UNIT – 4
SOCIETAL IMPACTS
Digital Footprint –
A digital footprint is data that is left behind when users have been
online.
There are two types of digital footprints:
.
A passive digital footprint is made when information is collected
from the user without the person knowing this is happening.
A more personal aspect of your passive digital footprint is your
search history, which is saved by some search engines while you
are logged in.
An active digital footprint is where the user has deliberately
shared
information about themselves either by using social media sites or
by using websites.
Examples of active digital footprints
* Posting on Instagram, Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, and other
social media platforms
* Filling out online forms, i.e. when signing up to
receive emails
or texts
* Agreeing to install cookies on our devices when
prompted by
the browser
Examples of passive digital footprints
* Websites that install cookies in our device without
disclosing it
to us
* Apps and websites that use geolocation to pinpoint
our location
* Social media news channels and advertisers that
use our likes,
shares, and comments to profile us and to serve up
advertisements based on our interests
How digital footprint is being used for
marketing purposes
Digital footprints are also known as
cyber shadow, electronic footprint, or
digital shadow are generally collected
with the help of tracking
cookies .These cookies are created
while using popular sites.
Whatever we search is stored in these
along with our dates, GPS relevant
data. These are shared by actual site
we are visiting to the popular sites.
why we should care about managing our
digital footprint
For following four reasons
1. To protect our reputation
2. To make safe personal information
3. To prevent financial loss
4. To preserve our freedom
Risk due to digital footprint
• Privacy concern
• Scam
• Identity theft
• Fake websites
How to manage digital footprints
* Double-check privacy settings, but don't trust
them
* Create strong, memorable passwords
* Keep all our software up to date.
* Review our mobile use. Delete useless
files(temp.)
* Build reputation through behavior.
Digital Society and Netizen
A digital society is a modern, progressive society
that is formed as a result of the adoption and
integration of digital technologies in all
spheres of human activities.
But while online, all of us need to be aware of
how to conduct ourselves, how best to relate with
others and what ethics, morals and values to
maintain.
Digital Society and Netizen
Anyone who uses digital technology along with
Internet is a digital citizen or a netizen.
Being a good netizen means practicing safe, ethical
and legal use of digital technology.
A responsible netizen must abide by net
etiquettes, communication etiquettes and
social media etiquettes.
Net or Communication Etiquettes
Netiquette is short for "Internet etiquette“ or
etiquettes over internet.
It is just like etiquette - a code of polite behavior in
society,
netiquette is a code of good behavior on the
Internet.
It includes several aspects of the Internet, social
media, email, online chat, web forums, website
comments, multiplayer gaming,
and other types of online communication.
Netiquettes
Communication Etiquettes
Digital communication includes email, texting,
instant messaging, talking on the cell phone,
audio or video conferencing, posting on
forums, social networking sites, etc.
Good communication over email, chat room
and other such forums require a digital citizen
to abide by the communication etiquettes.
Communication
Etiquettes
Social Media Etiquettes
Social media are websites or applications that
enable their users to participate in social
networking by creating and sharing content with
others in the community.
These platforms encourage users to share their
thoughts and experiences through posts or
pictures. In this way users can interact with other
online users of those social media apps or
channels.
This is why the impact and outreach of social
media has grown exponentially.
Social Media Etiquettes
The general idea behind netiquette is to respect others online.
Below are ten examples of rules to follow for good netiquette:
1. Avoid posting inflammatory or offensive comments online.
2. Respect others' privacy by not sharing personal
information, photos, or
videos that another person may not want published online.
3. Never spam others by sending large amounts of
unsolicited email.
4. Show good sportsmanship when playing online games,
whether you
win or lose.
5. Don't troll people in web forums or website comments by
repeatedly nagging or annoying them.
6. Stick to the topic when posting in online forums or when
commenting
on photos or videos, such as YouTube or Facebook
comments.
7. Don't swear or use offensive language.
8. Avoid replying to negative comments with more negative
comments.
Instead, break the cycle with a positive post.
9. If someone asks a question and you know the answer, offer
to help.
10. Thank others who help you online.
Data Protection
Data protection refers to the practices, safeguards, and
binding rules put in place to protect your personal
information and ensure that you remain in control of it.
In short, you should be able to decide whether you want
to share some information or not, who has access to it, for
how long, for what reason, and who be able to modify
some of this information.
It is increasingly difficult for people to
maintain control of their personal
information.
This is where data protection comes in.
Intellectuals Property Rights (IPR)
Intellectual property refers to intangible property that has been
created by individuals and corporations for their benefit or usage
and which is already not available in the public domain.
It is therefore unethical to copy or steal the creativity and efforts of
someone else.
Intellectual Property Right (IPR) is the statutory right granted
by the
Government, to the owner(s) of the intellectual property or
applicant(s) of an intellectual property (IP) to exclude others from
exploiting the IP
commercially for a given period of time, in lieu of the discloser of
his/her IP in an IPR application.
Intellectual property is divided into categories
which are-
1. Industrialproperty which majorly speaks about
protecting inventions (patents), commercial names,
industrial designs, trademarks, geographic
indications and designations etc.
2. Copyright majorly protects literary and artistic works.
IPRs are protected in accordance with the provisions of
legislations of a country specific.
In India, IPRs can be protected and monopolized as per
the act.
Some of them are
1- The Patent Act, 1970,
2- The Designs Act, 2000,
3- The Trade Mark Act, 1999,
4- The Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999,
5- The Copyright Act, 1957,
6- Protection of Integrated Circuits Layout and Designs
Act, 2000,
7- Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act,
2001, and
also Trade Secret
Intellectual Property is legally protected through
copyrights, patents, trademarks,etc.
A) Copyright
Copyright grants legal rights to creators for their
original works like writing, photograph, audio
recordings, video, sculptures, architectural
works, computer software, and other creative
works like literary and artistic work.
The rights include right to copy (reproduce) a work,
right to create derivative works based upon it, right to
distribute copies of the work to the public, and right to
publicly display or perform the work. It prevents others
from copying, using or selling the work.
(B) Patent
A patent is usually granted for inventions. Unlike
copyright, the inventor needs to apply (file) for
patenting the invention.
When a patent is granted, the owner gets an
exclusive right to prevent others from using,
selling, or distributing the protected invention.
Patent gives full control to the patentee to
decide whether or how the invention can be used
by others.
A patent protects an invention for 20 years.
(C) Trademark
Trademark includes any visual symbol, word,
name, design, slogan, label, etc., that
distinguishes the brand or commercial
enterprise, from other brands or commercial
enterprises.
Licensing
A license is a type of contract or a permission
agreement between the creator of an original work
permitting someone to use their work, generally for
some price.
It is the legal term used to describe the terms under
which
people are allowed to use the copyrighted material.
A software license is an agreement that provides
legally binding guidelines pertaining to the
authorized use of digital material.
Violation of IPR
Violation of intellectual property right may
happen in one of the following ways:
A) Plagiarism
Presenting someone else’s idea or work as
one’s own idea or work is called plagiarism.
If we copy some contents from Internet, but
do not mention the source or the original
creator, then it is considered as an act of
plagiarism.
(B) Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement is when we use other person’s
work without obtaining their permission to use or we have
not paid for it, if it is being sold.
(C) Trademark Infringement
Trademark Infringement means unauthorized use of
other’s trademark on products and services.
An owner of a trademark may commence legal proceedings
against someone who infringes its registered trademark.
Public Access and Open Source Software
When authors share their copyrighted works with others
under public license, it allows others to use and even
modify the content.
Open source licenses help others to contribute to existing
work or project without seeking special individual
permission to do so.
The GNU General Public License (GPL) and the Creative
Commons (CC) are two popular categories of public
licenses.
CC is used for all kind of creative works like websites,
music, film, literature, etc.
It is used when an author wants to give people the right to
share, use and build upon a work that they have created.
GPL is primarily designed for providing public license to a
software.
GNU GPL is another free software license, which provides
end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the
software, besides getting regular updates.
Creative Commons (CC)
CC is a non-profit organization that aims to build a
publically accessible global platform where a range of
creative and academic works are shared freely.
Any one across the globe can access them, share them,
and even use them for creating their own work out of it
without infringing the copyright or Intellectual Property
rights of the owners.
The Creative Commons organisation provides Creative
Commons (CC) licenses free of charge.
A CC license is a type of copyright license that enables the free
distribution of anybody’s copyrighted work.
This license is used when an author wants to give others the
right to share, use and extend the work done by them.
A Software license is a legal permission or right to use or
redistribution of that software.
The software can run on a certain number of computers as per
license agreement.
The software license usually answers questions such as-
Can you copy, modify or redistribute it?
Where and how many times can you install the software?
Can you look at the underlying source code?
FOSS (Free and Open Source Software)
FOSS is a kind of software that allows users to not only freely run the program
for any purpose, but also provides users access to its source code.
Moreover, it also allows us to modify as we wish, as well as freely distribute
copies of the original version or their altered version.
Following criteria must be met for FOSS Ex. of Free and Open source software
* Source code must be included. • As Operating system – linux, Ubuntu
* freedom to run the software for any purpose • As dbms – mysql, mongodb, SQlite
• As Programming language –
* Anyone must be allowed to modify the source java, php, python
code. • As internet browser/webserver –
* Modified versions can be redistributed. chrome,firefox/ apache http
server,apache tomcat
* It must be free.
Types of Software based on use:
.
* Free Software:
Free Software are those which are freely accessible, freely used, changed,
improved, copied and distributed. It provides all types of freedom.
.
* Open Source Software:
Open Source Software can be changed, improved, copied and Re-distributed but
it may have some cost for the media and support for further development.
Source Code is also available with OSS.
.
It can be modified and redistributed with some guidelines. The License may
restrict source-code from being distributed and modification to maintain the
Author’s integrity.
A software which is FREE as well as OPEN, called Free & Open Source
Software (FOSS) or Free Libre & Open Source Software (FLOSS).
* Proprietary Software:
These Software are neither open nor freely available. They must have
some cost and Source code is also not given since it is property of the
developer organization. No change, copy and distribution are allowed.
* Freeware:
These are available free of cost. They can be used, copied, distributed
but no modification is allowed because Source Code is not available.
* Shareware:
These software are freely used, copied and distributed for a certain
period of time. After expiry, you have to purchase or uninstall them.
Modification is not possible due to non-availability of the source code.
These are the Demo version and freely distributed for trial purpose.
Cyber Crime
Cyber crime (computer crime) is an illegal behavior done through
electronic operations, that targets the security of computer systems
and the data processed by them.
Or in other term ,
It is a crime in which a computer is the object of
the crime (hacking, phishing, spamming) or is used as a tool to
commit an offense (child pornography, hate crimes)
STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CYBER CRIME
1. Make sure your security software is current – and update it
regularly.
2. Lock or log off your computer when you step away.
3. Go offline when you don’t need an Internet connection.
4. Consider sharing less online.
5. Think twice about using public Wi-Fi.
6. When in doubt, don’t click.
Hacking –
Hacking is the process of gaining unauthorized access into
a computing device, or group of computer systems(network).
This is done through cracking of passwords and codes which
gives access to the systems.
Difference between hacker and cracker is that a cracker
breaks the security of computer systems, and a hacker is
a person who likes to explore computer systems and
master them.
Types of Hackers
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 or white hat hacking,
involves the same tools, tricks and techniques that hackers use, but with one
major difference—ethical hacking is legal.
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.
How to 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.
Phishing
Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a
weapon.
The attackers masquerade as a trusted entity of some kind,
The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the
message is something they want or need — recipient fills/send
sensitive information like account no, username ,password etc.
,then attacker use these.
How to prevent phishing
• Always check the spelling of the URLs before click
• Watch out for URL redirects, that sent to a different website
with identical design
• If receive an email from that seems suspicious, contact that
source with a new email, rather than just hitting reply
• Don't post personal data, like your birthday, vacation plans, or
your address or phone number, publicly on social media.
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is the harassment or bullying executed through
digital devices like computers, laptops, smart phones, and
tablets.
The platforms where cyber bullying can occur include social
media, chat rooms, and gaming platforms where people can
view and participate in the sharing of content.
Different Types of Cyber Bullying
.
• Doxing – publishing revealing personal information about an individual
online, for purposes of defaming,humiliating, or harassing the victim
• Harassment – posting threatening or hurtful 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
Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information and uses it
without your permission.
Identity thieves increasingly use personal information stolen from computers
or computer networks, to commit fraud by using the data gained unlawfully.
A user’s identifiable personal data like email ID, banking credentials,
passport, PAN, Aadhaar number and various such personal data are stolen
and misused by the hacker on behalf of the victim.
This is one type of phishing attack where the intention is
largely for monetary gain.
There can be many ways in which the criminal takes advantage of
an individual’s stolen identity.
Given below are a few examples:
• Financial identity theft: when the stolen identity is used for
financial gain.
• Criminal identity theft: criminals use a victim’s stolen identity to
avoid detection of their true identity.
• Medical identity theft: criminals can seek medical drugs or
treatment using a stolen identity.
Ransomware
This is another kind of cyber crime where the attacker gains
access to the computer and blocks the user from accessing,
usually by encrypting the data.
The attacker blackmails the victim to pay for getting access to
the data, or sometimes threatens to publish personal and
sensitive information or photographs unless a ransom
is paid.
Ransomware can get downloaded when the users visit any
malicious or unsecure websites or download software from
doubtful repositories.
Some ransomware are sent as email attachments in spam
mails.
It can also reach our system when we click on a malicious
advertisement on the Internet.
CYBER LAW
It is the part of the legal systems that deals with the cyberspace,
Internet and their respective legal issues.
It covers a broad area, like freedom of expressions, access to and
utilization of the Internet, and online security or online privacy.
Generically, it is known as the “law of the web” or “Law of the Internet”.
Importance of Cyber Law:
It covers all transaction over internet.
It keeps eyes on all activities over internet.
It touches every action and every reaction in cyberspace.
Indian-IT 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),
it was notified on 17th October 2000 and amended in 2008.
It is the most important law in India that deals with the digital
crimes or cyber crimes and electronic commerce.
It consists of 94 sections that are divided into 13 chapters and 4
schedules.
the transaction done via an electronic exchange of data and other
electronic means of communication or electronic commerce
transactions.
Some of sections under IT act 2000 are given below.
E-Waste
Whenever an electronic device covers up its working life,
or becomes non-usable due to technological advancements or
becomes non-functional and it is not used anymore, it comes
under the category of e-waste or electronic waste.
As the technology is changing day by day, more and more
electronic devices are becoming non-functional and turning into
e-waste.
Managing such non-functional electronic devices is termed as
e-waste management.
E-waste Hazards –
.
On environment
* Acidification of soil
* Air pollution
* Pollution of ground water
* Landfills with lead and heavy metals
On Human Health
* Lung cancer
* DNA damage
* Asthmatic bronchitis
* Chronic damage to the brain
* Damage to heart, liver and spleen
Impact of e-waste on humans
The electrical or electronic devices
are manufactured using certain metals and elements
like lead, beryllium, cadmium, plastics, etc. Most of
these materials are difficult to recycle and are considered
to be toxic and carcinogenic.
If e-waste is not disposed of in proper manner, it can be extremely
harmful to humans, plants, animals and the environment as
discussed below:
• One of the most widely used metals in electronic devices (such as monitors
and batteries) is lead. When lead enters the human body through
contaminated food, water, air or soil, it causes lead poisoning which affects
the kidneys, brain and central nervous system. Children are particularly
vulnerable to lead poisoning.
• When e-waste such as electronic circuit boards are burnt for disposal, the
elements contained in them create a harmful chemical called beryllium which
causes skin diseases, allergies and an increased risk of lung cancer. Burning of
insulated wires to extract copper can cause neurological disorders.
• Some of the electronic devices contain mercury which causes
respiratory disorders and brain damage.
• The cadmium found in semiconductors and resistors can damage
kidneys, liver and bones.
• None of the electronic devices are manufactured without using
plastics. When this plastic reacts with air and moisture, it passes
harmful chemicals into the soil and water resources. When
consumed, it damages the immune system of the body and also
causes various psychological problems like stress and anxiety.
E-waste management –
It can be defined as the practical approach and the founding pillar of
cutting down waste from our mother earth.
It is reusing and recycling of e-waste which is no longer in use and
can be salved for some of its components.
• Reduce: We should try to reduce the generation of e-waste by
purchasing the electronic or electrical devices only according to
our need. Also, they should be used to their maximum capacity
and discarded only after their useful life has ended. Good
maintenance of electronics devices also increases the life of the
devices.
• Reuse: It is the process of re-using the electronic or electric
waste after slight modification. The electronic equipment that is
still functioning should be donated or sold to someone who is still
willing to use it. The process of re-selling old electronic goods at
lower prices is called refurbishing.
• Recycle: Recycling is the process of conversion of electronic
devices into something that can be used again and again in some
or the other manner. Only those products should be recycled that
cannot be repaired, refurbished or re-used. To promote recycling
of e-waste many companies and NGOs are providing door-to-door
pick up facilities for collecting the e-waste from homes and
offices.
Proper disposal of used electronic gadgets
E-waste is a growing problem for us in India.
It is very important to dispose off waste in a proper manner.
Ways to dispose off e-waste:
.
1. Give Back to Your Electronic Companies and Drop Off Points
2. Donating Your Outdated Technology
3. Sell Off Your Outdated Technology
4. Give Your Electronic Waste to a Certified E-Waste Recycler
Awareness about health concerns related to the use of Technology
.
Computer technologies provide people with many benefits like
educational activities, online shopping, it is possible to get in touch
with people overseas and to chat with them.
It is possible to search for anything any time.
It is even possible to do one’s job at home without going to his or
her office.
If these technologies which dominate our lives more and more each
day are not used carefully results in serious health concerns.
1. Neck strain
2. Vision Problem
3. Sense of isolation
4. Sleeping disorder
5. Stress
6. Loss of attention
7. Problem in social relationships of individuals.
8. Computer anxiety
9. Internet addiction etc.
In order to avoid these problems-
One should learn how to use these technologies without
experiencing any problem rather than avoiding using them.
Users of computer technologies should immediately take education
on the healthy use of these technologies.
If the necessary precautions are not taken about this issue,
individuals may have serious health problems, and the institutions
may face a serious decrease in work force as well as financial losses.
