Chapter 8. Information Security and Cyber Law

 

1. What is Information Technology? Describe it with its social impacts.

Information Technology is a modern concept or methodology of communication. It is the combined form of Information and Communication Technology, which is highly used for the information flow and in many other fields. IT has made the world closer day by day. One can easily send and receive the message throughout the world within a second. It has been widely used in education, industry, banks, research center, hospitals, etc. It is being used as learning and teaching tool in the sector of education. Distant learning has become possible due to the advancement of IT. It has been highly used in the industries to control quantity and quality of the product. It is equally used for the management in hospitals and for the treatment of the patients. IT is being used in the sector of animation and other entertainment. Scientists can use computer or IT for their research and experiment. Space technology has become possible due to the IT. Thus it has much such a positive impact on the society. But it has some negative impacts, too. As the use of IT is increasing day by day, the cyber crimes are also increasing. Cyber criminals can easily steal others’ information or data, they can disclose other secrecy, and they can easily spread the virus in the network and disturbs the social peace and security. 

2. What is Digital Divide?

Digital Divide is the term used for the gap between the computer literate and illiterate people. Or it can be said that it is a division between technical and non-technical man powers in the field. IT is the modern technology and for the use of this technology, one can have sound knowledge of computers. But still there are a great number of people, who do not know the computers’ operations. They do not understand the computer related terms. This difference or gap is called digital divide. First, this term came into practice in the mid of 1990s by political speeches and news media. This division is increasing day by day in between urban area people and rural area people, educated and uneducated, rich and poor and so on. So it has become a global issue and governments are trying to bridge this gap.

3. What are the computer ethics or cyber ethics?

The computer ethics or the cyber ethics are the set of moral principles or the codes of conduct, which should be strictly followed by the computer professionals. The intention of the computer or cyber ethics is to avoid the criminal activities through the use of computers. The following are some examples of computer ethics:

i. Do not use other’s password

ii. Do not steal other’s information

iii. Do not use computers to harm others

iv. Do not disclose other’s secrecy

v. Do not spread virus in the network

vi. Do not copy licensed software, which you have not paid

vii. Do not alter other’s data

viii. Do not take possession to other people’s intellectual property

ix. Do not misuse electronic transaction

x. Do not use computer to bear false witness, etc.

4. What is cyber crime? List out some examples of cyber crimes.

The act of misusing computers, Internet or other electronic media is called cyber crime. As the use of Information Technology is increasing, the act of cyber crime is also increasing day by day. The following are some examples of cyber crime:

i. Misuse of computers

ii. Spreading virus

iii. Stealing other’s information

iv. Pirating licensed software

v. Disclosing of other’s secrecy

vi. Misuse of electronic transaction and electronic media

vii. Rude and vulgar comments in Internet on racial, communal and others

viii. Alteration of other data without permission

ix. Spying others’ information

x. Cracking or hacking

xi. Password guessing

xii. Salami saving and data diddling

xiii. Forgery

xiv. DOS attack, etc.

5. What is Cyber Law? Define and write some provisions of it.

The law regarding the use of computers is called Cyber Law. It highly concerns with the misuse of the computers, Internet and other electronic media, which are specially used for information flow. Cyber ethics just suggest not committing computer crimes or cyber crimes but the cyber law strictly defines the punishment in case of violation of the laws or cyber principles. Actually the cyber law is in practice to support the cyber ethics. Nepal Government also has issued the Cyber Law on 11th Falgun, 2061 (18th March 2005) as “The Electronic Transaction Ordinance, 2005”.

It has the following provisions:

·       Electronic and Digital Signature Law

·       Intellectual Property Law

Copyright Law

Trademark Law

Semiconductor Law

Patent Law

·       Telecommunication Law

·       Data Protection and Privacy Law

6. Explain the different objectives of IT Policy of Nepal.

The IT policies of Nepal are:

·       To declare IT as a high priority sector of government and make it practical

·       To establish knowledge based industries to increase employment

·       To make public information and service delivery inclusive and effective through the philosophy of e-government

·       To increase the productive use of IT in social, economic and business organizations

·       To increase access to IT related international attempts and developments

·       To make Government Integrated Data Center (GIDC) effective in order to develop as an infrastructure for IT development