Monday, January 27, 2020

The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003

The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003 Monika Karaliunaite Introduction People are exchanging, sharing and using data every day.   Data, meaning information that can be processed automatically or manually.   When it comes to Personal Data which is data relating to a human being who can be identified from the data, Data Protection becomes very important. The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003 confer rights on individuals as well as placing responsibilities on those persons processing personal data. Data Subject Data Subject or also called Data Receiver is a living individual to whom personal data relates.   Data Protection Acts provide Subjects with certain rights, to enable them to check what data relating to themselves is being held and how or where it is used.   The rights of data subjects †¢The right to establish the existence of personal data †¢The right of access †¢The right of objection †¢The right of rectification The rights come with responsibilities, it is not given to data subjects that they could make enquiries out of just simply being curious. Rather so that they can check what data is being processed on them and whether it is correct.   Ways for Data Subject to ensure rights †¢Tick boxes online (to choose whether your information can be used for any other purpose) †¢Unsubscribe (from notifications, information/offer e-mails etc.) †¢Read term and conditions, when setting up accounts online †¢Avoid to send e-mails containing confidential information †¢BCC- Email Data Controller is the one who controls the content of personal data.   It can be a legal entity like government department or a company, or an individual say, sole trader or a General Practitioner.   Data Controllers are recognised in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 as having certain responsibilities imposed on them by law. The responsibilities of Data Controller †¢Ensuring that data is obtained lawfully †¢That it is used for the purpose †¢That it is kept safe and secure †¢It is accurate and up to date †¢That it is relevant †¢That it is not disclosed or used for unlawful purposes †¢That it is not stored longer than necessary and provided to the subject on request All data controllers must comply with the rules/ responsibilities above, and some data controllers are obliged to register annually with the Data Protection Commissioner, to make evident their data handling procedures. How Data Controller ensure the responsibilities are carried out and organisations responsibilities Data Controller must make himself aware of his responsibilities relating to Data Protection.   Within organization, the staff should also be made aware of their responsibilities and appropriate induction training should be given.   Internal data protection policy, relevant to the personal data held by the organisation can be put to place, available to the staff.   Policy reflective to the elementary data protection rules, applied to the organisation.   It can then be enforced through consistent reviews and management. Data Processor Data Processor is someone who processes data on behalf data controller.   It does not include someone who is an employee of data controller and processed the data during his employment.   It is rather a subsidiary company contacted by the data controller to manage or process data on its behalf, such as: †¢Payroll Companies †¢Tax advisers †¢Accountants Data Protection Commissioner Data Protection Commissioner is a sole person who enforces Data Protection Act and its compliance.   He can investigate any complaints concerning data protection breech, develop codes of practice and maintains a register of data controllers. There have been cases when supermarkets have passed on their customers data to other companies. When using loyalty cards at supermarkets, we automatically let the company to gather the information about us without even thinking much of it.   Usually to avail of the loyalty card a questionnaire or an application form needs to be filled, so we are passing on some of our personal details to the company, therefore become the Data Subject.   The company now the Data Controller holds some of our information, and with the help of a loyalty card can continue gather information such as; log of purchases. Coming to the point, there have been cases when consumers of a supermarket have been contacted by formula company, by e-mail, advertising and offering their product.   Passing on personal information is considered a noncompliance with Data Protection Act. www.dataprotection.ie www.ictlaw.com

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Moral Doubt in Hamlets Soliloquy - To be or not to be... Essays

The Moral Question in Hamlet's Soliloquy - To be or not to be... "The major question in 'To be or not to be' cannot be suicide. If it were, as many have noted, it would be dramatically irrelevant. Hamlet is no longer sunk in the depths of melancholy, as he was in his first soliloquy. He has been roused to action and has just discovered how to test the Ghost's words. When we last saw him, only five minutes before, he was anticipating the night's performance, and in only a few moments we shall see him eagerly instructing the players and excitedly telling Horatio of his plan. To have him enter at this point debating whether or not to kill himself would be completely inconsistent with both the character and the movement of the plot. The metaphors all suggest that Hamlet's choice is betw...

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Genre Theory

Genre and Science Fiction Genre, as defined by the Oxford dictionary (2010), is â€Å"a style or category of art, music, or literature†. It is a term that is easy to define but hard to understand. The mere division of what one genre is compared to another has been problematic for academics and scholars for centuries. As noted by Robert Allen, genre study has become â€Å"the division of the world of literature into types and naming of those types†.This has led the study of genre to become a more scientific process of comparing and contrasting between texts, until a definitive answer is reached. However, though it is determinable, the overlapping and blur between two or more genres is still apparent. For example, â€Å"science fiction† has become a debacle of over the last 200 years; science fiction has been shifted and shaped, almost a reflection of the context. Previously, science fiction was stereotypically denounced as just â€Å"robots and aliens†.Conv ersely science fiction has much more to offer; renowned authors such as Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley and William Gibson have all written texts centuries, and if not, decades ago that have become seminal and central to the genre. In addition, just these authors alone have reflected the transient and fluid nature of the science fiction genre. Considered the first ever science fiction text, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) grounded and laid the pathway for future science fiction texts.Shelley’s text, though ignorantly is just about a mad scientist who creates a monster, holds a much deeper understanding to it. The notion of man’s ability to create a somewhat third kind caused fears around its readers, whereas the contemporary audience can just suspend their disbelief and merely accept what is told or shown to them which highlight the shifting nature of audiences’ ongoing acceptance of new aspects of science fiction.This foregrounding of this new genre led to many authors with comparably yet contrasting ideas over the years which has led science fiction to be still not definitive. Verne’s work represented what was exciting about the age and furthered Shelley’s idea that man’s capabilities were â€Å"infinitely possible† including air travel and deep-sea exploration.Verne’s â€Å"successor†, Wells, reflected his times through presenting the industrial revolution as negative, the ability to time travel as well as this concept of life beyond Earth; almost as a forecaster of greater yet possibly sinister events to come; namely the atomic bomb and space. Science fiction is the â€Å"search of man and his status in the universe† (Brian Aldiss) which mab be on the basis of â€Å"innovation through science and technology† (Kingsley Amis) but most importantly how different generations perceive the world to be and what it could be.