Legal & Ethical constraints for Web Use
When creating and publishing a website there are important legal and ethical issues to take into consideration. It is vital that offending or insulting any person is avoided. In this report I aim to explain and address these problems.
Web accessibilityThis is a process which aims to make websites more accessible for people with disabilities. It means that people with disabilities can access a website and fully understand, navigate and interact with the website or software. Disabilities effecting web use include: visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive and neurological problems. Web accessibility does not only help people with disabilities, It can also benefit people who suffer from age related problems and people with temporary problems such as broken bones.
In the modern day most websites have elements which make it very difficult for people with disabilities to access or contribute to the website; however there are many possible methods of combating these problems. Aids can be given to people which specifically negate these problems, these aids can be software or hardware aids. Special options can be easily added to the website to make it more disabled-friendly, such as options to change the colour scheme to make partially sighted or colour-blind visitors more equipped to understand the website fully.
An example of this is: an aged user visiting a website could find the text to be too small for him to read, and some pop ups/adverts could lead to distraction. To rectify these problems a magnification tool could be added to make the font a larger size, a pop-up blocker could also be added, or simply reducing the amount of pop-ups would make an aged user feel much more comfortable.
In the modern day most websites have elements which make it very difficult for people with disabilities to access or contribute to the website; however there are many possible methods of combating these problems. Aids can be given to people which specifically negate these problems, these aids can be software or hardware aids. Special options can be easily added to the website to make it more disabled-friendly, such as options to change the colour scheme to make partially sighted or colour-blind visitors more equipped to understand the website fully.
An example of this is: an aged user visiting a website could find the text to be too small for him to read, and some pop ups/adverts could lead to distraction. To rectify these problems a magnification tool could be added to make the font a larger size, a pop-up blocker could also be added, or simply reducing the amount of pop-ups would make an aged user feel much more comfortable.
Disability Discrimination ActThe Disability Discrimination Act is a law which aims to give equal opportunities to the disabled; this means that regardless of disability people should have a right to jobs, education and entry to certain places. (Basically every opportunity that is given to everyone else.) This law also states that people should not be directly discriminated against or become the subject of prejudice or harassment purely because of their disability. This law coincides with other discrimination acts.
An example of this law being ignored would be a woman applies for a job over the phone and explains her qualifications ect, and on this basis she is accepted for the job. However when she arrives at her new job her boss realised that she is wheel-chair bound, she is then fired instantly from her job because of her disability.
Data protection actThe data protection aims to create rights for those who have their data stored through the Internet. This act assures that all personal information which is held by websites is kept well protected and is not shared or accessed by any others. It prevents unauthorised access to private information. The act is in place because of the serious problems that can occur from the lack of data protection. If someone’s credit card details where shared for example, it would be easy for anyone to simply access this information and use their details.
An example of failure of data protection would be if a memory stick was ‘lost’ with a lot of peoples’ council tax information held on it. This information would contain peoples’ names, addresses and accounts information, if this memory stick found its way into the hands of the wrong kind of people this could create an extremely large problem for a lot of people.
An example of this law being ignored would be a woman applies for a job over the phone and explains her qualifications ect, and on this basis she is accepted for the job. However when she arrives at her new job her boss realised that she is wheel-chair bound, she is then fired instantly from her job because of her disability.
Data protection actThe data protection aims to create rights for those who have their data stored through the Internet. This act assures that all personal information which is held by websites is kept well protected and is not shared or accessed by any others. It prevents unauthorised access to private information. The act is in place because of the serious problems that can occur from the lack of data protection. If someone’s credit card details where shared for example, it would be easy for anyone to simply access this information and use their details.
An example of failure of data protection would be if a memory stick was ‘lost’ with a lot of peoples’ council tax information held on it. This information would contain peoples’ names, addresses and accounts information, if this memory stick found its way into the hands of the wrong kind of people this could create an extremely large problem for a lot of people.
Computer Misuse ActThe Computer Misuse Act 1990 is an Act of the UK Parliament, introduced to negate the misuse of computers.
The computer misuse act aims to prevent the use of computers in a negative way. It tackles problems such as people who take advantage of some aspects of the internet, such as hackers. Hackers use the internet to gain access to information which they do not have the permission to, and then often use it for their own personal gain. Viruses are also a big problem when it comes to the misuse of computers; a virus is a harmful file which is created to cause problems for computers or networks of computers. Misusing a computer can also mean viewing obscene or offensive files or websites.
In education/employment this act is usually visible in the form of an agreement which is signed to say that it is understood. This agreement means that you have said you will not use the computers or your time on the computers to view illegal or offensive material.
An example of misusing a computer would be the media using hackers to access personal e-mails from a celebrity to then sell or publish, making money.
The computer misuse act aims to prevent the use of computers in a negative way. It tackles problems such as people who take advantage of some aspects of the internet, such as hackers. Hackers use the internet to gain access to information which they do not have the permission to, and then often use it for their own personal gain. Viruses are also a big problem when it comes to the misuse of computers; a virus is a harmful file which is created to cause problems for computers or networks of computers. Misusing a computer can also mean viewing obscene or offensive files or websites.
In education/employment this act is usually visible in the form of an agreement which is signed to say that it is understood. This agreement means that you have said you will not use the computers or your time on the computers to view illegal or offensive material.
An example of misusing a computer would be the media using hackers to access personal e-mails from a celebrity to then sell or publish, making money.
Obscene Publications ActThis act prevents the publication of extreme explicit material on the internet. It is thanks to this act that we have censorship on the internet; this can mean anything from blurring/blacking out certain points on a graphic/video to the complete removal of a publication. This act defends viewers from sensitive and delicate subjects. Originally the act was put in place to protect people from seeing these images that they do not want to see, however the act also protects the people who could potentially be involved in these publications. This material is usually explicit or pornographic, (the extremes of pornography.) Obscene publications can also include violent or gory images in a realistic or graphic way.
A good example of the obscene publication act would be: a young boy posts a video of him and his friends having a fight on a video website like YouTube. The video contains real, violent scenes and some bloodshed. The video is then checked by administrators of the site or another member of the site, the video is removed and the police informed. It is the duty of regulators of the site to remove Obscene publications and failure to do this can lead to various sanctions.
A good example of the obscene publication act would be: a young boy posts a video of him and his friends having a fight on a video website like YouTube. The video contains real, violent scenes and some bloodshed. The video is then checked by administrators of the site or another member of the site, the video is removed and the police informed. It is the duty of regulators of the site to remove Obscene publications and failure to do this can lead to various sanctions.
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