Unit 4:

Societal Impacts
Marks :8
 Unit 4: Societal Impacts( Marks: 8)
Digital footprint, Net and communication etiquettes, data protection,
intellectual property rights (IPR), plagiarism, licensing and copyright, free
and open source software (FOSS), cybercrime and cyber laws, hacking,
phishing, cyber bullying, overview of Indian IT Act.
E-waste: hazards and management.
Awareness about health concerns related to the usage of technology.
Digital Footprints:

• Digital Footprints are the records and traces of individuals’ activities which

we leave behind when we visit any website (or use any online application or

portal) to fill-in data or perform any transaction.

• Digital Footprints are permanently stored

• They are also referred to as Digital tattoos

Digital Foot prints are classified into two types:
• Active digital footprint
• Passive digital footprint

An active digital footprint is created when a user intentionally shares their

personal information either through social media or websites and apps.
Examples:
• Sharing of personal information on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Working with online forms such as signing up or logging on
• Accidental/ intentional acceptance to install cookies on user’s devices
A passive digital footprint is created when information is collected from the user
without their knowledge.

Examples:
• Websites that install cookies in user’s device without their disclosure.
• Apps and websites that use geo-location to detect user’s location.
• Social media news channels and advertisers that use comments, likes and
shares of the user to know about their profiles and areas of interest,
based on which they serve the advertisements as per the user
requirements.
Following measures to be adapted to mange digital footprints:

• Double check privacy settings, don’t trust unsafe sites.

• Create strong memorable passwords.
• Keep all the software up to date.
• Delete unwanted files from your device.
• Build reputation through behaviour
 Net Etiquettes

• Anyone who uses digital technology along with Internet is a digital citizen or a

netizen.

• Being a good netizen means practicing safe, ethical and legal use of digital

technology.

• A responsible netizen must abide by net etiquettes, communication etiquettes

and social media etiquettes.

(A) Be Ethical
(i)No copyright violation:
• we should not use copyrighted materials without the permission of the creator or
owner.
• careful while streaming audio or video or downloading images and files from the
Internet.
(ii) Share the expertise:
• It is good to share information and knowledge on Internet so that others can access
it.
• The information shared should be true and unambiguous and not redundant
information.
(B) Be Respectful

(i) Respect privacy:

We should respect the privacy and should not share those images, documents,

files, etc., with any other digital citizen without others’ consent.

(ii) Respect diversity:

In a group or public forum, we should respect the diversity of the people in

terms of knowledge, experience, culture and other aspects.

(C) Be Responsible

(i) Avoid cyber bullying:

Any insulting, degrading or intimidating online behavior like repeated posting of

rumours, giving threats online, posting the victim’s personal information, sexual harassment

or comments aimed to publicly ridicule a victim is termed as cyber bullying.

(ii) Don’t feed the troll:

An Internet troll is a person who deliberately sows discord on the Internet by starting

quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory or off topic messages in an online

community, just for amusement.

Communication Etiquettes

• Digital communication includes email, texting, instant messaging, talking on the

cell phone, audio or video conferencing, posting on forums, social networking

sites, etc.

• Good communication over email, chat room and other such forums require a

digital citizen to abide by the communication etiquettes

(A)Be Precise
(i) Respect time:
we should not waste precious time in responding to unnecessary emails or
comments
neither reply nor open any attachment Junk email (called Spam).
(ii) Respect data limits:
For concerns related to data and bandwidth, very large attachments may be
avoided.
Send compressed files or link of the files through cloud storage like Google
Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Yahoo Dropbox, etc.
(B) Be Polite

We should be polite and non-aggressive in our communication.

(C) Be Credible

On various discussion forums, we usually try to go through the previous

comments of a person and judge their credibility before relying on that person’s

comments.
Social Media Etiquettes

Social media are websites or applications that enable their

users to participate in social networking by creating and sharing content

with others in the community.

(A)Be Secure

• Choose password wisely:

The minimum one can do is to have strong and frequently changed password.

Never share personal credentials like username and password with others.

• Know who you befriend:

social networks usually encourage connecting with users.

befriending unknown people as their intentions possibly could be malicious and

unsafe.
• Beware of fake information:

fake news, messages and posts are common in social networks.

should not blindly believe in everything that we come across on such platforms,

we should apply our knowledge and experience to validate such news, message or

post.
(B) Be Reliable

• Think before uploading:

we can upload almost anything on social network. However, remember that once

uploaded, it is always there in the remote server even if we delete the files. Hence

we need to be cautious while uploading or sending sensitive or confidential files

Data protection

• Elements of data that can cause substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience

and unfairness to an individual, if breached or compromised, is called sensitive

data.

• Examples of sensitive data include biometric information, health information,

financial information, or other personal documents, images or audios or videos.

Data can be protected by the following measures:
• Through Data encryption This process converts the original representation
of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as
cipher text.
• Not sharing private information such as passwords, credit card credentials
• Not oversharing on social networking sites
• Adopting complete security mechanisms
• Avoid opening phishing emails
• Be careful about using Wi-Fi connections
• Being alert to impersonators( A person who pretends to be another)
Intellectual Property Rights(IPR)

• The original idea of a person is intellectual property

• Intellectual Property Rights are the rights of the owner of information to
decide how much information is to be exchanged, shared or distributed.
• It gives the owner a right to decide the price for doing.
(exchanging/Sharing/Distributing).
• Intellectual Property is legally protected through copyrights, patents,
trademarks,etc.
A) Copyright

• Copyright grants legal rights to creators for their original works like writing, photograph,

audio recordings, video, sculptures, architectural works, computer software, and other

creative works like literary and artistic work.

• Copyrights are automatically granted to creators and authors.

• It prevents others from copying, using or selling the work

For example, writer Rudyard Kipling holds the copyright to his novel, ‘The Jungle

Book’, which tells the story of Mowgli, the jungle boy. It would be an infringement

of the writer’s copyright if someone used parts of the novel without permission.

To use other’s copyrighted material, one needs to obtain a license from them.
(B) Patent

• A patent is usually granted for inventions.

• The inventor needs to apply (file) for patenting the invention.

• When a patent is granted, the owner gets an exclusive right to prevent others from

using, selling, or distributing the protected invention. Patent gives full control to the

patentee to decide whether or how the invention can be used by others.

• A patent protects an invention for 20 years, after which it can be freely used.

• E.g. New invention in pharmaceutical industry.

(C) Trademark

• Trademark includes any visual symbol, word, name, design, slogan, label, etc.,
that distinguishes the brand or commercial enterprise, from other brands or
commercial enterprises.
• For example, no company other than Nike can use the Nike brand to sell shoes
or clothes.
• Confusing brands like “Nikke” cannot be used.
• However, it may be possible to apply for the Nike trademark for unrelated
goods like notebooks.
• Validity for 10 years can be made perpetual by renewing the trademark every
10 years
NOTE:

*Code of the software will be protected by a copyright

* Functional expression of the idea will be protected by a patent

* The name and logo of the software will come under a registered trademark
Licensing

• Licensing and copyrights are two sides of the same coin.

• A license is a type of contract or a permission agreement between the creator of

an original work permitting someone to use their work, generally for some price;

whereas copyright is the legal rights of the creator for the protection of original

work of different types.

• Only the copyright owner of a work can enter into a license agreement.
• End User License Agreement (EULA) contains the dos and don’ts with respect to
the software being purchased.
• It covers all clauses of software purchase, viz., how many copies can be installed,
whether source is available, whether it can be modified and redistributed and so
on.
• A software license is an agreement that provides legally binding guidelines
pertaining to the authorized use of digital material. The digital material may
include any software or any form of art, literature, photos, etc., in digital form.
• Failure to follow such guidelines is considered as an infringement of Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR), and is a criminal offence
Violation of IPR
A) Plagiarism:
• Plagiarism is stealing someone’s intellectual work and representing it as our own
work without giving credit to the creator or without citing the source of information.
• If we copy some contents from Internet, but do not mention the source or the
original creator, then it is considered as an act of plagiarism.
How to avoid plagiarism:
• Use your own words and ideas.
• Always provide reference to the source from where the
information is received. citation
• Use online tools to check for plagiarism.
(B) Copyright Infringement

• Copyright infringement is when we use other person’s work without obtaining

their permission to use or we have not paid for it, if it is being sold.

• To download an image from the Internet and use it in our project check the

copyright status of writer’s work before using it to avoid copyright infringement.

(C) Trademark Infringement

• Trademark Infringement means unauthorized use of other’s trademark on

products and services.

• An owner of a trademark may commence legal proceedings against

someone who infringes its registered trademark.

• Public Access and Open Source Software

Copyright sometimes put restriction on the usage of the copyrighted works by anyone

else.

• When authors share their copyrighted works with others under public license, it allows

others to use and even modify the content.

• Open source licenses help others to contribute to existing work or project without

seeking special individual permission to do so.

• The GNU General Public License (GPL) and the Creative Commons (CC) are two popular

categories of public licenses.

GPL(General Public License)
• GPL is primarily designed for providing public license to a software.
• GNU GPL provides end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the
software, besides getting regular updates.
• GPL is the most widely used free software license which grants the recipients,
rights to copy, modify and redistribute the software and that the same rights are
preserved in all derivative works.
• GPL License may charge a fee or give them free to users
• This distinguishes ,GPL license from freeware software licenses like Skype, Adobe
Acrobat reader, etc. that allow copying for personal use but prohibit commercial
distribution, or proprietary licenses where copying is prohibited by copyright law
• A software which is free as well as open belongs to the category FOSS (Free and

Open Source Software)

• For example, Linux kernel-based operating systems like Ubuntu and Fedora

come under FOSS.

• Examples of FOSS include Python, Libreoffice, Openoffice, Mozilla Firefox etc..

Software piracy

Software piracy is the unauthorised use or distribution of software.

Those who purchase a license for a copy of the software do not have the rights

to make additional copies without the permission of the copyright owner.

CC licenses
• CC licenses are a set of copyright licenses that give the recipients, rights to copy,
modify and redistribute the creative material, but giving the authors, the liberty to
decide the conditions of licensing.
• CC is used for all kind of creative works like websites, music, film, literature, etc. CC
enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. It is used when an
author wants to give people the right to share, use and build upon a work that
they have created.
• Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation (https:// creativecommons.org/)
that aims to build a publically accessible global platform where a range of creative
and academic works are shared freely.
• The Creative Commons organisation provides Creative Commons (CC) licenses

free of charge.

• A CC license is used when an author wants to give other people the right to

share, use, and build upon a work that the author has created.

• A CC license is a type of copyright license that enables the free distribution of

anybody’s copyrighted work.

The owner of a work can combine these conditions to create six different types of CC
licenses
1.Accreditation: Author must be attributed as the creator of the work. Then, work can be modified,

distributed, copied, used otherwise.

2.Shared with CC: The work can be modified, distributed but only under CC License.

3.Non-Commercial: Work can be modified, distributed but not for commercial purposes.

4.No Derivative Works: You can copy and distribute the licensed work, but you can’t modify it in any

way or create work based on the origin

Cyber crime
Any criminal offence that is facilitated by, or involves the use of, electronic
communications or information systems, including any electronic device, computer,
or the Internet is referred to as Cyber crime.
Cyber crime is a general term that covers crimes like phishing, credit card
frauds, illegal downloading, child pornography, cyber bullying, cyber stalking, cyber
terrorism, creation and/or distribution of viruses, spam, etc.
Cyber crime is defined as a crime in which computer is the medium of crime
(hacking, phishing, spamming), or the computer is used as a tool to commit crimes
(extortion, data breaches, theft).
Cyber crime is also referred to as computer crime.
1) Hacking

• Hacking is the act of unauthorized access to a computer, computer network or any

digital system.

• Hackers usually have technical expertise of the hardware and software.

• Hacking, when done with a positive intent, is called ethical hacking are also known

as white hat hackers who helps in improving the security of the software.

• An ethical hacker may exploit a website in order to discover its security loopholes or

vulnerabilities. He then reports his findings to the website owner. Thus, ethical

hacking is actually preparing the owner against any cyber attack

• A non-ethical hacker is the one who tries to gain unauthorised access to

computers or networks in order to steal sensitive data with the intent to damage

or bring down systems.

• They are called black hat hackers or crackers.

• Their primary focus is on security cracking and data stealing.

• They use their skill for illegal or malicious purposes.

• Such hackers try to break through system securities for identity theft, monetary

gain, to bring a competitor or rival site down, to leak sensitive information, etc.
2) Phishing and Fraud Emails

• Phishing is an unlawful activity where fake websites or emails that look original or

authentic are presented to the user to fraudulently collect sensitive and personal

details, particularly usernames, passwords, banking and credit card details.

• The most common phishing method is through email spoofing where a fake or

forged email address is used and the user presumes it to be from an authentic

source.
• email from an address that looks similar to your bank or educational

institution, asking for your information, They will often use logo’s of the

original, making them difficult to detect from the real!

• Phishing attempts are done through phone calls or text messages

(A) Identity Theft

• Identity theft is using stolen personal information from computers or computer

networks, to commit fraud .

• A user’s identifiable personal data like demographic details, email ID, banking

credentials, passport, PAN, Aadhaar number and various such personal data are

stolen and misused by the hacker on behalf of the victim.

• This is one type of phishing attack where the intention is largely for monetary gain.
Types of Identity Theft

• Financial identity theft: when the stolen identity is used for financial

gain.

• Criminal identity theft: criminals use a victim’s stolen identity to avoid

detection of their true identity.

• Medical identity theft: criminals can seek medical drugs or treatment

using a stolen identity.

Ransomware

• This is another kind of cyber crime where the attacker gains access to the computer

and blocks the user from accessing, usually by encrypting the data.

• The attacker blackmails the victim to pay for getting access to the data, or sometimes

threatens to publish personal and sensitive information or photographs unless a

ransom is paid.

• Ransomware can get downloaded when the users visit any malicious or unsecure

websites or download software from doubtful repositories

Following points can be considered as safety measures to reduce the risk of

cyber crime:
• Take regular backup of important data.
• Use an antivirus software and keep it updated always.
• Avoid installing pirated software.
• Always download software from known and secure (HTTPS) sites.
• Always update the system software which include the Internet browser and other
application software
• Do not visit or download anything from untrusted websites.
• Usually the browser alerts users about doubtful websites whose security certificate could
not be verified; avoid visiting such sites.
• Use strong password for web login, and change it periodically. Do not use same

password for all the websites. Use different combinations of alphanumeric characters

including special characters. Ignore common words or names in password.

• While using someone else’s computer, don’t allow browser to save password or auto fill

data, and try to browse in your private browser window

• For an unknown site, do not agree to use cookies when asked for through a

Yes/No option.

• Perform online transaction like shopping, ticketing, and other such services only

through well-known and secure sites.

• Always secure wireless network at home with strong password and regularly

change it.
Indian Information Technology Act (IT Act) /ITA 2000 Act
• To safeguard the rights of Internet users, the Government of India’s The Information
Technology Act, 2000 amended in 2008, provides guidelines to the user on the processing,
storage and transmission of sensitive information.
• In many Indian states, there are cyber cells in police stations where one can report any
cyber crime.
• The act outlines cyber crimes and penalties for them.
• Cyber Appellate Tribunal has been established to resolve disputes arising from cyber
crime, such as tampering with computer source documents, hacking the computer system,
using password of another person, publishing sensitive personal data of others without
their consent, etc.
• The act is needed so that people can perform transactions over the Internet through credit
cards without fear of misuse.
• Not only people, the act empowers government departments also to accept filing, creation
and storage of official documents in the digital format.
SECTION OFFENCE PENALTY
67A Publishing images containing sexual Imprisonment up to 7 years, and/or
acts fine up to ₹ 10,00,000.
67B Publishing child porn or predating Imprisonment up to 5 years and/or
children online fine up to ₹ 10,00,000 on 1st
conviction. Imprisonment up to 7
years and/or fine up to ₹ 10,00,000
on 2nd conviction.
67C Failure to maintain records Imprisonment up to 3 years and/or
fine up to ₹ 2,00,000.
68 Failure/refusal to comply with Imprisonment up to 7 years and/or
orders possible fine.
69 Failure/refusal to decrypt data Imprisonment up to 3 years and/or
fine up to ₹ 1,00,000.
70 Securing access or attempting to Imprisonment up to ten years
secure access to a protected system and/or fine.
71 Misrepresentation Imprisonment up to 3 years and/or
fine up to ₹ 1,00,000.
IT ACT, 2000 (Cyber law) of India
Electronic Record:
Information captured through electronic means and which may or may not have a paper
record to back it up. Also called machine readable record.
Digital Signature:
Digital signature is basically a way to ensure that an electronic document (e-mail,
spreadsheet, text file, etc.) is authentic.
Authentic means that you know who created the document and you know that it has not
been altered in any way since that person created it.
• Digital signatures are the digital equivalent of a paper certificate.
• Digital signatures work on a unique digital ID issued by an Certificate Authority (CA)
to the user.
• Signing a document digitally means attaching that user's identify, which can be used
to authenticate.
• A licensed Certifying Authority (CA) who has been granted a license to issue it under
Section 24 of the Indian IT-Act 2000, can issue the digital signature
E-waste: Hazards and Management:
E-waste or Electronic waste includes electric or electronic gadgets and devices that are no longer in
use. Hence, discarded computers, laptops, mobile phones, televisions, tablets, music systems,
speakers, printers, scanners etc. constitute e-waste when they are near or end of their useful life.
Of all the different types of waste, electronic waste has the characteristics of:
(a) the fastest growing segment of waste
(b) most valuable due to its basic consumption
(c) very hazardous if not handled carefully.

So, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is becoming a major concern for all countries
across the world. Globally, e-waste constitutes more than 5 per cent of the municipal solid waste
Impact of e-waste on environment

• E-waste is responsible for the degradation of our environment. Whether it is

emission of gases and fumes into the atmosphere, discharge of liquid waste

into drains or disposal of solid e-waste materials.

• California Law University has identified nonfunctioning cathode ray tubes

(CRTs) from televisions and computer monitors as hazardous.

When e-waste is carelessly thrown or dumped in landfills or dumping
grounds, certain elements or metals used in production of electronic products
cause air, water and soil pollution.
This is because when these products come in contact with air and moisture,
they tend to leach.
Leaching is the process of removing a substance from another substance by
passing water through it.
• when these chemicals reach and contaminate the natural ground water, it

causes water pollution as the water becomes unfit for humans, animals

and even for agricultural use.

• When dust particles loaded with heavy metals enters the atmosphere, it

causes air pollution as well.

Impact of e-waste on humans:

If e-waste is not disposed of in proper manner, it can be extremely harmful to

humans, plants, animals and the environment as discussed below:

• One of the most widely used metals in electronic devices (such as monitors and

batteries) is lead. When lead enters the human body through contaminated food,

water, air or soil, it causes lead poisoning which affects the kidneys, brain and central

nervous system. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.

• When e-waste such as electronic circuit boards are burnt for disposal, the elements
contained in them create a harmful chemical called beryllium which causes skin
diseases, allergies and an increased risk of lung cancer.
• Burning of insulated wires to extract copper can cause neurological disorders.
• Some of the electronic devices contain mercury which causes respiratory disorders and
brain damage.
• The cadmium found in semiconductors and resistors can damage kidneys, liver and
bones.
• None of the electronic devices are manufactured without using plastics. When this
plastic reacts Carcinogenic: May cause cancer, when consumed, it damages the immune
system of the body and also causes various psychological problems like stress and
anxiety.
Management of e-waste

E-waste management is the efficient disposal of e-waste. Some of the feasible

methods of e-waste management are reduce, reuse and recycle.

• Reduce: We should try to reduce the generation of e-waste by purchasing the

electronic or electrical devices only according to our need. Also, they should be

used to their maximum capacity and discarded only after their useful life has

ended. Good maintenance of electronics devices also increases the life of the

devices
• Reuse: It is the process of re-using the electronic or electric waste after slight

modification. The electronic equipment that is still functioning should be donated or

sold to someone who is still willing to use it. The process of re-selling old electronic

goods at lower prices is called refurbishing.

• Recycle: Recycling is the process of conversion of electronic devices into something

that can be used again and again in some or the other manner. Only those products

should be recycled that cannot be repaired, refurbished or re-used. To promote recycling

of e-waste many companies and NGOs are providing door-to-door pick up facilities for

collecting the e-waste from homes and offices.

E-waste Management in India:

In India, the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, has been enacted to punish people

responsible for causing any form of pollution by paying for the damage done to the

natural environment. According to this act, “Polluter pays Principle”, any one causing

any form of pollution will pay for the damage caused.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a formal set of guidelines for proper handling and

disposal of e-waste. According to these guidelines, the manufacturer of any electronic equipment will be

“personally” responsible for the final safe disposal of the product when it becomes an e-waste.

The Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communication and Information Technology,

has also issued a comprehensive technical guide on “Environmental Management for Information Technology

Industry in India.” The industries have to follow these guidelines for recycling and reuse of e-waste. In order to

make the consumers aware of the recycling of e-waste, prominent smartphone and computer manufacturing

companies have started various recycling programs.

Impact on Health

• Improper posture can be bad for us — both physically, and mentally.

• Too much time on Internet can be addictive and can have a negative impact

on our physical and psychological well being

• Ergonomics is a branch of science that deals with designing or arranging

workplaces including the furniture, equipment's and systems so that it

becomes safe and comfortable for the user

• Eye strain is a symptom commonly complained by users of digital devices can be

avoided Ergonomically maintaining the viewing distance and angle, along with the

position.

• However, to get rid of dry, watering, or itchy eyes, it is better to periodically focus

on distant objects, and take a break for outdoor activities

• Bad posture, backaches, neck and shoulder pains can be prevented by arranging

the workspace as recommended by ergonomics.

• Overuse of keyboards (be it physical keyboard or touchscreen-based virtual

keyboard) not aligned ergonomically, can give rise to a painful condition of wrists

and fingers, and may require medical help in the long run.

• Stress, physical fatigue and obesity are the other related impacts the body may

face if one spends too much time using digital devices

Device Safety: Ensures Good Health of a Computer System
√ Regularly clean it to keep the dust off. Use a liquid solution specifically
formulated for the cleaning of electronic screens.
√ Wipe monitor’s screen often using the regular microfiber soft cloth (the one
used for spectacles).
√ Keep it away from direct heat, sunlight and put it in a room with enough
ventilation for air circulation.
√ Do not eat food or drink over the keyboard. Food crumbs that fall into the
gaps between the keys or spilled over liquid can cause issues to the devices.
Nivedita has recently shifted to new city and new school. She does not know many

people in her new city and school. But all of a sudden , someone posting negative,

demeaning comments on her social networking profile, school site’s forum etc..,

She is also getting repeated mails from unknown people. Every time she online, she

finds someone chasing her online.

a) What is this happening to nivedita? cyber bullying & cyber stalking

b) What action should she take to stop it ? She must immediately bring it to the

notice of her parents and school authorities. And she can report the crime in cyber

police.
Sachin has copied a logo for his project from online and pasted this in his
project report. What is this act of him called? How can it be avoided?
Plagiarism  reference or citation
Malini has stolen a credit card. She used that credit card to purchase a laptop.
What type of offence has she committed?
Credit card fraud