Digital Law, Ethics & Intellectual Property
Creations of the human mind protected by law, including inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce.
What is Intellectual Property (IP)?
Tangible, structural measures implemented to prevent physical contact, unauthorized entry, or damage to facility hardware and server rooms.
What is Physical Security?
The physical, tangible electrical circuits, components, and mechanical parts that make up a computer system.
What is Hardware?
The intangible collection of instructions, programs, code scripts, and routines that direct computer hardware on how to execute tasks.
What is Software?
Software that automatically displays, plays, or downloads unwanted advertising materials onto a computer or browser, often slowing down system performance.
What is Adware?
The unauthorized copying, downloading, distribution, or commercial use of copyrighted software programs.
What is Software Piracy?
Ensuring authorized users have reliable, uninterrupted access to systems and information when needed.
What is Availability?
Any hardware device, command, or signal used to feed external data and user instructions into a computer for processing.
What is Input?
The foundational system software that manages computer hardware resources (CPU, RAM, storage, peripherals), organizes file systems, and provides common background services for application software.
What is Operating System (OS)?
The collection of digital practices, tools, and protocols designed to protect digital data from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft across its entire lifecycle.
What is Data Security?
Legal protections that grant original creators exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or adapt their creative works.
The meaning of the acronym CIA
What is Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability?
The primary processor and "brain" of the computer that fetches, interprets, and executes software instructions and coordinates other system components.
What is CPU?
Specialized software designed to help an end-user accomplish specific tasks or activities, distinct from the core operating system.
What is an App/Application?
Non-volatile digital media designed to preserve operating systems, software programs, user files, and media long-term, even when the computer is turned off.
What is Storage?
A legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holder, typically for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.
What is Fair Use?
A form of social engineering where attackers impersonate trustworthy institutions (such as banks, schools, or tech support) via deceptive emails, text messages, or websites to trick individuals into divulging sensitive credentials.
What is Phishing?
High-speed, volatile temporary storage used by the CPU to hold the operating system, running applications, and active data currently in use.
What is RAM?
The visual layout, screens, menus, buttons, icons, and interactive elements through which a human user interacts with and controls a computer or software program.
What is User Interface(UI)?
Intellectual and creative works that are either free of copyright restrictions or shared under open licenses that permit free use and adaptation under specified conditions.
What is Creative Commons?
A legally binding set of rules, codes of conduct, and network guidelines that users must agree to follow in order to access a school, library, or corporate computer network.
What is Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)?
The act of identifying and exploiting weaknesses, flaws, or vulnerabilities in computer systems, digital devices, or network configurations to gain unauthorized access or control.
What is Hacking?
Any auxiliary external hardware device connected to a computer system to expand its input, output, or storage capabilities.
What is Peripheral?
A specialized system utility program that enables the operating system and software applications to communicate and interact smoothly with specific connected hardware peripherals.
What is Driver?
The vast interconnected network of physical devices, home appliances, and equipment embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity that collect and exchange data online.