Notes for the topics mentioned below (Syllabus as per HPSC – PGT(CS))

 Digital Footprints
 Digital Society and Netizen: : Net etiquettes, communication etiquettes, social media
etiquettes
 Data Protection: lntellectual Property Right (copyright, patent, trademark), violation of
IPR lplagiaiism, copyright infringement, trademark infringement), open source softwares
and Iicensing (Creative Commons, GPL and APache)
 Creative Commons
 Cyber Crime: Definition, hacking, eavesdropping, phishing and fraud emails, ransomware,
preventing cyber crime
 Cyber Safety: safely browsing the web, identity protection, confidentiality, cyber trolls
and bullying
 Safely accessing web sites: malware, viruses, trojans
 Indian Information Technology Act (IT Act)
 E-waste: Hazards and Management- Impact on Health

Digital Footprints
Whenever you go online you leave behind information about yourself. This is known as Digital
Footprint.
Digital footprint or digital shadow or cyber shadows refers to one’s unique set of traceable digital
activities, actions, contributions and communications manifested on the Internet or on digital
devices.
Types of Digital Footprint
There are two main classifications for digital footprints:
(a) Passive and
(b) Active.
Passive Digital Footprint
A passive digital footprint is data collected without the owner knowing, also known as data
exhaust.
Active Digital footprint
Active digital footprints are created when personal data is released deliberately by a user for the
purpose of sharing information about oneself by means of websites or social media.
How is your digital footprint used?
 Information may be intentionally or unintentionally left behind by the user; with it being
either passively or actively collected by other interested parties.
 Depending on the amount of information left behind, it may be simple for other parties
to gather large amounts of information on that individual using simple search engines.
 Digital footprint is often used to obtain personal info about you, such as demographics,
religion, political affiliations or interests
How to manage digital footprint?
  When you search and interact online, a trail of information is left behind.
 Elements of your digital footprints can be searched or shared.
 Digital footprints can be helpful or harmful to your reputation both now and in the future.
 Once online, things can exist forever (even if deleted)
 Always think before you post online.
 Personal information or opinions sent to one person can be shared with a large audience.
 Googling yourself, can be a worthwhile exercise.
 Old or inactive accounts should be disabled or deleted.
 Keep personal details private and control the privacy settings on your accounts.
 Be mindful of the digital footprints of others (Always asks before post others pic)
Digital Society
Digital society thus reflects the growing trend of using digital technologies in all spheres of human
activities. But while online, all of us need to be aware of how to conduct ourselves, how best to
relate with others and what ethics, morals and values to maintain.
Netizen
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.
Net Etiquette
Net and Communication Etiquettes
Net and Communication Etiquettes is known as ‘Internet Etiquette’ or ‘Netiquette’.
Just like etiquette is a code of polite behaviour in society, netiquette is a code of good behaviour
on the Internet.
This includes several aspects of the Internet, such as email, social media, online chat, web forums,
website comments, multiplayer gaming, and other types of online communication.
10 rules to follow for good Netiquette :
1. Avoid posting inflammatory or offensive comments online.
2. Respect others’ privacy by not sharing personal information, photos, or videos that
another person may not want published online.
3. Never spam others by sending large amounts of unsolicited email.
4. Show good sportsmanship when playing online games, whether you win or lose.
5. Don’t troll people in web forums or website comments by repeatedly nagging or annoying
them.
6. Stick to the topic when posting in online forums or when commenting on photos or
videos, such as YouTube or Facebook comments.
7. Don’t swear or use offensive language.
8. Avoid replying to negative comments with more negative comments. Instead, break the
cycle with a positive post.
9. If someone asks a question and you know the answer, offer to help.
 10. Thank others who help you online.
Net Etiquettes
We follow certain etiquettes during our social interactions.
(A) Be Ethical
i) No copyright violation: we should not use copyrighted materials without the permission of the
creator or owner.
ii) Share the expertise: it is good to share information and knowledge on Internet so that
others can access it.
(B) Be Respectful
i) Respect privacy: as good digital citizens we have the right to privacy and the freedom of
personal expression. At the same time, we have to understand that other digital citizens also
have the same rights and freedoms.
We should respect this privacy and should not share those images, documents, files, etc., with
any other digital citizen without each other’s’ consent.
(C) Be Responsible
Avoid cyber bullying: any insulting, degrading or intimidating online behaviour 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.
Cyber Bullying : It implies repeatedly targeting someone with intentions to hurt or embarrass.
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.
The best way to discourage trolls is not to pay any attention to their comments.
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. All these are great ways
to connect with people in order to exchange ideas, share data and knowledge.
(A) Be Precise
Respect time: we should not waste precious time in responding to unnecessary emails or
comments unless they have some relevance for us
Respect data limits: For concerns related to data and bandwidth, very large attachments may be
avoided. Rather send compressed files.
(B) Be Polite
We should be polite and non-aggressive in our communication. We should avoid being abusive
even if we don’t agree with others’ point of view.
Whether the communication is synchronous (happening in real time like chat, audio/video
calls) or asynchronous (like email, forum post or comments)
(C) Be Credible
We should be cautious while making a comment, replying or writing an email or forum post as
such acts decide our credibility over a period of time.
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. These platforms
encourage users to share their thoughts and experiences through posts or pictures.
(A) Be Secure
Choose password wisely: it is vital for social network users. Never share personal credentials like
username and password with others.
Know who you befriend: social networks usually encourage connecting with users (making
friends), sometime even those whom we don’t know or have not met. However, we need to be
careful while 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. As
a user, we should be aware of them. With experience, we should be able to figure out whether a
news, message or post is genuine or fake. Thus, we should not blindly believe in everything that
we come across on such platforms,
(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.

Data Protection
Data or information protection is mainly about the privacy of data stored digitally.
Sensitive Data: Elements of data that can cause substantial harm,
embarrassment, inconvenience and unfairness to an individual, if breached or
compromised. Examples of sensitive data include biometric information, health information,
financial information, or other personal documents, images or audios or videos.
Privacy of sensitive data can be implemented by – encryption, authentication, and other secure
methods to ensure that such data is accessible only.
Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, loss and
binding rules put in place to protect your personal information and ensure that you remain in
control of it.
It is also known as Information Privacy and Data Privacy.
In short, you should be able to decide whether or not you want to share some information, who
has access to it, for how long, for what reason, and be able to modify some of this information,
and more.
NEED OF DATA PROTECTIONS:
Sharing data may bring benefits, and it has often also become necessary for us to do everyday
tasks and engage with other people in today’s society.
But it is not without risks. Your personal data reveals a lot about you, your thoughts, and your
life. These data can easily be exploited to harm you, and that’s especially dangerous for
vulnerable individuals and communities, such as journalists, activists, human rights defenders,
and members of oppressed and marginalized groups.
That is why these data must be strictly protected.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and
symbols, names and images used in commerce.
The ownership of such concepts lies with the creator, or the holder of the intellectual
property. This enables the creator or copyright owner to earn recognition or financial benefit by
using their creation or invention.
Intellectual Property is legally protected through copyrights, patents, trademarks, etc.

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. Copyright law gives the copyright
holder a set of rights that they alone can avail legally.
The rights include:-
 right to copy (reproduce) a work,
 right to create derivative works based upon it,
 right to distribute copies of the work to the public, and
 right to publicly display or perform the work.
It prevents others from copying, using or selling the work.
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.
 Copyright is the exclusive right given to the creator of a creative work to reproduce the
work, usually for a limited time.
 Copyright is the right to copy. This means that the original creators and authorized person
have only exclusive right to reproduce the work.
 Copyright does not protect every intellectual property, such as logos, slogans, brand
names, industrial processes, machines, and chemical positions.

Patent
A patent is usually granted for inventions.
Unlike copyright, 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.
Thus it encourages inventors to share their scientific or technological findings with others.
A patent protects an invention for 20 years, after which it can be freely used.
Recognition and/or financial benefit foster the right environment, and provide motivation for
more creativity and innovation.
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 Bata can use the Bata brand to sell shoes or clothes.
It also prevents others from using a confusingly similar mark, including words or phrases. For
example, confusing brands like “Nikke” cannot be used.
However, it may be possible to apply for the Nike trademark for unrelated goods like notebooks.

CATEGORIES OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

There are two categories of Intellectual property is divided into two categories:
(a) Industrial Property, and
(b) Copyright
INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Industrial Property includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and
geographical indications.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright covers literary works (such as novels, poems and plays), films, music, artistic works
(e.g., drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures) and architectural design.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR)
Intellectual property rights are the rights given to persons over the creations of their minds. They
usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of
time.
The creator / producer of the information is the real owner of the information. The owner has
every rights –
 To protect his/her intellectual property.
 How much information is to be exchanged
 To decide the price for exchanging / sharing / distributing.

Violation of IPR
Violation of intellectual property right may happen in one of the following ways:
Plagiarism
Presenting someone else’s idea or work as one’s own idea or work is called plagiarism.
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.
If someone derives an idea or a product from an already existing idea or product, but instead
presents it a new idea, then also it is plagiarism.
It is a serious ethical offense and sometimes considered as an act of fraud. Even if we take
contents that are open for public use, we should cite the author or source to avoid plagiarism.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
 Direct Plagiarism – Copy word –for – word from others work.
 Self Plagiarism – Doing new by submitting old work with some changes only.
 Mosaic Plagiarism – Students using the other works without putting text in quotation
marks.
 Accidental Plagiarism – occurs when person neglects to cite their source, or misquotes
their sources, or unintentionally paraphrases a source by using similar words
WHAT COMES UNDER PLAGIARISM
 Using any one else works without giving credit.
 Using other’s working by changing the meaning of actual work.
 Giving credit to wrong person or wrong source.
 Failing in acknowledge the contribution of others in group work or activity.
HOW TO SAVE FROM PLAGIARISM
 Always give credits to other work when you are using other’s idea, theory, opinion,
written words, quotation etc.
 Try to use your own works. Use your own words while doing any work.
 Always write the reference name when you are using contents of others.
IS PLAGIARISM OFFENCE?
 Yes, It is offence if you are not giving credit to actual owner’s of work and you are not
taken permission before using.
 A criminal charge or civil suit may be filled by actual owners.

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.
Suppose we download an image from the Internet and use it in our project. But if the owner of
the copyright of the image does not permit its free usage, then using such an image even after
giving reference of the image in our project is a violation of copyright.
Hence, check the copyright status of writer’s work before using it to avoid plagiarism.
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.

LICENSING / SOFTWARE LICENSING

A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and
distribution of software.
Software licenses provide end users with the rights
  To use the Software.
 May or may not create copies of the software
 May or may not distribute the software.
 May or may not change the software for any commercial or personal use.
Software licenses typically are either proprietary, free or open source
TYPES OF LICENSING
There are four types of Software licenses-
1. Proprietary License
2. Free Software License
3. Open Source Software License
4. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) License
PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE LINCENSE
The proprietary software licenses is that the software publisher grants the use of one or more
copies of software under the end-user license agreement (EULA), but ownership of those copies
remains with the software publisher, that’s why it is called proprietary.
In this some rights regarding the software are reserved by the software publisher.
 Uses of the software,
 Number of installations allowed,
 Terms of distribution.
FREE SOFTWARE LINCENSE
Free software means software is freely accessible and can be freely used, changed, improved,
copied and distributed.
No Payments are needed to be made for free software
According to Richard Stallman’s Free Software Foundation –
 Freedom to Run.
 Freedom to Study i.e. Freedom to access Source Code.
 Freedom to Copy and Distribute.
 Freedom to Change and Improve the program
OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE LINCENSE
Open Source Software means software is freely accessible, can be freely used, changed,
improved, copied and distributed.
But it does not have to be free of charge i.e. Its business models and services are not free.
 Source Code available.
 Modification and Distribution allowed.
 Integrity of Author’s source code must be maintained.
 No Discrimination against Persons, Group, Fields of Endeavour (Enterprise, Venture,
Undertaking)
 License must be technology neutral, must not be a specific to a product or program, must
not restrict other software.
FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE LINCENSE
A software which is free as well as open belongs to category Free and Open Source Software
(FOSS). It is also called FLOSS (Free Livre and Open Source Software). livre means freedom.
Different Licenses of Open Source
(a) GNU General Public License (GPL)
(b) GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)
(c) BSD License
(d) MIT License
(e) Apache License
Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that enables sharing and reuse of creativity
and knowledge through free legal tools, with affiliates all over the world who help ensure our
licenses work internationally and raise awareness about our work
GNU – GNU’s Not Unix. Emphasizes on Freedom. Initiated by Richard M. Stallman. Objective to
create an OS similar to Unix. Now several types of software comes under this.
FSF – Free Software Foundation is non-profit organization. Founded by Richard Stallman in 1985.
Objective to give support to Free Software movements.
OSI – Open Source Initiative. Founded by Bruce Perens and Eric Raymon in 1998. Objective to
promote Open Source Software and define standards and terms & condition for Open Source
Software.
W3C – World wide web. Responsible for producing software standards for world wide web.
Created in 1994.
Freeware – Software which is available free of cost , allows copying and distribution. But
modification not allowed because Source Code is not available. Distributed in binary form.
Allowed to used for non-commercial purpose. Example – Internet Explorer.
Shareware – Allowed to used the software for certain period of time i.e. trial version. Copying
and Distribution is allowed, but modification not allowed because source code is not available.
Proprietary Software – Freely not available, copying and distribution not allowed. Modification
not allowed and Source code is not available. Need to purchase license to use this software.
Copylefted Software – is a free software, but does not allow to additional requirements and
making source code available. No one can use it as Proprietary software.

CYBERCRIME
 Cybercrime is a computer oriented crime i.e. crime that done with the help of computer
and internet.
 Offences that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal
motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental
harm, or loss, to the victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication
networks such as Internet (networks including chat rooms, emails, notice boards and
groups) and mobile phones
Cybercrime covers crimes like
 Phishing
 Cyber Bullying
  Hacking
 Credit Card Fraud
 Illegal Downloading
 Child Pornography
 Cyber stalking / Online Harassment
 Creating/Distributing Virus
 Spam
 Cyber troll
 Spreading Rumours Online
 Cyber Terrorism
PHISHING / IDENTIFY THEFT
 Phishing is the one of the activity of Information Theft or Identify Theft
 It is a method, used by cyber criminals, to acquire sensitive information from individuals
over the internet.
 Phishing is just like ‘fishing’. In this hackers are uses the various forms of ‘bait’ to catch a
victim.
 They try to get usernames, passwords, credit card information, account data etc.
 In this, an imposter used an authentic looking email or web-site to trick recipients into
giving out sensitive personal information.
CYBER TROLLS
 Cyber trolls refers to a person, who purposely posts insulting, dual-meaning, negative
comments or messages on the internet.
 After one post, people on Internet start fighting to each other by posting messages
related to same topics.
 Trolling is a cybercrime and is closely related to cyber Bullying i.e. it is a cyber-bullying.
CYBER BULLYING
 When someone uses the phone, emails, internet, chat , social sites, to harasses, demean,
embarrass, or intimidate someone else, called Cyber Bullying.
 Cyberbullying is a Crime. In this case victims has to pay damages.
CYBER STALKING / ONLINE HARASSMENT
Cyber stalking is a kind of online harassment. In this victims i.e. cyber stalker can gather personal
information, post this information, can start sending unsolicited e-mails from unwanted sites,
may be send threatening content, and try to content with him/her.
SPREADING RUMOURS ONLINE
 Spreading rumours online is also a cybercrime and is a punishable offence.
 According to IT Act of India, publishing / circulation of Rumours is a cybercrime, and it
may invite fine with imprisonment up to 3 years.
 Peoples are creating fake profile on internet, and start posting something unwanted.
SCAMS / FINANCIAL FRAUD
Scams or Financial Fraud is a Cybercrime, in which a people is trying to extract money from an
unsuspecting, ignorant person.
Scams committed over the Internet are called Internet scams.
How to avoid Online Scams:
  Never gives your bank information to unsecure websites (i.e. not using HTTPS protocol)
 Never reply any unknown emails.
 Never clicks on any link or URL. Rather than clicking, it is better to type URL in browser.
 A Copyright product can’t be downloaded, copied, reproduced and sold without
permission.
 If a Person downloading or getting files, for which he/she don’t have permission to use,
then he/she becomes the victim of Cybercrime.
 Downloading a copy of licensed software, copyright content, movie, photograph, video
etc. is a Cybercrime.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
 According to IT Act 2000 and IPC 1860, Child is a person below 18 years of age.
 Any visual or written representation of sexual activity of anyone under 18 years of age,
called Child Pornography.
 According to new amendment of IT Act, creating, transmitting and browsing obscene
material is also a Cybercrime.
HACKER
 According to English dictionary, hackers means – “a person who uses computers to gain
unauthorized access to data”.
 A Hacker is a person who finds and exploits the weakness in computer systems and/or
networks to gain access.
 Hackers are usually skilled computer programmers with knowledge of computer security.
HACKING
Hacking is an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer.
Simply put, it is the unauthorised access to or control over computer network security systems
for some illicit purpose.
TYPES OF HACKERS
Hackers are classified according to the intent of their actions. The following list classifies hackers
according to their intent.
1. Ethical Hacker (White hat): A hacker who gains access to systems with a view to fix the
identified weaknesses. They may also perform penetration Testing and vulnerability
assessments.
2. Cracker (Black hat): A hacker who gains unauthorized access to computer systems for
personal gain. The intent is usually to steal corporate data, violate privacy rights, transfer
funds from bank accounts etc.
3. Grey hat: A hacker who is in between ethical and black hat hackers. He/she breaks into
computer systems without authority with a view to identify weaknesses and reveal them
to the system owner.
4. Script kiddies: A non-skilled person who gains access to computer systems using already
made tools.
5. Hacktivist: A hacker who use hacking to send social, religious, and political, etc. messages.
This is usually done by hijacking websites and leaving the message on the hijacked
website.
 6. Phreaker: A hacker who identifies and exploits weaknesses in telephones instead of
computers.
REPORT TO CYBERCRIME
If any cybercrime happens
 Children should first report to Parents, Teachers, School Authorities, then Police.
 Fill ‘E-FIR’ online. Every state has its own portal
 Report to Ministry of Home Affairs, regarding the cybercrime – https://cybercrime.gov.in
CYBER SAFETY
What is Cyber Safety
• Cyber safety refers to safe and responsible use of Internet, to ensure safety and security of
personal information and not posing threat to anyone else’s information.
Safely Browsing The Web
These days we must know the threats while browsing the web. Safe browsing on web needs you
to know many things like:
• What are possible dangers?
• How to avoid these?
• How to virtually conduct yourself while browsing web
• You must remember, not every site you visit is safe. Whatever you post or do online is visible
to others. Not everything you see or is promised online is true.
Identity Protection while using Internet
• We surf internet for a variety of reasons, from using social media, buying and selling goods, to
exchanging information.
• When we give private data to businesses and other Internet users (such as while filling online
form or making payment online), we trust them to use that information for legitimate purposes.
• These information can be used for harmful reasons like hacking, stalking an identify fraud. •
Identity fraud is when personal details that have been accessed or stolen are used to commit
fraudulent acts posing as someone else with stolen identity
Solution of Identity Fraud
Most common solution to this is :
• Anonymous Browsing: It allows users to view websites without revealing any personnel
information of user like IP address, machine type, location. An anonymous browser lets users
access websites anonymously. It can also be as a tool for government, journalists and everyday
security-conscious surfers.
Private Browsing - There are other ways to use internet without revealing our search history and
sharing our data : • Incognito Browsing : opens up a version of the browser that will not track
you activity. Its particularly useful if you are entering sensitive data like bank details into the
browser as it can minimise the risk of our information being saved to that computer.
• Proxy : act as a middlemen between your computer and the website you want to access. Now
the tracking website will get the IP address and information that belongs to the proxy site, so you
are effectively getting the same content from another source without getting to know your
browsing details
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) : is a method to add security and privacy to private and public
networks like Wi-Fi hotspot and the Internet. VPNs are most often used by corporation to protect
sensitive data. VPN were originally meant for business employees working offsite to gain access
to shared drive.
Confidentiality of Information
• Internet is a public platform. The sites you visit, the products you search, the posts that you put
on social media are all visible to public. But there must be some information like Credit Card
Details, Bank Details which you do not want to make public i.e. you want to keep this information
confidential.
Practices to Ensure Confidentiality of Information
1. Use Firewall wherever possible : we must secure our system such that only authentic users can
connect to it. Firewall is one very good solution for this. Firewall is a program/hardware that
monitors all communications and traps al illicit packets. Most OS now comes with firewall
preinstalled. We must install Firewall that can monitor both incoming and outgoing
communication and traps the illicit ones. Practices to Ensure Confidentiality of Information
2. Control browser setting to block tracking : as we know that website can track our surfing on
their site by IP address, to minimise these threats we can turn our default settings to exclude
third party cookies since they can be used to build up detailed profiles of our surfing pattern over
time.
3. Browse privately wherever possible: to avoid the tracking as discussed earlier try to browse
anonymously or privately.
4. Be Careful while posting on Internet : When you post anything to public Internet such as social
networking site like Instagram or Facebook etc. newgroup, mailing list or chat room you generally
give up rights to the content and any expectation or privacy or confidentiality is useless. So never
post crucial information like your personal details such as address, mobile phone numbers, bank
details, credit card details. Etc. on public internet sites. Practices to Ensure Confidentiality of
Information
5. Ensure Safe sites while entering crucial Information : while entering or giving crucial
information like Passwords, Bank Details always ensure the website is working on https not on
http. https means website is Secure i.e. Secure Socket Layer. For e.g. (next slide) Closed Lock
Pad (Secure Connection) Practices to Ensure Confidentiality of Information
6. Carefully handle emails : while opening emails, make sure you know the sender. Never open
email of unknown or if by curiosity/accidentally opened the mail never click on any link inside it
or open any attachment. It may lead to you fraudulent site, or trap for you or may be a Trojan,
which will act as a Spy in you computer for sending information to the sender without your
knowledge.
7. Avoid using Public Computer : Always try not to use the public computer specially if you have
to deal with your crucial data. But if it is an urgency then do remember:  Browse privately 
Never save your login information (ID/Password)  Avoid entering sensitive information  Don’t
leave computer unattended with sensitive information on screen  Disable the features that
stores passwords  Properly logout before you leave the computer  Erase history and traces of
your work i.e. clear history and cookies  Look for any suspicious device connected to computer

Safely Accessing Websites

While accessing any website we should always be aware it’s safe and it does not contain any
harmful content in like virus and other malicious things always try to access websites which has
https:// in it rather http:// here “s” means secure. Let’s see some of the possible threats which
you might get while accessing websites.

Adware: Adware, or advertising-supported software, is software that generates revenue for its
developer by automatically generating online advertisements in the user interface of the
software or on a screen presented to the user during the installation process.

Malware: Malware, or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer
user. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware. These malicious
programs can perform a variety of functions, including stealing, encrypting or deleting sensitive
data, altering or hijacking core computing functions and monitoring users' computer activity
without their permission.
Ransomware is a type of malware that threatens to publish or blocks access to data or a
computer system, usually by encrypting it, until the victim pays a ransom fee to the attacker. In
many cases, the ransom demand comes with a deadline. If the victim doesn’t pay in time, the
data is gone forever or the ransom increases.

Virus: A computer virus is a type of malicious code or program written to alter the way a
computer operates and that is designed to spread from one computer to another. A virus
operates by inserting or attaching itself to a legitimate program or document that supports
macros in order to execute its code.

Trojans: In computing, a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless, but is, in fact,
malicious. Unexpected changes to computer settings and unusual activity, even when the
computer should be idle, are strong indications that a Trojan is residing on a computer. Unlike a
computer virus, a Trojan horse is not able to replicate itself, nor can it propagate without an end
user's assistance.

IT Act 2000
CYBER LAW
 The computer-generated world of internet is known as cyberspace and the laws prevailing
this area are known as Cyber laws and all the users of this space come under the ambit of
these laws as it carries a kind of worldwide jurisdiction.
  Cyber law can also be described as that branch of law that deals with legal issues related
to use of inter-networked information technology.
 In short, cyber law is the law governing computers and the internet.
IMPORTANCE OF CYBER LAW
Cyber laws is important because:-
 It prevent or reduce large scale damage from cybercriminal activities by protecting
information access, privacy, communications, intellectual property (IP) and freedom of
speech related to the use of the Internet, websites, email, computers, cell phones,
software and hardware, such as data storage devices.
 As Internet traffic is increases day by day and it also increase proportion of legal issues
world wide.
Indian IT ACT (Information Technology Act)
 The Information Technology Act, 2000 (also known as ITA-2000, or the IT Act) is an Act of
the Indian Parliament (No 21 of 2000) notified on 17 October 2000.
 It is the primary law in India dealing with cybercrime and electronic commerce.
 It is based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration
recommended by the General Assembly of United Nations by a resolution dated 30
January 1997.
 There are 94 sections (divided into 13 chapters and 4 schedules ) mentioned in the original
IT Act 2000. Out of these, the last four sections ‘section 91 – section 94’, talks about the
revisions to the Indian Penal Code 1860.
Features of IT Act 2000
 Digital signature has been replaced with electronic signature to make it a more
technology neutral act.
 It elaborates on offenses, penalties, and breaches.
 It outlines the Justice Dispensation Systems for cyber-crimes.
 The Information Technology Act defines in a new section that cyber café is any facility
from where the access to the internet is offered by any person in the ordinary course of
business to the members of the public.
 It provides for the constitution of the Cyber Regulations Advisory Committee.
 The Information Technology Act is based on The Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Indian
Evidence Act, 1872, The Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891, The Reserve Bank of India
Act, 1934, etc.
 It adds a provision to Section 81, which states that the provisions of the Act shall have
overriding effect. The provision states that nothing contained in the Act shall restrict any
person from exercising any right conferred under the Copyright Act, 1957.
Important Sections:
Section 2 Digital Signature
Section 43 Penalty and Compensation for damage to computer, computer system,
etc.
Section 43A Compensation for failure to protect data
Section 65 Tampering with computer source documents
Section 66 Computer related offences
 Section 66B Punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or
communication device
Section 66C Punishment for identity theft.
Section 66D Punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resources
Section 66E Punishment for violation of privacy.
Section 66F Punishment for cyber terrorism
Section 67 Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic
form.
Section 67A Punishment for publishing or transmitting material containing sexually
explicit act, etc in electronic form
Section 67B Punishment for publishing or transmitting material depicting children in
sexually explicit act, etc in electronic form
Section 72 . Penalty for breach of confidentiality and privacy
Section 77B Offences with 3 years imprisonment to be bailable
IT Amendments Act 2008
 The IT Act 2000 was amended in December 2008 through IT (Amendment) Act 2008.
 It mainly focuses on Information Security, Cyber Terrorism, and Data Protection.
 IT Amendment Act 2008, came into force from October 27, 2009.
Sections in IT Act Amendments 2008
Section 66A The power to arrest anyone accused of posting content on social media
that could be deemed ‘offensive’.
Section 69A Interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any
computer resource
In the year 2020, Indian Government banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok
invoking Section 69A of IT Act, 2000
The data privacy rules was introduced in IT Act, 2000 in the year 2011
Major Amendments
 Authentication of e-records by digital signatures becomes legal.
 E-documents becomes legal.
 Maximum penalty amount is Rs. 1 crore in case of any damage to computes or computer
systems.
 The Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Indian Evidence Act, 1872, The Bankers’ Books Evidence
Act, 1891, The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 were amended to align them with the IT
Act.
E-Waste : Hazards and Management
E-Waste
 Electronic waste or e-waste means discarded electrical or electronic devices.
 Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling
through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste.
Classification of E-Waste
Electronic waste can by classified into three category-
 Fastest growing waste
 Most valuable waste
  Very hazardous waste (if not handled carefully)
Composition of E-Waste
Electrical and Electronic equipment contains –
 Metallic and Non-metallic elements
 Alloys and Compounds such as Copper, Aluminium, Gold, Silver, Platinum, Nickel, Tin,
Lead, Iron, Sulphur, Phosphorous, Arsenic, etc.
Types of E-Waste –
Govt. of India, has categorized the E-Waste into several categories –
 Large household appliances (including cooling and freezing appliances),
 Small household appliances, IT equipment (including monitors),
 Consumer electronics (including TVs),
 Lamps and Luminaires,
 Toys & Sporting equipment,
 Tools,
 Medical devices,
 Monitoring and control instruments and
 Automatic dispensers.
E-Waste Hazards:-
E-Waste is a combination of plastics and toxic chemicals, these get released into the
environment.
Pollutants such as dioxins and furans from polyvinyl chloride, lead, beryllium, cadmium, mercury,
etc. get into our environment and cause the following health & environmental hazards:
On Human Health
 Reproductive issues
 Developmental problems
 Damage to the immune system
 Interference with regulatory hormones
 Damage to the nervous system
 Kidney damage
 Hampers brain development in children
 May lead to lung cancer
 Skin ailments
 Cadmium accumulations on liver and kidney
 Asthmatic bronchitis
 DNA damage
 Muscle weakness
 Endocrine system disruption
On Environment
 Pollution of Ground Water
 Acidification of Soil
 Air Pollution
 E-waster accounts for 40% of lead and 75% of the heavy metals found in landfills.
E-Waste Disposal Process / e-Waste Management
The E-waste management involves proper recycling and recovery of the disposed material.
 Dismantling – Removal of dangerous substances (Hg switches, PCB), removal of easily
accessible parts containing valuable substances (copper, steel, iron, precious, metal )
 Segregation of ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal and plastic
 Refurbishment and reuse
 Recycling / Recovery of valuable materials
 Treatment / Disposal of dangerous materials and waste.
Benefits of e-Waste Recycling (e-Waste Management)
It is very important to recycle & disposal of the e-Waste for the benefit of people, environment
and the nation.
 Allows for recovery of valuable precious metals.
 Protects public health and water quality.
 Creates jobs for professional recyclers and refurbishes and creates new markets for the
valuable components.
 Mining produces toxic waste, which are linked with crop devastation and human health
crisis due to water contamination.
 Recycling of E-waste saves landfill space.