Assignment Title:

Exercise

Lecturer:

Mr.Hemananth

Subject:

Professional Issues in IT

Subject Code:

HNDIT-2403

Name:

T.Janakan

Reg.No:

BAT/IT/2018/F/0041

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: Phenomenon where a company pays another company to build parts
for its products or services instead of performing those tasks itself.

Outsourcing describes when a third party is used to produce or perform a service

normally managed by internal parties. Common examples of outsourcing include call
center operations, HR management (benefits administration, payroll, etc.), or
providing technical support. In each case, these services could be performed in-house,
but are instead offloaded to reduce costs, improve service, or enhance capabilities.

b. Off shoring: Offshoring is the relocation of a business process from one country to
another, typically an operational process (e.g. manufacturing) or supporting processes
(e.g. accounting).

Offshoring, on the other hand, is an entirely separate business model. In this scenario,
domestic companies willingly choose to move or expand their operations to other
parts of the world.

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

b. List 20 positive effect of IT to the students

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

3. Briefly Explain the difference between law and ethics

 The law is defined as the systematic body of rules that governs the whole society and
the actions of its individual members. Ethics means the science of a standard human
conduct.
 The law consists of a set of rules and regulations, whereas Ethics comprises of
guidelines and principles that inform people about how to live or how to behave in a
particular situation.
  The law is created by the Government, which may be local, regional, national or
international. On the other hand, ethics are governed by an individual, legal or
professional norms, i.e. workplace ethics, environmental ethics and so on.
 The objective of the law is to maintain social order and peace within the nation and
protection to all the citizens. Unlike, ethics that are the code of conduct that helps a
person to decide what is right or wrong and how to act.

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.

Hacking – currently defined as to gain illegal or unauthorized access to a file, computer,

or network
The term has changed over time

• 1: early 1960s to 1970s

– It was a positive term
– A "hacker" was a creative programmer who wrote elegant or clever code
– A "hack" was an especially clever piece of code
• 2: 1970s to mid-1990s
– Hacking took on negative connotations
– Breaking into computers for which the hacker does not have authorized access
– Still primarily individuals
– Includes the spreading of computer worms and viruses
– Companies began using hackers to analyze and improve security

• 3: beginning with the mid 1990s

– The growth of the Web changed hacking; viruses and worms could be spread
rapidly

– Political hacking (Hacktivism) surfaced

– Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks used to shut down Web sites
– Large scale theft of personal and financial information
Now computer hacking is the important concept in the world because it is increasing
every day.
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 this law
is the government department, which is responsible for the administration of the
intellectual Property System in Sri Lanka.
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. Musculoskeletal Problems

• This includes areas of your body such as your back, neck, chest, arms, shoulders and
feet.
• Having sore muscles and complaints of the muscles being tired are common.
• Numbness may occur in the arms and hands.
• These troubles may occur because the posture you assume when using the computer is
most likely incorrect.
• You may find that you are sitting in an uncomfortable chair, or that you have a
workstation that is not ergonomically correct for your body.

2. Vision Problems
• Computers are notorious for their bright lights, glare and flickering images that can
cause strain on your eyes.
• Finding that you constantly focusing on the screen with delays in blinking can result
in drying out your eyes.

3. Repetitive Stress Injuries

• You may notice pain in your neck, shoulders, or really anywhere from the shoulders
to your fingers related to repetitive muscle use.
• Using the computer may cause you to use your muscles in an odd way that may cause
increased stiffness, pain, or swelling in any of those areas.
• One of the most common conditions related to repetitive use of your muscles when
using the computer is carpal tunnel syndrome.

4. Headaches
• Headaches are common and may occur because of the increased muscle tension or
from pain in the neck.
• Any vision problems, or continued strain on the eyes can also cause headaches.

5. Obesity
• Prolonged use of computers may lead to an overall sedentary lifestyle that lacks
adequate physical activity and/or exercise.
• In children prolonged use of computers, or electronics in general, is a major
contributing factor to obesity.
11. What is Computer crime, Give five examples for computer crime

Alternatively referred to as cybercrime, e-crime, electronic crime, or hi-tech

crime. Computer crime is an act performed by a knowledgeable computer user,
sometimes referred to as a hacker that illegally browses or steals a company's or
individuals private information. In some cases, this person or group of
individuals may be malicious and destroy or otherwise corrupt the computer or
data files.

1. Copyright violation - Stealing or using another person's Copyrighted material

without permission.

2. Cracking - Breaking or deciphering codes that are being used to protect data.
3. Cyber terrorism - Hacking, threats, and blackmailing towards a business or person.

4. Cyberbully or Cyber stalking - Harassing or stalking others online.

5. Cybersquatting - Setting up a domain of another person or company with the sole

intentions of selling it to them later at a premium price.

6. Creating Malware - Writing, creating, or distributing malware (e.g., viruses and

spyware.)

7. Denial of Service attack - Overloading a system with so many requests it cannot

serve normal requests.

8. Espionage - Spying on a person or business.

9. Fraud - Manipulating data, e.g., changing banking records to transfer money to an

account or participating in credit card fraud.

12. Give 10 techniques to protect your personal and financial information in case of online
shopping

a. Use a good anti-malware program. ...

b. Optimize PC’s security settings. ...

c. Share payment information only with known or reputable vendors.

d. Use a credit card instead of a debit card. ...
 e. Make sure the order checkout area is encrypted. ...

f. Print or save a copy of our orders. ...

g. Use strong passwords. ...

h. Check our statements often.

i. Change the password often

j. Link the transaction to the E mail

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