004: law & order: breaking down the computer misuse act (ks3)
You will act as Responsible Innovators to learn the Computer Misuse Act (1990) and judge cybercrime scenarios.
Cyber Courtroom: The Verdict is Yours
The Scenario
You have been hired as a Junior Legal Advisor for a top tech law firm. Your firm deals with cybercrime. Your boss has sent you three new case files that need urgent review. Your job is to analyze the actions in each case and determine if the Computer Misuse Act (1990) has been broken.
The Persona
As a Responsible Innovator, you are focused on Ethics, Law, and Society. You don't just ask "Can I hack this?", you ask "Should I hack this, and is it legal?". You understand that laws exist to protect people and data from harm.
You have been hired as a Junior Legal Advisor for a top tech law firm. Your firm deals with cybercrime. Your boss has sent you three new case files that need urgent review. Your job is to analyze the actions in each case and determine if the Computer Misuse Act (1990) has been broken.
As a Responsible Innovator, you are focused on Ethics, Law, and Society. You don't just ask "Can I hack this?", you ask "Should I hack this, and is it legal?". You understand that laws exist to protect people and data from harm.
1
Phase 1: The Knowledge Hunt
Open a web browser and search for "Computer Misuse Act 1990 summary for students".
You need to find the three specific offences (often called Sections).
Open a new Document or Presentation and title it [w]Legal Brief - [Your Name][/w].
Create a slide/section for each of the three offences.
Explain each offence in your own words. Don't copy and paste! Imagine you are explaining it to a client who doesn't know much about computers.
2
Phase 2: The Case Files
Add a new section to your document called Case Analysis.
Read the scenarios below and for EACH one, answer:
1
Is this legal or illegal?
2
Which Section of the Computer Misuse Act applies? (Section 1, 2, or 3?)
3
Why? (Justify your answer).
Case A: Sarah looks over her brother's shoulder to see his password. Later, she logs into his Facebook account just to read his messages. She doesn't change anything.
Case B: A student creates a script that floods the school network with millions of requests, causing the internet to crash so that nobody can take their online test.
Case C: A criminal guesses the password to a shop's database. They log in and steal a list of credit card numbers, intending to sell them to other criminals later.
3
Phase 3: The Submission
Check your spelling and grammar. A Legal Advisor must be professional!
Save your work and submit it to your teacher.
Outcome
I can identify the three sections of the Computer Misuse Act (1990).
I can explain the difference between 'unauthorised access' and 'impairment'.
I have analyzed three scenarios and applied the correct law to each one.
Last modified: December 15th, 2025
