Legal Issues#

• Can staff / developers access the XML data?
• What volume of data will you be processing?
• Different countries have different rules that may be applicable.
• Company policies: You need to tell people how to use your data (Be aware of the use of 3rd parties.)

The Main Acts#

The Data Protection Act (1998)#

• Protects people’s information held by others.
• Any data you collect must be :
  • Obtained and used for a specific (lawful) purpose.
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive.
  • Accurate and up to date.
  • Kept only for as long as necessary.
  • Processed in accordance with a person’s rights.
  • Protected from unauthorized processing and accidental loss or destruction.
  • Kept in the EEA (European Economic Area)

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations#

• “The Cookie Law”:
  • Designed to protect online privacy.
  • Aims to make consumers aware of how their information is being collected and used.
  • Websites must get permission to collect, store and retrieve data about site visitors.
  • Covers all methods of storage and retrieval, not just cookies.
  • Also covers marketing communications (such as calls and emails) and customer privacy (i.e. location services and identification).

The Computer Misuse Act (1990)#

• The act creates the following offenses:
  • Unauthorized access / modification of computer materials.
  • Unauthorized access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime.
  • Making, supplying or obtaining anything which can be used in an offense under the Act.

The Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)#

• Protects original works, recordings and their presentation from unauthorized copying and distribution.
• Defines authorship and ownership.
• Sets out the duration of copyright for different media types.
• Sets out the rights of copyright owners.

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)#

• Developed to enhance the cardholder data security.
• Applies to merchants and service providers that process, transmit or store card holders data.
• Began In 2004 as the payment Processing rules from major credit card brands: Visa, Mastercard, Amex (American Express), Discover, and JCB.
• Consists of 12 regulations.

What is a Web service?#

• “A Web service is a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network.

URL or URI ?#

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)#

3rd Party Web Services#

When using 3rd party web services bear in mind:

• Legal issues.
  • Do you have a license to use the data as intended?
• Data governance.
  • Where are the servers located?
  • Can you share personal data with the service if needed?
• Security.
  • Is the service going to properly protect your data? Will need to abide by terms and conditions – may include requirements such as displaying their logo.

JSON Data Types#

JSON Data Array#

JSON Objects#

JSON Types Examples#

• Object

1
{ "key": "value" }

1
{ "name": "John" }
2
{ "age": 35 }

• Arrays

1
[1, 2, 3]
2
["Apples", "Oranges"]

• Strings

1
"Raghav"
2
"Paris"

• Numbers

1
1
2
10
3
1.5
4
-10
5
4.5e70

• Boolean

1
true
2
false

• Null

1
null

JSON Pros and Cons#

TIP

self describing
e.g., the attribute in xml
<actor prefix="Mr.">Macauley Culkin</actor>

schema
e.g., DTD

if you are asked to validate json, you just need to check if there are any errors in the json, because json doesn’t have DTD

JSON Vs. XML#

JSON Syntax Rules#

• Data is in name / value pairs separated by a colon :
• Data is separated by commas.
• Curly braces hold objects.
• Square braces hold arrays.

JSON Testing and Validation#

• Creating your JSON file
  • Notepad++ can be used.
  • Make sure your document follows the Key JSON specification rules.
• Testing your file
  • JSON codes should be validated – i.e., we should be able to automatically check its structure and syntax.
• Validate your JSON code at https://jsonlint.com/