Computer Science · Chapter 6
Study notes aligned to the official NEB syllabus.
A society whose daily life, banking, learning, shopping, government work, runs on information and communication technology (ICT) is a digital society. This shift does not reach everyone equally, and that gap is the digital divide: inequality in access to and effective use of ICT, caused by an access divide (no affordable device or network coverage), a usage divide (access without the skill to use it well), and a quality divide (uneven productivity among regular users). In Nepal this shows up most between urban and rural areas and between richer and poorer households.
Computer ethics is the set of moral principles guiding responsible use of computers and the internet, filling the gap law alone cannot cover. Common principles: do not harm others or interfere with their work through a computer, do not snoop through others' files or resources without permission, do not steal or spread falsehoods, do not use unlicensed software, credit others' intellectual work, and consider the wider social consequences of what you build.
Information security protects data and systems from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or disruption, built on the CIA triad.
| Property | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Seen only by those authorized to see it | Encrypting a file so only the intended reader can open it |
| Integrity | Not altered by unauthorized parties | A checksum revealing if a file was tampered with in transit |
| Availability | Stays accessible to authorized users when needed | Backup servers keeping a service running during an attack |
Security also rests on identification (who a user claims to be), authentication (verifying that claim), and authorization (what the verified user may do), backed by ongoing threat and vulnerability assessment.