week 12

Week twelves lecture was our final lecture that had to be posted as a journal entry on our blogs. The lecture was all bout the social and ethical issues that affect users of the world wide web. Justine explained why there are problems, what the problems are, and how we can protect ourselves. the reasons that there are problems with the web include,
Open protocols.
Anyone can publish information on the web.
No control of bias or unethical information.
A lot of smart or dumb people.Justine then explained that the main problems are, copyright, Intellectual properties, plagiarism, security and privacy. The following are definitions of each of the problems which i have recovered from dictionary.com
Copyright - works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death.
Intellectual properties - In law, intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements which attach to certain names, written and recorded media, and inventions.
plagiarism - the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.
Security - a department or organization responsible for protection or safety.
Privacy - the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs.
Justine identified several ways that we can protect ourselves from threats such as virus's and Trojans. The following are a list of ways for the best protection.
Install a firewall
Install anti-virus software
Be aware of email attachments
Do not give our personal information
Beware of advertising and spam emails.The lecture gave me a very in depth view on what different types of social and ethical issues are how the public can protect them selves from attacks over the web.This weeks workshop was all about making us understand more about how copyright and plagiarism will affect us as UNI students. I visited the Australian copyright website is search of articles that are relevant to a UNI student. The following is a list that I have found,
An introduction to copyright in Australia G010
Copyright in Australia: information sources G004
Education institutions G048
Fair use: some myths and misconceptions G091
Infringement: actions, remedies, offences, penalties G063
Internet: copying and downloading G056
Protecting your copyright G084
Research or study G053
Websites: creating & publishing on the Internet .

I have the Microsoft firewall program activated to provide that little bit extra. After visiting a few web pages that provide me with information on how virus's work and spread, I believe that I can protect myself from future threats by taking some simple precautions.
Over all this learning log I found very repetative at first and quite boring until I got to the point where i realised all the things we learn will greatly benefit me in my future computer use at home and at uni. As I was computer illiterate at the begining of the course, as Justine well might know hahaha but overall i have come out with some new knowledge, to me that's better than nothing :)