Many countries have created legislation or have passed laws about the use of computers and data.

These laws are usually concerned

• Protecting data about people;
• Hacking computer systems;
• Protecting copyright and patents.
• Censorship of the internet
• Health and safety

• Privacy Act 1988 - concerns data about people
• Copyright Act 1968
• Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Act 2000

• Criminal Code of Canada

• Bundesdatenschutzgesetz BDSG (Federal Data Protection Act) - concerns data about people
• 202(c) - anti hacking legislation

• FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) - describes how government organisations should handle data about people
• GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) - describes how financial organisations should handle data about people
• HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) - describes how medical insurance organisations should handle data about people
• Data Security Act 2007
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998
• USA PATRIOT Act 2002
• Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act
• Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

• The Data Protection Act 1998 - will prevent people's information getting spread around the world, preventing the likeliness of crimes toward said person.
• The Computer Misuse Act 1990 - covers hacking with amendments that were added later.
• The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 - covers copyright.
• The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 - covers central and local government looking at workers' email security etc.
• The Communications Act 2003 is often used when people send offensive emails etc.
• The Digital Economy Act 2010 - covers software piracy.
• The Malicious Communication Act 1988 - Covers sending mail, physical or electronic, with the intent of causing distress or anxiety.