NOVEMBER - DECEMBER THE COMPUTER LAW AND SECURITY REPORT

NEW IDEAS AWARD A £100 device, which could save BT £10 million a year, has won BT's new Ideas Comptetition. Invented by an engineer, the 'Mole' Iocator is arl electronic instrument capable of pinpointing faults in under-

REPORT ON CONSU

ground cables simply and accurately. It will reduce the number of holes which have to be dug for each fault by more than half. thereby sawng money and reducing disruption to the ~ public. Three thousand of the units are now in use bv BT throughout the world.

MER PRODUCTS

G U I D E S A N D REPORTS

OFTEL CLASH WITH BT

OF-TEL has clashed with BT over BT's decision to purchase a second range of digital exchanges. Whilst accepting that the purchase reflected normal commercial prudence, OFTEL went on to recommend how BT should proceed in its procurement. In rejecting this interference, BT have stated that it must be free to determine the steps necessary to speed up and maintain BT's modernisation programme. Essential to this is the intention to use System X as the major system for the modernisation and digitalisation of the network

It seems here that BT and OFTEL are fighting to establish how far they can go in influencing each other. OFTEL, through its Director-General, has duties under the Act to ensure the provision of telecommunication services to satisfy all reasonable demands; to protect consumer interests; promote research and development and safeguard the interests of UK manufacturers in competing both at home and abroad. BT is also stating its duty to its customers and its responsibilities as a purchaser. OFTEL's reportthat caused the disagreement is on the purchase of System Y. Other recent OFTEL releases include:

• Advice on wide area radio paging

• Advice on the allocation of radio frequencies in bands 1 and 3 for private mobile radio purposes

• Report on investigation of complaint about alleged unfair competition in radio paging

Contact OFTEL, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London ECIN 2HQ Tel: 01-822 1641/1645. Telex 883 584 OFTEL

Two recent BT publications include:

Competitive Marking Guidelines- a statement of BT's trading principles in the key policy area. Code of Practice on Disclosure of Customer Information for use by employees engaged in the systems business and of information relating to the testing of apparatus

Contact: 01-624 6090

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ELECTRONICS PROBE

The DTI has appointed consultants to look atthe needs of small companies investing in advanced manufacturing in electronics (AMIE). Michael Shortland Associates, independent consultants in computer-aided engineering, have been asked to report the results of their study by January, 1986. The study will establish to what extent AMIE is installed in small companie: nr planned, and identify key technical, commercial, m~r, agerial and

other factors likely to influence its adoption in the next five years. The DTI wants to encourage British electronics companies to take advantage of the latest computer- aided manufacturing techniques in design, automated handling and assembly and automatic testing. Organisations wishing to contribute to the study should contact the consultants at 100 High Path, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2SP. Tel: 0483-574996. Telex: 859535.

BCS MOVES ON COMPUTER SAFETY

The British Computer Society has established a register of computer professionals qualified by their experience in design and implementation of programmable electronic systems to assess the safety of computer systems designed to control risk. These include air traffic control and automated production lines where loss of life and damage to property could occur if systems were badly designed and ma,~aged. The public will be able to inspect the register, which will be of particular interest to those seeking to check up on the qualifications of potential designers of new systems. For information contact: The British Computer Society, 13 Mansfield Street, London W1M OBP. Tel." 01-637 0471.

NATIONAL COMPUTING CENTRE PUBLICATIONS

The National Computing Centre directs technical programmes and develops products and services to encourage the more effective application of information technology. It co-operates with companies and organisations in the industry and promotes standards and codes of practice. NCC is a non-profit distributing organisation backed by Government and industry. Amongst its many publications are the following:

• Guide to Hardware, Software and Services (#'19.50)

• Guide to Computing Equipment Vol 1 - Computing Systems (#'19.50) Vol 2 - Computing Peripherals (£1 9.50) Vol 3 - Terminals and Communications (£19.50) 3 - V o l - Library (£44.50)

For those requiring current information on hardware there is Computer Hardware Record (£175 with four updates).

NCC also publishes a profiles series covering the Automated Office, Computer Security and Privacy, Micro-computers, Software Systems and Techniques, Telecoms, CAD--CAM, as well as computing journal abstracts and computing news. NCC also publishes a training bulletin containing details of courses, training materials, awareness and starter packs as well as NCC Interface, the journal of NCC's National Centre for Information Technology. For details of membership,

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THE C O M P U T E R L A W A N D S E C U R I T Y REPORT

products and services contract - NCC Ltd., Oxford Road, Manchester M1 7ED. Tel." 061-228 6333. Telex." 668962 .

VIDEOTEX NEWSLE'n 'ER LAUNCH

The publishers of Videotex Viewpoint, the bi-monthly magazine for business users of Videotex, Teletext and Cabletext, have now launched a fortnightly newsletter giving more up-to-the-minute information about developments of interest to Videotex professionals. Coverage will include industry trends, conferences and exhibitions, exploration of issues facing the industry and international news. The subscription for 25 issues of 12 pages per issue is £ 9 5 . Contact." Videotex Viewpoint News, London House, 2 4 3 - 2 5 3 Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2LL Tel." 0 1 - 9 4 8 5166.

BT CATALOGUE FOR DISABLED CUSTOMERS

BT has published a guide containing products and services of special interest to disabled customers. Seventy items are listed in the 36-page book compiled by BT's Action for Disabled Customers (BTADC). This was set up to create a central point where all the many BT products and activities across the country could be co-ordinated to ensure that the telecom needs of disabled people are properly considered and thought out. In the guide services are listed under four main sections:

• For people with impaired hearing

• With speech difficulties • Who are blind or visually handicapped • Or with impaired mobility or dexterity

The Guide is being distributed to organisations who work with handicapped people, including hospitals, advice bureaux and social services departments. In addition, local BT sales offices can supply copies and further information and may, in some cases, be able to undertake home visits for people who are house- bound. Sales offices can be contacted by dialling 100 and asking Freefone Telecom Sales.

TELECOM'S TARIFF GUIDE

Logica UK Ltd. have launched a Western Europe Telecommunications Information Service called 'Tarifica'. It contains 500 pages updated six times a year and consists of more than 750 tables of tariffs for all services within and between 17 countries of Western Europe and across to the United States. It also contains detailed reviews of the telecoms environ- ment in all of the major countries. It aims to answer such questions as How much is it going to cost me to up-grade my network to operate at higher speeds ? And What is the best configuration for the planned extension of my network to Zurich, Rome and Athens ? For those who require such information, a one-year subscription to Tarifica, including one copy of the manual and six up-dates, costs £ 5 0 0 . Contact: 01-637 9111 or Telex 27200 Logica G.

NEW SECURITY PRODUCTS

Ever since selling computer software became a mass market operation, a game of cat and mouse has been going on between the software producers and wou ld -

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be cop~ers of their products. The softwa~,, hous{;s made it difficult for their programs to be copied, someone found a way round that difficulty, the software house increased the sophistication of their protection, ii~,, too was overcome, and so on.

Until now software houses have relied predominant ly on software portection written into the program coding to make it diff icult to break into the program, alter the loading (baud) rate or incoporate deliberate errors on disk based programs, the program being unloadabte unless it recognises those errors. The pages of computer magazines, part icular ly those aimed at the home computer user, are full of advert isements for programs to .help the would be copier overcome such protection techniques.

The only loser in this situation J, apart from the software house} is the i,mocent user who may be unable to take security copies of his own programs for his own use and who in any event may have problems in loading his original software because of the very nature of some of the protection techniques used. (The design of virtually all Commodore disk drives is such that the deliberate errors incorporated in commercial disks can cause major hardware reliabil i ty problems, tt remains to be seen whether anyone wil l have the courage to take legal action against a software house as a result).

One of the first hardware solutions to the problem was the 'dongle', a solution restricted, because of its price, to commercial software. Now the London company ASAP Development (a subsidiary of J. Rothschild Holdings plc) has developed the 'Lenslok'. a plastic lens that is supplied with each protected piece of software purchased. Each lens design is exclusivet~ the particular program with which it is designed to operate.

During the load routine a coded message is displayed on the television screen or monitor and can be decoded by placing the lens against the screen. The user is then given ten seconds to type in the decoded message. If he does so correctly the program continue~ to load as normal.

The system has been demonstrated to most leading software houses in the home computer market and has met with a mixed reception, presumably because of the undisclosed price of each Lenslok. Whether the additonal price would be passed on to the customer, or absorbed by the software house as part of =ts own security budget, remains to be seen. However, =t appears likely that the first t ime this product wil l be used will be in the Spectrum release of 'Elite', converted by Firebird from the best selling Acornsoft program.

It is to be hoped that if the Lenslok is taken up by the software houses, they wil l relax their other forms of protection and give their customers, m d their customers' hardware, an easier time.

NEW N O R W I C H UNION COMPUTER POLICY

When computers were first introduced the insurance market responded by producing very l imited computer policies that concentrated cover on the damage to the computer itself and provided nominal extensions H~ respect of other risks such as increased cost of working and loss of data. Because the technology was re lat ive ly new. insurers ~)rovided th(~ extra (;over

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NOVEMBER - DECEMBER THE COMPUTER L A W A N D S E C U R I T Y REPORT

reluctantly and subject to heavy qualification.

Between 1975 and 1980, when insurers had gained more confidence and brokers and their clients were more aware of the cover that they needed,, insurers launched their second generation of computer policies. Cover was wider but still left much to be desired.

Between 1975 and 1980, when insurers had gained more confidence and brokers and their clients were more aware of the cover that they needed, insurers launched their second generation of computer policies. Cover was wider but still left much to be desired.

Because Norwich Union were late in introducing their first generation computer policy there was a lengthy period, until this year, when they were offering their inferior first generation policy and the rest of the market was offering a somewhat better second generation. Now all that has changed. Instead of taking the easy way out and copying their competitors policies they have re--researched the state of current computer technology and, by consulting their own D.P. colleagues, have produced what could almost be described as a third generation policy. There are some areas where cover is wider than the norm and their consultations with their D.P. colleagues are evident in the sensible use of correct computer terminology. However, like many policies in the computer field last minute caution by the underwriter has produced too many restrictions in cover for the break through that could have been achieved.

The policy provides cover in respect of three major areas of computer risk, loss or damage to the hardware itself, loss of data and losses consequent upon computer down time. There is no cover for computer misuse/ computer crime and a separeate policy would be required to cover those risks.

Dealing firstly with the principle areas where cover is wider than the traditional market leaders:

• The consequential loss cover includes loss of profit in addition to just increased cost of working. Regular readers of my articles will know that because of the development of computer usage, computer technology and networked systems in particular, very few companies can resume their computing operations at an alternative site within a fast enough time scale to leave their profits or revenue unaffected, even if the cause of the downtime is an event that is not traditionally

classed as catastrophic, for example, malicious damage or extended breakdown.

• The cover in respect of loss of data is not confined to replacing the media and reconstituting-the data (as in most policies) but also includes, as part of the consequential loss cover, the cost of reproducing vital data and the loss of profit or revenue that results from the temporary absence of the data.

In v iew of the wider cover and the use of relevant computer terminology it is disappointing to have to note the limitations in the policy. For example:

• There are a number of exclusions that might have been.removed or softened, for example the cover for accidental or malicious erasure of data is limited by a condition precedent liability that the identity of the person or persons causing the loss has been established. Given the anonomous ways in which both physical and electronic access can be gained it is reasonable to give the insured the option of either identifying the culprit or the circumstances of the access.

• Cover for loss of data is still limited to data and does not include software. Whether this is deliberate or is a matter of semantics can only be established by individual discussions with the Norwich Union.

• The consultations that have taken place with the D.P. advisers have clearly resulted in a number of exclusions that are new to this type of computer contract, for example erasure or corruption of data as a result of the presence of a magnetic field unless the field results from lightning: an incident that is covered, at least tacidly, by many of the older wordings that have no such exclusion. The new policy would however still cover loss as a result of interference from radar or radio waves, which is electro- magnetic, rather than magnetic in origin.

Summary

To sum marise, a qualified welcome for this new policy: it is not perfect but the premium for the ideal computer policy, free from any defects or limitations, would, of necessity, be prohibitively expensive. As I have said before there is really no substitute for carefully reading each policy that is on offer and deciding whether the particular balance of exclusions and extensions is acceptable to you. The Norwich Union policy stands a better chance than most.

David Davies

ORGANISATION NEWS

BRITISH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPORT ORGAN ISATION

Formed in 1982, and restructured in 1984, Export IT is the only non-profit making organisation whose sole object is to promote the export of British information technology products and services. It serves as a point of contact for potential customers seeking to identify suppliers of particular IT products and services and engages in a range of activities designed to assist the export marketing efforts of individual companies.

These include:

• Dissemination of sales, agency/distributor enquiries and other market intelligence.

• Publication of a regular newslettel.

• Organisat~on of British parti(:ipation at overseas fairs and exhibitions.

• Organisation of inwar(t and outward trade missions.

• MoHntin.( 1 o| s(;minars and workshops on appropriate exporl relal(;(t IOl)iCs.

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