College of Business and Law

Bristol Law School

ACADEMIC YEAR 2022/23

Assessment Brief

Submission and Feedback Dates

Submission deadline: Before 14:00 on 19th of April 2023
This assessment is eligible for a 5 calendar day late submission window.
Marks and Feedback due on: 23 May 2023
N.B. all times are 24-hour clock, current local time (at time of submission) in the UK

Submission Details
Module title and code: Information Technology Law – UJUULC-30-2
Component and type: Component A
Assessment title: Advice to Client
Assessment weighting: 40% of total module mark
Size or length of assessment: 1500 words maximum (no +10% to be used)
In line with UWE Bristol’s Assessment Content Limit Policy, word count includes all text,
including (but not limited to): the main body of text (including headings), all citations (both
in and out of brackets), text boxes, tables and graphs, figures and diagrams, quotes, lists.
Formatting: Please use the following file format(s) (Word as .doc or .docx). We cannot
ensure that other formats are compatible with markers’ software and cannot guarantee to
mark incorrect formats.
All work should be word processed in 12-point font Times New Roman, Arial or Comic Sans
if you like and double spaced.
The first page of your coursework must include:
• Your student number
• The module name
• Your word count
• The coursework title
 Assessment Instructions

This is the Advice to Client assessment. It is individual work.

Please read the scenario brief on the following 2 pages and follow the instructions at the end
of the brief regarding to whom the advice should be given. You may write your advice as you
see fit. There is no defined structure or approach other than you communicate effectively in
a manner appropriate to the audience and to provide practical advice in a logical, clear and
concise manner. Please do, however use proper OSCOLA (Joint Award students may use
Harvard) referencing as is expected of any legal writing.

You may refer to the paragraph numbers in the brief below in giving your advice.
 Advice to Client Brief

1. Mr Denton is the Managing Director of a Company called Omegatron Industries that is a large
data analytics company. He is known for is arrogance and short-sighted obsession with
immediate profits.

2. Omegatron collects and processes data on its clients which it then makes available for sale to
various marketing companies. They use an affiliate company to organise this data called
Echelon Data Processing. Echelon process this data on direct written instruction from
Omegatron which sets out what they may and may not do, how they should process the data
and also gives Omegatron the right to demand they erase all client data at Omegatron’s
immediate request.

3. Omegatron collects names, addresses, ethnicity and sexual orientation data about its clients
along with various survey results connected to them. Some of this data is inaccurate and the
ethnicity and sexual orientation data is not relevant to its needs.

4. Omegatron has not consistently sought consent from all of its clients and has never
mentioned Echelon to its clients.

5. Shilan is the senior cybersecurity officer at Omegatron. She is tasked with general systems
admin duties in addition to informally auditing the company’s general security processes. She
has repeatedly appealed for more resources, most recently saying to Mr Denton:
“Our security is hopelessly out of date. We are vulnerable and our clients are vulnerable.”

6. However, Mr Denton took the view that the company is spending far too much on security
and has cut her budget despite it being a particularly profitable year for the company. After
raising this again on the 1st of November Mr Denton became abusive with her telling her to
focus on her “basic admin and keep your nose out of security from now on”. Following that
meeting, Shilan developed a sophisticated piece of malware designed to give her complete
access to Omegatron’s key systems. She accessed Omegatron’s system with the highest-level
credentials and installed this malware so that she could gain access at a later date.
7. On the 5th of November Shilan activated her malware on the central node of Omegatron’s
core server. She secured access to the company’s fire safety system, heating systems and
client database then sent the following tweet:
“You have been pwnd. Secure your systems and take this seriously otherwise you will be blown
to hell and back!”

8. Following that tweet, Shilan incapacitated Omegatron’s entire system for two days.

9. 3 days later, Mr Denton called Shilan into his office and dismissed her on the spot threatening
police involvement. She has downloaded the entire company’s financial records along with
certain client files and released them on the dark web to a group of cybercriminals who are
now targeting some of the clients. While Mr Denton is aware of the breach, he has ordered
all staff to erase all evidence from their emails about it and deny all knowledge in the hopes
‘it will just go away’.

Please advise Mr Denton, Omegatron and Shilan as to potential liability/compliance in

terms of:

o Computer misuse,
o General Data Protection concerns under the UK-GDPR and, if relevant,
o Abusive online communications
Module learning outcomes assessed by this task:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the application of Civil and Criminal Law to activities on
the internet and social media. MO1
2. Demonstrate the ability to apply legal knowledge and analysis to factual situations (A)
including the formulation of possible solutions to abstract problems and uncertainty in the
Law. MO4
3. Demonstrate the ability to undertake effective research, analysis and evaluation of
primary and other source materials such as Government papers, statutes, cases, reports and
articles using both traditional library materials and information technology resources. MO5
4. Communicate effectively in a manner appropriate to the audience and to provide
practical advice in a clear and concise manner using a variety of formats. MO6

Completing your assessment

What am I required to do on this assessment?

In this assessment you will need to write a piece of advice to the parties named in the
instructions. You do NOT need to follow any particular structure to do this, but your work
needs to be clear and concise drawing on the relevant areas of law.

Where should I start?

In the workshops for hate speech, computer misuse and data protection we have completed
an ongoing case study. At the end of each workshop, we annotated this case study to draw
out the contentious areas of law and review how these might be seen by the courts should
any of them proceed to litigation. You will find these notes extremely helpful in building a
foundation for your advice.

Further to this, please listen to the lectorials on these same topics and also refer back to
Murray. You may also find the CPS website useful for guidance on how to address issues
relating to social media abuse and, specifically, computer misuse. The Information
Commissioner’s Office will be helpful in applying the UK-GDPR.

What do I need to do to pass?

You will be assessed against the general LLB marking criteria for the LLB available on the
General Undergraduate Blackboard site.
How do I achieve high marks in this assessment?
Again, refer to the LLB marking criteria. However, specifically for this assessment, you need
to give logical and holistic advice to each of the relevant parties. Be sure out outline all
aspects relating to computer misuse, general data protection concerns and whether there
are any aspects relating to offensive online communications.

How does the learning and teaching relate to the assessment?

As explained in class, the study units on Computer Misuse (1), Abusive Online
Communications and Data Protection are key to answering this question. The workshop
case study will help you to synthesise your knowledge and also allow you to practise
framing written advice in the classroom.

What additional resources may help me complete this assessment?

Signpost to:

• There are recorded support sessions as these take place on the 12th of December
and the 27th of March.
• Office hours are given in the module handbook.
• Recorded lectorials are available on Blackboard under the relevant study units.

There are a number of sources of support to improve your study skills, including:
• The UWE Library Study Skills pages – for online support and bookable workshops
• The College of Business and Law’s Learning Hub
• Guidance on using UWE’s Library.

Specific study skills pages relating to this module include:

• How to plan and structure your writing
• Writing skills
• Report writing
• How to write critically
• English language support

For further guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology see UWE’s Learning
and Teaching Terminology pages
What do I do if I am concerned about completing this assessment?
UWE Bristol offer a range of Assessment Support Options that you can explore through this
link, and both Academic Support and Wellbeing Support are available.
For further information, please see the Academic Survival Guide.
How do I avoid an Assessment Offence on this module?
Use the support above if you feel unable to submit your own work for this module.
UWE Bristol’s UWE’s Assessment Offences Policy requires that you submit work that is
entirely your own and reflects your own learning, so it is important to:
• Ensure you reference all sources used, using the OSCOLA system and the
guidance available on UWE’s Study Skills referencing pages.
• If you are a Joint Awards student, you have the option of using Harvard. If
you do so, please make this clear on the cover page of your submission
(Referencing style used: Harvard). Students should also be aware that as
Harvard is an ‘in-text’ system, their references form part of the overall word
count for the piece.
• Avoid copying and pasting any work into this assessment, including your own
previous assessments, work from other students or internet sources.
• Develop your own style, arguments and wording, so avoid copying sources
and changing individual words but keeping, essentially, the same sentences
and/or structures from other sources.
• Never give your work to others who may copy it.
• If an individual assessment, develop your own work and preparation, and do
not allow anyone to make amends on your work (including proof-readers,
who may highlight issues but not edit the work).

When submitting your work, you will be required to confirm that the work is your own,
and text-matching software and other methods are routinely used to check submissions
against other submissions to the university and internet sources. Details of what constitutes
an assessment offence (such as plagiarism or collusion) can be found here. There is also
extensive advice on how to prepare for assessments and to avoid offences on UWE’s Study
Skills Preparing for Assessments.
Please avoid dodgy sites such as essay mill sites. Aside from the fact that the standard of
information they contain is often incorrect or injudiciously written, this can end up being
referred as an assessment offence.
Please also be mindful of collusion. While working together in study groups is perfectly
acceptable, when it comes to writing up your assessment or drafting a detailed structure, at
that point, please stop working together and work individually. This will avoid substantive
plagiarism of each other’s work (whether intentional or not) and collusion.

Marks and Feedback

Your assessment will be marked according to the following marking criteria.
You can use these to evaluate your own work before you submit.
Click here to download the LLB General Assessment Criteria.
The coursework will be marked as a whole in line with the LLB General Assessment Criteria.
Note that it is the overall level of engagement and knowledge displayed that will be marked,
in a holistic manner, rather than awarding points for individual sections. Each part/section
counts “the same” insofar as to say: there is no percentage attached to each part/section.
Rather, we are looking for consistency in application and the ability to cross-reference
knowledge between the individual parts, where applicable.
As students of Information Technology Law, guidance and tuition will have provided you with
relevant information and background knowledge to complete this assignment.

Before submitting your work, please ensure that:

 You have proofread your work thoroughly to ensure your work is presented appropriately

 You have addressed all the required elements of the assessment

 You have referenced in accordance with the guidance provided

 You have addressed each of the marking criteria

 The submission is in the correct format