Assignment Title:

Exercise

Lecturer:

Mr.Hemananth

Subject:

Professional Issues in IT

Subject Code:

HNDIT-2403

Name:

S.Mathusika

Reg.No:

BAT/IT/2018/F/0079

Higher National Diploma in Information Technology

Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education

(SLIATE)
1. Briefly explain the following terms related to global work force
a. Out sourcing
Outsourcing is the business practice of hiring a party outside a company to perform
services and create goods that traditionally were performed in-house by the company's
own employees and staff. Outsourcing is a practice usually undertaken by companies
as a cost-cutting measure. As such, it can affect a wide range of jobs, ranging from
customer support to manufacturing to the back office

b. Off Shoring
Offshoring is the relocation of a business process from one country to another—
typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such
as accounting. Typically, this refers to a company business, although state governments
may also employ offshoring. More recently, technical and administrative services have
been offshored.

2. Information Technology has both positive and negative effect to the students
a. List 20 negative effect of IT to the students
1. Distraction
2. Exposure to Inappropriate content
3. Health Hazard
4. Cyber Bullying
5. Mobile phones encourage and maintenance
6. Social isolation
7. Security concern
8. Fake information
9. Cost of purchase and maintenance
10. Accident
11. Huge expenditure
12. Insufficient Teaching Methods
13. Waste of time
14. Creates enough opportunities for cheating
15. Losing assignment of the students
16. Extinction of good handwriting
17. Partial to the low income group of people
18. Difficult to deal with online courses
 19. Misguided due to wrong information
20. Learners get disconnected from the real world

b. List 20 positive effect of IT to the students

1. Convenience
2. Ease of access to information and technology
3. Increased security and emergency communication
4. Entertainment and socialization
5. Memory jogger
6. Communication
7. Adapting to modern society and real life
8. Self – organization
9. Navigation
10. Happy student
11. Enhance Learning
12. Fosters problems solving skills
13. Develops future technological leaders
14. Access to huge informational background
15. Absence of geographical and political boundaries in social networks
16. High degree of visibility
17. Distance education
18. Students are able to check themselves
19. Local Learning, Global Reach
20. Web Seminars: Learn and Participate

3. Briefly Explain the difference between law and ethics

Law is defined as a legal system that comprises of rules and principles set by the ruling
authority to govern over the affairs of the community. While, ethics are defined as moral
guidelines set, put forth and followed by an individual.

In general, ethics are moral philosophy where a person makes a specific moral choice and
sticks to it, whereas law is a system that comprises of rules and principles to govern a
society. Though, ethics are based on the goodwill of law, ethics completely differ in their
 foundation, basis and purpose. Thus, to further understand the difference, we define the
terms law and ethics.

4. Briefly explain three categories of ethical views?

• Deontological: Ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. How
people accomplish their goals is usually (or always) more important than what people
accomplish.
• Utilitarianism: A system of ethics according to which the rightness or wrongness of
an action should be judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to
promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. The notorious example is
where there are 10 people on a boat and everyone will die unless one gets thrown off.
A utilitarian would throw someone off the boat - probably the weakest/oldest one.
• Natural rights: Theory of universal rights that are seen as inherent in the nature of
people and not dependent on human actions or beliefs.

5. Briefly explain the following terms in relation to computer data

a. Invisible information gathering - collection of personal information about someone
without the person’s knowledge
b. Secondary use - use of personal information for a purpose other than the one it was
provided for
c. Computer matching - combining and comparing information from different databases
(using social security number, for example, to match records)
d. Computer profiling - analyzing data in computer files to determine characteristics of
people most likely to engage in certain behavior

6. Explain the way the concept of computer hacking change over time from early 1960 up
to today.
1960s
Interestingly, the term “hack” did not originate from computers. Rather, it originated
with MIT’s Tech Model Railroad Club way back in 1961 when club members hacked
their high-tech train sets in order to modify their functions. They later moved on from
toy trains to computers, using the elusive and expensive IBM 704’s at MIT to innovate,
explore, create new paradigms, and try to expand the tasks that computers could
accomplish.
These MIT students – along with other early hackers – were interested only in
exploring, improving and testing the limits of existing programs. In some cases, these
hacks even produced programs that were considerably better than the pre-existing ones,
as was the case with Dennis Ritchie’s and Keith Thompson’s UNIX operating system.

1970s
While computer hacking continued to flourish in the 1970s, the decade also gave way
to a new type of hacker: one that toyed with telephone systems. Dubbed “phreakers,”
phone hackers, such as the infamous John Draper, exploited operational characteristics
in the telephone switching network, which had recently gone completely electronic.
Draper legendarily discovered that a toy whistle found in Cap’n Crunch cereal produced
the exact tone necessary – 2600 hertz – to indicate to long lines that a line was ready
and available to route a new call. This allowed him and other phreakers to dupe the
network and make free long-distance calls.
The phreaker subculture not only gave way to influential hackers like Draper but also
to digital visionaries, as well. Before they went on to found one of the most successful
computer companies in the world, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs were, in fact, humble
phone phreakers.

1980s
The 1980s was a watershed decade in the history of hacking, as it marked the
introduction of turnkey personal computers to the general public. No longer limited to
businesses and prestigious universities, computers were available for everyone to use
for their own purposes – whatever that may be. Unsurprisingly, the wide availability of
personal PCs led to a rapid increase in hackers.
It was not the only big change to occur in the hacking community. While there were
still a large number of hackers interested primarily in tinkering with operating systems,
a new breed emerged that was more concerned with personal gain. Instead of using
their technological know-how for improving computers, they used it for criminal
activities, including pirating software, creating viruses and breaking into systems to
steal sensitive information.
It did not take the law long to respond. The emergence of cyber criminals was swiftly
met in 1986 with the first legislation related to hacking, the Federal Computer Fraud
and Abuse Act.
Meanwhile, this was also the time that the idea of hackers being digital savants capable
of doing both great and terrible things entered popular culture. A number of books and
films were made that popularized the idea, mostly notably the 1983 flick War Games
in which a suburban teenager finds a backdoor in a military central computer and nearly
starts World War III.

1990s
Riding on the coattails of the big changes that occurred in the 1980s, the 1990s were
when hacking really began to achieve notoriety. The term hacker was tarnished by an
ever-increasing number of cybercrimes perpetrated by “crackers” (or malicious
hackers) and the high-profile arrests that followed.
Kevin Mitnick, Kevin Poulsen, Robert Morris and Vladimir Levin were some of the
more notable crackers to come out of the decade, having been arrested and convicted
for the likes of stealing propriety software from big name corporations, duping radio
stations to win luxury cars, launching the first computer worm, and leading the first
digital bank heist.
The once close-knit hacking community also saw its breakdown in this decade. In an
effort to crack down on computer crime, the Secret Service launched sting
investigations, conducted early morning raids and arrested a number of hackers. Trying
to avoid conviction, members in the hacking community began to inform on each other
in exchange for immunity.

2000s
Ethical hackers continued to see their good name dragged in the dirt in the 2000s as
attacks launched by malicious hackers dominated the headlines.
New and dangerous types of hacks emerged that victimized government entities and
prominent businesses. Microsoft, eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon were among those taken
 down in massive denial-of-service attacks, while the Department of Defense and
International Space Station had its systems breached by a 15-year-old boy.

2010s
The world now firmly in the digital age, the hacking community has become more
sophisticated, complicated and complex than ever.
Lone wolf hackers and small hacking groups still exist in every corner of the internet,
either optimizing software or launching ransomware and Wi-Fi attacks depending on
their hat. That said, it’s “hacktivist” groups, such as Anonymous, that have taken center
stage in this decade, releasing highly classified documents, exposing government
secrets and leading vigilante digital crusades in the name of defending the public from
being harmed, exploited, or withheld information.
In reaction to both hacktivists and cyber criminals, government entities and big
corporations are scrambling to improve security while computer giants work hard to
tweak their systems. However, while cyber security experts continue to be recruited,
systems upgraded and technology innovated, hackers—good and bad—consistently
and unsurprisingly stay one step ahead.

7. Briefly describe forming laws for the field of information and communication
technology

IT law does not constitute a separate area of law rather it encompasses aspects of
contract, intellectual property, privacy and data protection laws. Intellectual property is
an important component of IT law, including copyright, rules on fair use, and special
rules on copy protection for digital media, and circumvention of such schemes. The
area of software patents is controversial, and still evolving in Europe and elsewhere.
The related topics of software licenses, end user license agreements, free software
licenses and open-source licenses can involve discussion of product liability,
professional liability of individual developers, warranties, contract law, trade secrets
and intellectual property.
In various countries, areas of the computing and communication industries are
regulated – often strictly – by governmental bodies.
There are rules on the uses to which computers and computer networks may be put, in
particular there are rules on unauthorized access, data privacy and spamming. There are
 also limits on the use of encryption and of equipment which may be used to defeat copy
protection schemes. The export of hardware and software between certain states within
the United States is also controlled.
There are laws governing trade on the Internet, taxation, consumer protection, and
advertising.
There are laws on censorship versus freedom of expression, rules on public access to
government information, and individual access to information held on them by private
bodies. There are laws on what data must be retained for law enforcement, and what
may not be gathered or retained, for privacy reasons.
In certain circumstances and jurisdictions, computer communications may be used in
evidence, and to establish contracts. New methods of tapping and surveillance made
possible by computers have wildly differing rules on how they may be used by law
enforcement bodies and as evidence in court.
Computerized voting technology, from polling machines to internet and mobile-phone
voting, raise a host of legal issues.
Some states limit access to the Internet, by law as well as by technical means.

8. What is NIPO of Sri Lanka? Mention the responsibility of NIPO of Sri Lanka
The National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka established under the Intellectual
Property Act No 36 of 2003 is mandated with the administration of the intellectual Property
System in Sri Lanka. It was first established on January 1, 1982 with the same mandate under
the provisions of Code of intellectual property Act no 52 of 1979.
Responsibilities: -
• Protection for
➢ Copy rights
➢ Patents
➢ Marks
➢ Industrial Designs

9. Digital technology and the internet have made copyright violation easier and cheaper.
a. Do you agree with this?
Yes

b. Give the reason to prove your answer

 • Formality free
➢ Protection is accorded (granted) without any formality such as registration in Sri
Lanka.
• Who owns?
➢ The author is the owner of economic rights but there are some exceptions such as
a work created by an employee generally belongs to the employer.
➢ The economic rights can be assigned or licensed.
➢ The moral rights always belong to the author.
• Duration
Copyright in Sri Lanka is generally protected during the life of the author and 70
years after his death.

10. Mention five possible health problems arise due to IT industry, briefly explain how
those problems can be avoided
1. Diabetes
2. Hypertension
3. Musculoskeletal
4. Depression
5. Obesity

11. What is Computer crime, Give five examples for computer crime
Computer crime describes a very broad category of offenses. Some of them are the same as
non-computer offenses, such as theft or fraud, except that a computer or the Internet is used
in the commission of the crime. Others, like hacking, are uniquely related to computers. It is
estimated that in the near future almost all crimes in the world will be computer related, while
documents will be computer-based documents.
It must also be remembered that all computer related systems are vulnerable to destruction
and intrusion.

Ex -
• Improperly accessing a computer, system, or network;
• Modifying, damaging, using, disclosing, copying, or taking programs or data;
 • Introducing a virus or other contaminant into a computer system;
• Using a computer in a scheme to defraud;
• Interfering with someone else's computer access or use;
• Using encryption in aid of a crime;
• Falsifying email source information;
• Stealing an information service from a provider.

12. Give 10 techniques to protect your personal and financial information in case of online
shopping
1. Use a hard-to-guess password that contains upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and
symbols.
2. Always log out of bank, credit card, and merchant sites after you have completed your
transaction.
3. Do not allow your computer to store user names and passwords for merchant or banking
websites.
4. Do not shop, pay bills, or access your bank or credit card websites using public Wi-Fi.
Shop from home and only over a secured Internet connection.
5. Do not use “easy pay” payment options or “one-click ordering.” It takes a few extra
seconds to enter a user name and password on a merchant site but often takes months
to recover from online credit card fraud.
6. Pay attention when visiting financial and sales websites. Authentic websites will post
logos such as that for VeriSign. Users can click on the logo to verify the site identity
before they begin shopping or completing banking transactions.
7. Keep records of every Internet purchase and transaction, and compare them with credit
card and bank statements monthly. Report any discrepancies immediately to the issuer
of the card.
8. Always use the most up-to-date version of a strong anti-virus and firewall security
program.
9. Use an ad-blocking software program and a spyware detection program. Keep these
programs updated and run scans often with them.
10. If an email, instant message, chat request or Internet site appears suspicious, close your
browser and email programs and shut down your computer for a time. When you restart
the computer, run a full virus and spyware scan before logging back on to the Internet.
13. What is digital forgery, Give five examples
According to Merriam-Webster, forgery is defined as the crime of falsely and fraudulently
making or altering a document (Forgery, Merriam-Webster). So therefore, digital forgery
involves falsely altering digital contents such as pictures and documents.

Ex –
• Digital Signature
• Digital Watermarking
• Copy-Move
• Image Retouching
• Splicing

14. Explain the term net neutrality and state the purpose of it
Net neutrality, or open Internet, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should
give consumers access to all legal content and applications on an equal basis, without
favoring some sources or blocking others.

• Purpose - It prohibits ISPs from charging content providers for speedier delivery of
their content on "fast lanes" and deliberately slowing the content from content
providers that may compete with ISPs.

15. The computer crime act 24 of 2007 specify three broad category of computer crime
briefly explain these categories
1. Computer related crimes – use computers as tools for criminal activities
2. Hacking offences – affect integrity, confidentiality of a computer system or network
3. Content related cybercrimes – to distribute illegal data