# 6 Responsibilities to employees and the public

In carrying out activities using IT, organisations have a responsibility of care towards their employee and customers, and the general public. While these responsibilities would be clear on the grounds of ethical argument, some aspects of them have been cast into law. Whenever any organisation sets out and gathers information about people, steps must be taken to ensure that, firstly, the information really is needed for a valid purpose, and then that if any information is collected, it’s correct and is used appropriately. Data-protection legislation enacted in many jurisdictions requires all this, and, more generally, laws of libel and defamation aim to prevent the promulgation of false information. The use of computers can lead to physical injury for users, and legislation on health-and-safety aspects of working environments could apply.

OpenLearn - Software and the law
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