Technology

There are various legislatures in the United Kingdom that directly affects the use of information communication technology in government agencies as well as the private sector. These legislations were enacted by the parliament to protect the public and organization from the harmful effects of information communication technology. Some of these legislations include the Data Protection Act of 1998, Computer Misuse Act of 1990 and Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974. There are other acts which govern the use of ICT and are very relevant in the public sector and government agencies but these three are the most important.

The Data Protection Act of 1998 was enacted by the United Kingdom Parliament and defines the criteria in which information about individuals should be treated and used legally. The main function of the act is to protect the citizen from abuse through illegal use of information about them. The act provides individuals with mechanisms in which they can safeguard information about themselves. The act defines the basic principle which any government agency that uses personal information should always adhere to. For example, the act requires that the information should not be used for any other purpose rather than the one it was collected for and should not be kept for unnecessary long time. The individual must also be allowed to access the information and it should only be available to authorized persons. This law is applicable in the European Union where different government agencies can exchange individuals personal information within the block. However, personal information held by government agencies can only be sent outside the EU on special conditions specified by the act.

Another act that affects the use of ICT in government agencies is The Computer Misuse Act which was enacted in 1990. This act makes some activities on computers, such as hacking personal systems, misuse of software and gaining access to personal files illegally. Computer Misuse Act specifies activities which should be considered illegal and punishable by the law. It is therefore illegal for a government agency to access personal information from a computer or modify the personal material without the authority of the owner. Individuals are also forbidden by this act from accessing government agencies information with intent, modifying the information or unauthorized access of secured information.

The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 is also very applicable in the use of ICT in government agencies and institutions. The act was originally designed to ensure that the employees as well as the employers are safe at the workplace. The act requires government agencies to provide safe ICT equipment and systems to their workers, provide user instructions and training for new equipments and protective equipments where necessary. On the other hand, the employee should also take responsibility and take care of other workers and themselves too. Workers should ensure their safety in the use of dangerous equipments by avoiding misuse and reporting faultiness in time. The healthy and safety at work act of 1974 which is used in the United Kingdom today is based on the European Union legislature.

Apart from these regulations, the European Union has a set of directives that are followed by member states. The EU requires a record of risk assessment of all potential risks associated with activities of any institution. The EU legislation pays more attention on the security of the people involved in any government or private agency dealing with ICT.