🛡️ Society, Law and Ethics

Every time you post a photo, like a video, search on Google or even just open a website, you leave a trail behind you on the internet. Most of the time the internet is a wonderful place — you learn, chat, shop and play. But it also has thieves, bullies and cheats, and some online actions that seem harmless (like downloading a copied movie or using someone else's photo) are actually against the law! This chapter covers digital footprints and how a good "netizen" behaves online; copyright, patents, trademarks and open-source licences; cyber crimes such as hacking, phishing, ransomware and cyber bullying, and how to protect yourself; malware; what the IT Act says; and how to dispose of old gadgets safely.

14.1 🏁 Introduction

Technology has changed how we study, work, shop, bank and talk to each other. Along with its benefits, it brings new responsibilities and new risks.

Think of it this way: The internet is like a huge city 🏙️. It has libraries, markets and parks — but also pickpockets. Just as you follow traffic rules and good manners in a real city, you must follow laws and etiquette in the digital city!

14.2 👣 Digital Footprints

A digital footprint is the trail of data you leave behind while using the internet — the websites you visit, the emails you send, the things you post, and the information you submit online.

14.2.1 Types of Digital Footprints

14.2.2 Why Digital Footprints Matter

• A digital footprint is almost permanent — even "deleted" posts may survive in screenshots, backups or archives.
• Colleges and employers may check your online profile.
• Criminals can misuse your personal information for fraud or identity theft.

How to manage your digital footprint:

14.3 🌐 Digital Society and Netizens

A netizen (internet + citizen) is a person who uses the internet. A responsible netizen follows good manners and ethics online. These online manners are called etiquettes.

14.3.1 Net Etiquettes (Netiquette) 🙏

14.3.2 Communication Etiquettes 📧

These apply to emails, chats and messages:

14.3.3 Social Media Etiquettes 📱

14.4 🛡️ Data Protection and Intellectual Property Rights

Data protection means safeguarding personal and sensitive data from unauthorised access, misuse or loss.

Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind — inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names and images. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are the legal rights given to the creators over their creations, so that others cannot use them without permission.

14.4.1 Types of Intellectual Property Rights ©️

14.4.2 Violation of IPR 🚫

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Write in your own words and cite the source of any idea or quotation.
• Use quotation marks for exact words and mention the author.
• Use content that is free to use (public domain or open licences) and follow the licence terms.

14.5 🔓 Licensing and Open Source Software

A licence is a legal document that tells users what they can and cannot do with a piece of software or creative work.

14.5.1 Proprietary vs Free and Open Source Software

14.5.2 Popular Open Licences

Common Creative Commons conditions:

Analogy: GPL is like a recipe shared on the condition that anyone who improves it must share the improved recipe too. Apache is like a recipe you can use even in your secret restaurant menu, as long as you mention where the original came from. Creative Commons is like a photographer saying, "Use my photo freely — just credit me (and don't sell it)".

14.6 🦹 Cyber Crime

Cyber crime is any criminal activity in which a computer, a network or the internet is used as a tool or is the target of the crime.

14.6.1 Hacking 💻

Hacking is gaining unauthorised access to a computer, network or account — to steal, change or destroy data.

14.6.2 Eavesdropping 👂

Eavesdropping is secretly listening to or intercepting private communication (calls, messages, emails, data on a network) without permission. It commonly happens on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

14.6.3 Phishing and Fraud Emails 🎣

Phishing is tricking people into revealing sensitive information — passwords, bank details, OTPs, card numbers — through fake emails, messages or websites that look genuine.

From: support@mybank-secure-login.com                ← fake sender address
Subject: URGENT! Your account will be BLOCKED     ← creates panic

Dear Customer, your KYC has expired. Click the link
below within 24 hours and enter your ATM PIN:      ← asks for secret data
http://mybank-kyc-update.xyz/login                    ← fake link

Signs of a phishing message:

• Urgency or fear ("Your account will be blocked!") or a prize that's too good to be true ("You won ₹10 lakh!").
• A suspicious sender address or link that doesn't match the real website.
• Requests for passwords, OTPs, PINs — genuine banks NEVER ask for these.
• Spelling mistakes and generic greetings like "Dear Customer".

Identity theft happens when a criminal uses your stolen personal information (name, photos, Aadhaar or bank details) to pretend to be you — for example, to take loans, make purchases or create fake profiles.

14.6.4 Ransomware 🔐💰

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks or encrypts the victim's files and demands a ransom (money, often in cryptocurrency) to unlock them. A famous example is the WannaCry attack (2017), which affected computers in over 150 countries.

Protection: keep regular backups, keep the operating system and antivirus updated, and don't open unknown attachments or links.

14.6.5 Cyber Trolls and Cyber Bullying 😠

Examples of cyber bullying: posting humiliating photos or videos, spreading rumours online, sending threatening messages, creating fake profiles to mock someone, or deliberately excluding someone from online groups.

If you are being cyber bullied:

1. Don't respond or retaliate.
2. Save the evidence — take screenshots.
3. Block the bully and report the account to the platform.
4. Tell a parent, teacher or trusted adult.
5. Report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call the helpline 1930.

14.7 🔒 Cyber Safety

Cyber safety means using the internet safely and responsibly, protecting your personal information, devices and well-being.

14.7.1 Safely Browsing the Web 🌐

14.7.2 Identity Protection 🪪

• Use strong passwords — at least 8 characters, mixing UPPERCASE, lowercase, digits and symbols (e.g., Bl#e2Sky!79), and a different password for each account.
• Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA/OTP) wherever possible.
• Never share passwords, OTPs, PINs or Aadhaar details with anyone — not even "bank officials" on the phone.
• Be careful about what personal information you post (full birth date, address, phone number, school).

14.7.3 Confidentiality of Information 🤫

Confidentiality means keeping private information secret and accessible only to authorised people.

• Use a firewall — it monitors and controls network traffic and blocks unauthorised access.
• Avoid doing banking or entering passwords on public Wi-Fi.
• Log out of accounts and don't let the browser "remember passwords" on shared computers.
• Delete browsing history and cookies on public computers.

14.8 🦠 Malware

Malware (malicious software) is any software designed to harm a computer, steal data, or gain unauthorised access.

Analogy: A virus is like a real virus — it needs a host (your file) to survive and spreads when the host is shared. A Trojan is like the famous wooden horse of Troy 🐴 — it looks like a gift, but hides soldiers inside!

Symptoms of a malware infection:

• The computer becomes very slow or crashes often.
• Unexpected pop-ups and ads appear; the browser home page changes by itself.
• Files go missing, get corrupted, or can't be opened.
• Programs start or close on their own; unknown programs appear.

Prevention:

• Install a reliable antivirus and keep it updated; scan pen drives before opening.
• Download software only from official/trusted sources.
• Don't open email attachments or links from unknown senders.
• Keep the operating system updated and take regular backups.

14.9 ♻️ E-Waste Management

E-waste (electronic waste) is discarded electrical and electronic equipment — old computers, mobile phones, chargers, batteries, printers, TVs, etc.

14.9.1 Why E-Waste is Dangerous ☠️

E-waste contains toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. If it is dumped in landfills or burnt in the open:

14.9.2 Proper Disposal of Used Electronic Gadgets — The 3 Rs ♻️

Other good practices:

• Never throw e-waste into household dustbins or burn it.
• Use company take-back / buy-back programmes (many brands take back old devices).
• Erase your personal data before donating or recycling a device.
• In India, the E-Waste (Management) Rules make producers responsible for collecting and recycling the e-waste from their products (Extended Producer Responsibility — EPR).

14.10 📜 The Information Technology Act (IT Act)

The Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act 2000) is the main law in India dealing with cyber crime and electronic commerce. It was amended in 2008 to cover newer cyber crimes.

Main objectives of the IT Act:

Some important provisions:

14.11 👩‍💻 Technology and Society: Gender and Disability Issues

Technology should be for everyone — but some groups face barriers in learning and using computers.

14.11.1 Gender Issues ⚧️

Problems:

• Fewer girls choose computer science and technology careers.
• Stereotypes — the false belief that computers and coding are "for boys".
• Lack of role models — fewer women in visible tech roles.
• In some homes, less access to devices for girls, and concerns about online safety.

Solutions:

• Encourage girls to take up computer science; organise coding clubs and workshops for girls.
• Show women role models in technology (e.g., Ada Lovelace — the first computer programmer; Grace Hopper; Indian tech leaders).
• Provide equal access to computers in schools and homes.
• Create a safe, respectful classroom and online environment.

14.11.2 Disability Issues ♿

Problems:

• Lack of special teaching materials (e.g., Braille, audio material).
• Lack of trained teachers for students with special needs.
• High cost of assistive technology.
• Websites and software that are not accessible.

Solutions — Assistive Technologies:

⚠️ Common Errors and Misconceptions

🔑 Quick Revision

Digital Footprint: trail of data online → Active (posts, emails) vs Passive (cookies, IP, history)

Netiquette: Be Ethical · Be Respectful · Be Responsible Communication etiquette: Be Precise · Be Polite · Be Credible Social media etiquette: Be Secure · Be Reliable

IPR:

IPR violations: Plagiarism · Copyright infringement · Trademark infringement

Licences: GPL (copyleft — derivatives stay GPL) · Apache (permissive — can be used in proprietary software) · Creative Commons (creative works: BY, SA, NC, ND)

Cyber crimes: Hacking (white/black/grey hat) · Eavesdropping · Phishing (vishing, smishing) · Identity theft · Ransomware · Cyber trolls · Cyber bullying

Malware: Virus (needs host) · Worm (self-spreading) · Trojan (disguised) · Adware (ads) · Spyware (spies) · Ransomware (locks files)

E-waste: toxic (lead, mercury, cadmium) → Reduce, Reuse, Recycle via authorised recyclers

IT Act 2000 (amended 2008): legal recognition of e-records and digital signatures + punishment for cyber crimes · Report: cybercrime.gov.in / 1930

🎯 Sample Exam Questions

Q1: Very Short Answer [1 mark each]

a) Name the type of digital footprint created when a website stores cookies on your computer. → Passive digital footprint

b) Which Intellectual Property Right protects a company's logo? → Trademark

c) What is the name of the malware that encrypts a user's files and demands money? → Ransomware

d) Name the Indian law that deals with cyber crime. → The Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act)

e) Give one example of open source software. → Linux / LibreOffice / Mozilla Firefox / Python

Q2: Short Answer [2 marks]

Q: What is plagiarism? How can it be avoided?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work, words or ideas as one's own without giving them credit. It can be avoided by writing in your own words, citing the source of any borrowed idea or quotation, and using quotation marks for exact words.

Q3: Short Answer [2 marks]

Q: Differentiate between hacking and phishing.

Hacking is gaining unauthorised access to a computer system, network or account by breaking its security, in order to steal, change or destroy data. Phishing is tricking a user into voluntarily revealing sensitive information (passwords, bank details, OTPs) through fake emails, messages or websites that look genuine.

Q4: Case-Based [3 marks]

Q: Aman's classmates created a WhatsApp group without him, where they post edited photos of Aman and make fun of him. Aman has become upset and stopped coming to school.

a) Identify the cyber crime. b) Suggest two steps Aman should take. c) Write one net etiquette that his classmates have violated.

Answer: a) This is cyber bullying. b) Aman should (1) save the evidence (screenshots) and not respond to the bullies, and (2) tell his parents or teachers and report it to the school authorities / at cybercrime.gov.in. c) Be respectful — they did not respect Aman's privacy and dignity (they also shared his photos without consent).

Q5: Case-Based [3 marks]

Q: Ms. Rao's school is replacing 50 old computers. The principal wants to throw the old computers into the municipal garbage.

a) What is this type of waste called? b) Why should it not be thrown into the garbage? c) Suggest two proper ways to dispose of it.

Answer: a) E-waste (electronic waste). b) It contains toxic substances like lead, mercury and cadmium, which pollute the soil, water and air and are harmful to human health. c) (1) Donate the working computers to an NGO or a needy school (reuse). (2) Give the rest to an authorised e-waste recycler or the manufacturer's take-back programme (recycle). Personal data must be erased first.

✏️ Practice Problems

1. What is a digital footprint? Give two examples each of active and passive digital footprints.

2. Who is a netizen? Explain any three net etiquettes with examples.

3. Differentiate between copyright, patent and trademark with one example each.

4. What is the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement? Can an act be both? Explain.

5. Differentiate between proprietary software and FOSS. Name two examples of each.

6. Explain the GPL and Creative Commons licences. Which one would you choose to share your photographs, and why?

7. What is ransomware? Suggest three measures to protect a computer from it.

8. Differentiate between a virus, a worm and a Trojan horse.

9. Neha received an SMS saying her electricity connection will be cut tonight unless she calls a given number and pays a pending bill. Identify the type of fraud and list the steps she should take.

10. Suggest any three ways in which schools can encourage more girls, and students with disabilities, to learn computer science.