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Technology: Legal Issues in Australia Essay

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Advances in technology has brought many benefits but also problems. The use of new technology creates moral and ethical problems and conflicting attitudes in society. The complexity of the issues and the pace with which technology changes mean that legislators have difficulty making laws that can keep in control of these changes. Technology affects all areas of society, forcing changes in a range of laws. Advances in computer technology have resulted in a new brand of cyber crimes such as computer fraud, computer hacking, email spam, pornography (especially when it relates to children) and stalking online. But it doesn’t just limit itself to computer related crimes. The new wave of digital recording devices create issues with privacy and …show more content…

Certain parties such as the Government, charitable and religious parties are exempt. Finally, the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Telecommunications Offence and Other Measures) Act (No 2) 2004 (Cth) bans the use of telecommunication services to harass, make threats to people, provide child pornography or to encourage children to engage in sexual activity. It also makes it illegal to improperly use the 000 emergency number. As mentioned before, one of the acts relating to technology is the Copyright Amendment Act 2000 (Cth). Authors of creative material have an automatic right not to have this material copied or used by others for profit or for gain. This means that people who make copies of TV programs, movies, songs or articles may be committing a crime. Exemptions apply for fair copying of material used for critical review or educational purposes. In 2006, this Act was amended to also exempt the temporary taping of a TV program to watch later and copying from a legal copy of material to another format (such as turning songs on CD into MP3 format for use in music players. The law also allows people to copy works for parody. Most exemptions apply only to individual use and do not allow the sharing of the material. The law also makes it illegal to access pay TV services without authorisation or to modify any protection measures intended to stop people illegally copying digital media. Shortly following the Copyright

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