Communications & Media

Toll free numbers charge the recipient of the call, not the caller. These telephone numbers begin with special area codes, which include 800, 866, 877 and 888. Toll free numbers are typically used...

Public records are any forms of records that governmental agencies keep that are open to the public, which includes journalists and members of the general public. Paper and electronic forms of...

Telemarketing to cell phones, via automatic dialers, has always been illegal. Cell phone owners who are bothered by these calls are able to file a complaint against the marketing company with the...

Linking from one website to another, called hyperlinking, is what connects users to websites across the Internet. Some websites create links from their website to other relevant websites to...

Due to rapid advances in computer technology, the process of convicting an individual for computer-related crimes, or suing a party for computer-related offenses in a civil suit, has become a...

There are many different types of legal forms and letters for requesting information. They range from the release of medical, school or employment records to obtaining government documents under...

Phone solicitors are not only annoying, they also are inconvenient, always calling around dinner time or right when you get home from work. Oftentimes, the phone solicitor is offering something...

The United States Postal Service has specific requirements for the addresses on all first class envelopes. These addresses are important, because they allow the postal service to accurately and...

Junk mail is so common that many people feel unable to stop it. This is the main reason that junk mail is so effective and pervasive--it takes more effort to find out how to stop it than to go on...

Copyright law is complicated, but in simple terms, the creator of the copyrighted work owns the rights to that work. This is called intellectual property. Two parts of music, lyrics and melody can...

You and/or your band work hard on writing songs, and no one wants his rights to those songs stolen. Therefore, it is important to copyright those songs, and prove they belong to you. This is...

Ethics deal with moral issues of right and wrong and what behaviors are good or detrimental to a society, person, or entity. When dealing with computers, ethics are applied to telecommunications...

An offer of a recording contract is an exciting event for a new artist. However, it is easy to forget that a badly negotiated contract could leave an artist without much of the fruits of her...

Because of aggressive sales techniques and less-than-transparent sales pitches, both federal and state governments have legislation in place that governs telemarketing. Although the laws are...

Some businesses use surveillance cameras to prevent staff, customers or other individuals from stealing. Surveillance cameras are used in cases when the safety of workers, customers and other...

Finding an inmate released on parole can be a daunting task for everyday citizens, but resources are available. They differ according to whether the prisoner was in a State or a Federal prison...

Most computer crime is avoidable. The criminal's basic approach is to convince the user that an "account will be terminated," or a bank account is "overdrawn." Then the scammer will get you to go...

The Freedom of Information Act gives citizens the power to gain access to almost all public records. The Act has been a powerful tool for journalists or just curious citizens since its inception...

You don't have to be an investigative news reporter to find out what crimes people are committing in your neighborhood. All that is required is a little patience, research and knowledge of what is...

To the casual observer, "public information" may simply mean articles printed in a newspaper. But the concept is much more complex, involving an individual's legal right to have information, as...

Preventing computer crime is much easier than detecting it once it has been committed. There are some basic steps that any manager or network administrator can take in order to prevent the...

Unfortunately, as of this writing, there is no cut-and-dried approach to detecting cybercrime. Today, most cybercrimes are detected by chance. However, recent experience has shown some more or...

An unlisted number is a telephone number that does not appear in telephone directories or phone books. Unlisted numbers are also concealed from any call recipient with a caller identification...

Creating master resell rights (MRR) is a popular way for e-book, document, and other informational product creators to enhance the popularity and profitability of their own product. Establishing...

The United States census is a numerical account of all citizens based on socioeconomic, biological, sociological and psychological markers. The process amasses, records and publishes this...

The use of cellular phones has become extremely popular worldwide, especially in the United States. Through cell phones, people are able to communicate with each other at faster, more efficient...

Video surveillance cameras have become so common in public places that most people accept them without a second thought. However, many patrons who go to bars and clubs to relax say that being...

Copyright rules are essential to those who create original work. It protects their creations from being used without their permission or in ways that they do not agree to. These rules have been...

Digital forensics is a branch of computer science that focuses on developing evidence pertaining to digital files for use in civil or criminal court proceedings. Digital forensic evidence would...

Filmmakers and writers often make movies based on events in someone's life or turn a published novel into a film. To do this, the filmmaker or production company must first acquire the film...

The United States Congress passed the Do Not Call Implementation Act in 2003 to protect consumers from unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. The act led to the establishment of fees to support...

The gall bladder stores bile secreted by the liver. Bile assists in digestion and absorption of fats, fat soluble vitamins, minerals and calcium. As bile accumulates in the gallbladder, it...

Obtaining your home phone records is a bit stickier than it once was, thanks to the Telephone Records and Privacy Act signed into law in January 2006. This bill criminalized "pretexting"--the act...

States and the federal government have laws that protect individuals' privacy and safety on the Internet. Some of these laws are designed to protect private information that a person does not wish...

Music publishing rights refer to who owns the rights to a song and who gets money from it. You own your own rights as soon as you've written a song, meaning if it generates any money, you get all...

Using file-sharing software, such as LimeWire, is like using an automobile. A person can legally own and drive a car, but speeding is illegal and punishable. Similarly, a user can use LimeWire to...

Since the rise of computer technology throughout the United States, a number of crimes using the technology place challenges on law enforcement. Known popularly as cyber crimes, these offenses...

Many people own computers capable of burning DVDs, but few are aware of the laws regarding such behavior. Many times people buy computers with DVD-burning software pre-installed, and then never...

There often is no fee to view public records in the United States, particularly if they are routinely made available, such as from a county clerk's office or the courts. However, the federal...

Before home video technology, many people didn't think about film copyright laws. Now, technology allows people to copy films in ways that may violate the copyright owner's rights. DVD bootlegs of...

Musicians need a way to protect their creative work, and that's exactly why copyright laws exist. Securing a registered copyright is a simple process, but it will provide you and your work with...

Although we want our children to develop good social skills and be an active member of their peer group, many of the popular social communication devices, such as MySpace, pose a real danger to...

Copyright Law is very complex, especially when it comes to the Internet. Many high profile lawsuits have brought intellectual property issues to the forefront of the digital revolution. Digital...

Due to the advance of the Internet and increased amounts of junk email (or spam), email marketing laws such as the United States' CAN-SPAM Act, and Canada's proposed ECPA Bill, have emerged....

The need to know secrets has existed perhaps as long as humanity has communicated. Starting in ancient China, when a messenger would cover a message in wax and travel with it hidden in his...

According to a 2008 Gallup poll, cable and Internet news sources gained significant ground in the market since 2006 while Americans relied on national newspapers and public radio least of all. How...

The Freedom of Information Act sets the ground rules through which the public can request, view and copy public records. In addition to the federal law, states have their own open records acts...

Twenty or thirty years ago it wasn't too difficult to find out who a phone number belonged to. We simply called the operator or asked at the telephone company. Nowadays there are privacy laws, and...

The U.S. government and all 50 states have enacted statutes about recording phone conversations. It's best to know what is legal where you live, because if you record in violation of the operative...