Journal #8: Digital Law

Once finishing this unit, the thing I found most surprising was how even with all of the companies that have started, and all the support that is provided all over, suicide rates are still high. Even though things like cyberbullying, and copyright, and all of these things discussed in this unit are illegal, they are still so common! We blame the internet for all of our problems, but we need to be the change. It shocks me that we are taking so long to realize this.


The part of this unit that I have had the most trouble with was the section on copyright. I found it difficult to locate the answers to the questions, and to judge how much information was too much. As well, it was a challenge for me to understand the different rules there are involving music, and plays, and how they all change depending on the situation. These problems were easy for me to solve because I would just simple reread the material given and examine the information.

The "Copyright Matters!" manual  in my opinion, is a good resource for children curious about the rules of copyright.  It displays information in an effective way, so the reader may understand.  The only issue I have with this manual is how unclear it is about what the consequences are if you violate these rules.  I think it would be more helpful if that was stated, but overall, it gives us a well put interpretation of the digital law on copyright.

I have to say, the website "NeedHelpNow.com" is an excellent source of information.  In my opinion, it is something that can help many people of all ages struggling with several, diverse issues.  If you are going through a difficult time in your life, I believe the information, and advice given on this site can do a lot to ease your mind.  As someone who has gone through situations like some of the ones subjected here, whether it be with myself, or someone else, a site like this can be really helpful.  Especially for those who do not know where to turn, or how to handle their problems, it can be a great resource.

The biggest issue with copyright in young people today, in my opinion, is that they fail to understand the consequences of copyright.  They do not realize that when they copy other's work, they are in fact stealing.  I think that half of the time, they do not see how serious of an issue this really is.

I think the biggest issue with young people regarding cyberbullying (and privacy) is again, being unaware of the effect they are having on others.  Exposing others in a way that can harm them is bullying, and sometimes we do not even notice we are doing this.  Our carelessness can affect other's lives, and even end them.  This is a huge responsibility for young people, to be as careful as possible when posting things online, or even just when speaking to others.  You need to be cautious of other's feelings, and what they could be going through.

Assignment #2: Cyberbullying and Privacy

1. Two actions that can violate someone's privacy are:
Non-Consensual Distribution of an Intimate Image: there is a sexual/intimate photo taken during private circumstances, and then posted online, or sent out to others knowingly by the person who has taken/received the photo. Without the permission of the person within the photograph, the person could be charged.

Voyeurism: watching or recording a person in secret, while they're unaware. This is accurate in situations where the person is: in a place where they might be expected to change or remove clothing (bedroom, bathroom, change room, cabin, tent); all or partially naked or engaged in sexual activity at the time; or where the recording is done for sexual reasons.


2. Acts That Make Others Feel Unsafe:
Blackmail (extortion): forcing someone to do something by making threats, or being violent.

Acts that Hurt the Reputation of another Person:
Impersonation: pretending or claiming to be another person for your own personal benefit, or to harm anyone involved, (the person being impersonated, others involved with that person).


3. You can report a potential crime by informing the proper authorities like the Police, by visiting online at Cybertip.ca, other options include telling an adult (parent, guardian, teacher, anyone you trust), or even calling Kids Help Phone.

4. The first section I chose to explore was "Seeking Emotional Support". In this section it provides you with ideas for seeking support during difficult times in your life. By giving you advice on approaching your parents, friends, and other "safe adults", it gives you a better idea on how to handle these situations. While these are important parts of the overall subject, it also explores into advice on coping, how to manage your stress, and relationships. It explains all the ways we need to look at the problem by "remembering who we are", and how looking forward, rather than into the past, is one of the best ways to remain positive. These subjects explain how you can, change the situation, or adjust the way you are responding to it, as well as how to notice an unhealthy relationship. The second section I looked through was "Helping a Friend". This is a very helpful section, explaining how to detect the warning signs of your friends deflating health; how to help them in these situations; and finally, when there is urgent help needed. Every subject is thorough with their explanations allowing it's readers to receive valuable information on the topics.

5. One thing that I found interesting during these videos is how much help, and support we all have as people in the world.  Suicide is a common part of all of our lives, yet people still continue to hate and drive people to this point.  I found the overall story interesting of how they have all come together to support those in need, and I believe we need a lot more of that in our world today.  It is sad that even with all of this support we still see many people taking their lives, but this is because we need to be the change we want to see in the world.  You cannot let others control your lives, and we can change the story if we just speak out to others in need.

6. You could help promote the #ChangeTheStory campaign by sharing your own ways to change the story, through your own personal videos and images.

Assignment #1: Copyright and Copy-wrong

1. "Fair Dealings" protects a person when using other materials for the purposes of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, satire, and parody.


2. Under fair dealings, up to 10% of a copyright-protected work can be copied.


3. It is prohibited to share multiple excerpts from the same copyright protected work, according to copy right law.


4. A fee can be charged for using other people's work without permission but only a fee that covers the costs of the institution, including overhead costs.


5. Teachers are permitted to use copyright protected material for educational purposes, provided there are no other copyright free forms of the material needed.


6. A school is not permitted to make a large print book of copyright protected material, without the permission from the copyright owner.


7. A student or teacher is permitted to use audio or video for school projects as long as they follow specific rules. For example, it must take place on the premises of an educational institution; it must be for educational or training purposes; it must not be for profit; it must take place before an audience consisting primarily of students of the educational institution, persons acting under its authority, or any person who is directly responsible for setting a curriculum for the educational institution; and it must not involve a “motive of gain.“


8. It is allowed to preform a play that is copyrighted in the case that it is for a drama class, as long as the requirements previously stated involving audio or video usage is met as well. You are, under The Copyright Act permitted to use copyright protected music in performance in educational institutions. As long as the material is used for educational purposes, not for profit, and preformed in front of primarily members of an educational environment, it is permitted.


9. Schools cannot legally play copyrighted music at their dances or sporting events, without permission from SOCAN. This is the case because there is often a profit being made by the schools for these events, that is not being given to the original owner. A license can be obtained for these purposes.


10. If the answer is yes to the majority of the following questions, then the video or music use is permitted by The Copyright Act:

Did the music use occur during school hours?
Will the student be graded on the activity involving the music use?
Does the music use involve a demonstration by a student or teacher for other students, teachers, assessors, or parents?
Is it reasonable to consider the music use to be for educational purposes?
Was the music used on school premises?
If admission was controlled, was it free?
Was the music use for a non-profit purpose?


11. Anyone is permitted to use other's copyright protected material to create new works under the Copyright Act. Although, this is only acceptable provided they follow the rules:

1.  It can only be used for non-commercial purposes.
2.  The original source must be mentioned, if it is reasonable to do so.
3. The original work used to generate the content must have been acquired legally.
4. The resulting user-generated content does not have a “substantial adverse effect” on the market for the original work

12. A teacher or student is allowed to show a bought, or rented DVD in class, as long as the DVD is not an infringement copy of the original. It must be legally obtained.


13. It is illegal to copy a show or movie at home, to show at school. It is not permitted for teachers or students to do so, unless the DVD is obtained legally through rental, bought, or borrowed, they are not allowed by the Copyright Act, to show it in a classroom.


14. The owners of computer programs are allowed to make a single copy of these programs in the event of two situations:

An owner of a legitimate copy of a computer program may make one backup copy of that program. The person must be able to prove that the backup copy is erased as soon as he or she ceases to be the owner of the copy of the computer program from which the backup was made.
An owner of a legitimate copy of a computer program may also make a single copy of that program by adapting, modifying, or converting the computer program or translating it into another computer language, provided that: (i) the reproduction is essential for the compatibility of the program with a particular computer; (ii) the reproduction is solely for the person’s own use; and (iii) the copy is erased when the person ceases to be the owner of the copy of the program from which the copy was made.


15. Teachers and students are permitted to copy from the internet. There are a few basic rules including citing the source of your material, and using materials that are publicly available online.


16. Any original work I create in school is copyright protected. Knowing this, I feel safer about what I am creating, being aware that it is protected online, and made illegal to be copied. Although, it does make me wonder how this is effective, because I do know it is quite simple to copy a person's work, without anyone really noticing if the persons work is not popular. Therefore, I wonder how my work being protected is relevant, if there is nothing actually done in the situation that it is copied.


17. Keenan, G. (2016). Demystifying Copyright: The Way Down. New Brunswick: The Blackville, Young Writers Association. ISBN: 0-2-25746-098-1, $22.22

Journal #7: Digital Access

One of the most surprising aspects of this unit for me, is the realization of how much we actually depend on technology. Today, if you live in an area with lack of, or slow, internet, odds are you will either complain until it gets fixed, or switch locations. It amazes me how much we use technology today, and how much even little towns are developing, just to keep from becoming a "ghost town". The thought of eventually becoming so dependent on technology in the future terrifies me. Some day, it is possible that this will occur, and there are so many benefits, but risks as well that this unit has shocked me with.

The most difficult part of this unit for me, was attempting to understand, and find, ways that technology could be harmful in the long run. I had to think about the chance of hacking, or the theft of personal information that could occur. Also, how these things could effect everyone was a big thought I had to consider. Eventually, I did decide on a few negative aspects, as well as positive, for the situations provided in assignment #2.


I do believe everyone should have reliable, fast access to the internet. It is helpful for many workers, as well as school goers, to complete their assignments, and other internet related work, at home. Also, it is a great method of communication for many families who are not always side by side. The internet is an amazing thing that connects a lot of people in many ways, to not have that connection would be difficult.


I believe everyone has a time when they become concerned about their privacy online, I am not exception. Especially over social media, with everyone being able to see everything, it is a scary situation. I am always considering ways to protect myself online, avoiding sharing too much is always a concern. You will never see me getting too personal or informative about myself online, I just do not seem to trust the internet that much. Constantly, I am protecting my accounts, like Instagram, my profile is private enough so that anyone who wishes to view my photos, or information, has to send a request by me first. I believe this is something all users should do.


Every time I post online today, I am always thinking about the future. It scares me that some of the ignorant, inconsiderate, posts I may have made in the past, when I was overly immature, could come back to haunt me in the future. So, today, I am constantly overlooking, and over thinking, each post I make so that I know it cannot harm me later in life. I hear stories all the time of employers, and post-secondary administrators examining their applicants social media to get an idea of what kind of person they are, and I do not wish for that to be me in a negative sense. Today, any controversial posts I may have are probably my opinions, or thoughts on subjects that I would be willing to stand by on 100%. If in the future, these posts do happen to affect me, odds are I will not be willing to comply with those of whom disagree to the extent of denying me a position of any sort.



I think the biggest issue with young people today, and digital access is the failure to think about the future. You see children, and teens of all ages, posting harmful media that some day will most likely harm them greatly. It is my opinion that everyone should carefully monitor what they post online now, because that stuff does not go away, and the internet is a huge place. In the future, you will regret your past decisions, if it affects you, and possibly your dream school, or even job. Everyone should think twice before hitting that post button.

Assignment #2: Privacy Please.

Situation #2- The benefits of an election done 100% online would be efficiency. The majority of residents would have the means to participate, and voting counts would increase, which is a huge improvement for the government. As well, the challenge of tallying up the votes would disappear, it could be done quickly and easily with the support of technology.

Some points against the matter though, are also issues that involve the efficiency of online. It would be easier for these votes, done "anonymously" to then become public knowledge. Also, the internet is not 100% secure. For some, it is as easy as 1-2-3 to hack into a computers data base and interfere with voting counts. This could result in some form of terrorist effort, or even just an election done against the majority's favour.



Situation #3- Again, the benefits of such a situation involve efficiency, but also prior knowledge for students. It would be much more convenient for parents to have the ability to connect to a website, to view their child's grades, and improve as necessary. Also, it would be helpful for the students to be aware of their possible declining grade, so they are able to adjust their habits to fit more suited grades.

But, this situation may be an issue as well. Having digitally connected records of student's marks could be dangerous for those who know enough to be able to hack into the computers, and edit the information. This could lead to inaccurate results on the behalf of a few, and leave the more achievable students without recognition. Although this could be an issue, it could also effect the aspect of the school's security. More people could find ways to access the network, and get out personal information of some, that should not be shared.



Situation #4- Many benefits could come from using computers as a new form of education systems in 2020. It would be better for students especially, to be able to do your work from the comfort of your home, without the distractions of other students. You will be able to work at your own pace, and avoid being held back by others in a classroom. As well, there would not be the worry of losing class time during storms, and becoming behind in your lessons.

Even though there could be major benefits of this situation, there are also many downfalls. There would be a loss of jobs for teachers, and administrators, grades could decline, and the worry of those who do not have the means to use a computer for such. Without the aid of staff, student's grades could fall due to the lack of understanding some may have, when not taught the lessons physically.  These could be issues far too great to take the risk.

Assignment #1: Fast Internet Speeds in Small Towns

1. Some of the internet connections in rural communities mentioned in the article are ten times quicker, like in Olds, Alta; the fastest internet in the country.

2. These communities are getting faster internet speeds than what is even being offered by many Canadian Telecom companies by putting high-throughput fibre-optic cables directly into homes and businesses. They are installing their own high-speed fibre-optic cables,

3. The community of Harriston is considered "fortunate" according to Hope Reidt because their owners are very forward-thinking. They're "way ahead of the curve in terms of wanting to provide the best technology available" as he states, because homes started getting fibre-optic cables installed in 2008.

4. Olds community decided to build their own fibre network because businesses were becoming frustrated with the "sluggish internet" and had threatened to leave town. They paid for this service by using government grants and loans connecting every home along the way.

5. Once the community of Stratford installed it's own fibre optic network, it attracted more attention from investors like The University of Waterloo and the Royal Bank opened up a $400-million data centre there.

6. Bell installed fibre optics in more than a million premises in Atlantic Canada, and also to Northern Ontario.

7. Small towns and communities need high speed internet more than ever now in order to keep employers and residents from leaving to move to better connected cities, abandoning them in the dust.

8. The Federal government supplied around $305-million to increase internet access in Canada.

Journal #6: Digital Business

I found most surprising in this unit that there are companies that people trust with their money, that are not the most secure choices. They are putting their money, and personal data, into hands that are not always safe, which can be a very poor choice on their behalf. It shocked me how common this actually is, but also that there are companies who take good care of you, and your money.


For me, it was most difficult to decide which method of shopping was more convenient for it's buyers. I had trouble deciding whether online shopping, with it's expanded options involving items and locations, had better opportunities than store shopping. In the end, although it was hard, I figured having a closer, more available option, with easier return policies, and urgency requirements, was the preference for many others who may not have access to online stores.
 

My mother use to be one of online's greatest shoppers. At first, she had a lot of luck with her items, they all fit the stated condition that the sites said, and she enjoyed them very much. But, after so long, she became careless with which stores she shopped from, abandoning the research she should have done on each company. At one point, she had purchased a pair of leggings with fur interior. She had selected a size medium, because she figured they would stretch if they did not actually fit exactly like they should. Once the purchase arrived in the mail, my mother realized her biggest mistake: she did not check to see which country she was shopping from. The leggings had come in a size medium, based off of a typical woman figure from China, the pants would not even fit me. We then realized that online shopping is a lot more difficult than expected.


I have never sold items online personally, but I do know others who have. Overall, I would say their experiences were quite positive, they did not encounter any theft, or scam buyers. In the end, they did sell all of their items they had wished to sell.


Two tips that I found particularly helpful or important are:

- "When buying using KIJIJI and other online service make sure buying is done in a PUBLIC PLACE and never send money via mail or other ways to the seller." This tip is important in my opinion because of the scam factor of online shopping. Sometimes, the "seller" may be lying about the item they possess, and steal your money once you send it to them. Also, it is important to remember to purchase these items in a public place, in case the seller is, in fact, a scammer or even just a bad person in general who may take advantage of the situation during privacy.

- "Whenever possible use the "TAP" services when paying with credit cards and debit cards to limit the amount of time your card is with others." The importance of this tip is clear: the less time others have with your debit or credit cards, the less likely they are to steal your information, money, and possibly your identity.


The biggest issue around online shopping for young people today may be the innocence they all possess. Most are unaware of the circumstances, and many online sellers could take advantage of this ignorance. They are more likely to be victims of scam, theft, and many other things because of this. We need to keep the young people of today knowledgable about the dangers and precautions we must take when online shopping.