websites, whereby a user will enter a website similar to an official website such as a banking website. A clone website would include a form requiring users to enter personal and sometimes financial data in order to gain access to the website however instead of gaining the user’s information would become compromised. Phishing can lead to identity theft, depending on how much information is imparted.
Viruses
Viruses are malicious programs that should be avoided at all costs. Viruses can be the cause of many computer problems such as software corruption, loss in performance and scams. Viruses can infect your computer via many means, such as via downloads, cookies and even integrated into videos or images.
Viruses - Trojan horses and kit viruses
A Trojan horse is a program that assumes the appearance of a helpful program in an attempt to infect a computer. Trojan horses are unable to reproduce or make copies of themselves. Trojan horses often give promises to be beneficial, an example of this may be a program promising free antivirus protection. Instead of providing antivirus protection the Trojan may cause damage or allowing another computer to access a system.
Viruses - Worms
A worm is a program that copies and spreads itself across a computer in order to spread itself to other computers. A computer worm would attach itself to emails, programs, memory pens as well as from hard drive to hard drive in attempt to spread itself. Although a computer worm may not personally cause damage to a computer, it may slow down a computer and also carry additional viruses such as Trojans.
Viruses - Logic bomb/time bomb
A logic bomb is a virus that is programmed to initiate under preset circumstances. They are almost undetectable and are able to cause large amounts of damage. An example of a malicious use of this virus would be within a company whereby a database table may be deleted if a certain employee is fired or a certain amount of data is deleted on a certain date.
