1.5.2 Moral and Ethical Issues

Question 1

Give two effects on business of computers becoming part of the workforce:

Answer 1

Two from:

• Higher productivity
• Lower unit costs
• Lower costs of renting
• Lower labour costs

Question 2

Give two uses of automated decision-making:

Answer 2

Two from:

• Targeted feeds (social media)
• Application processes (jobs, mortgages, loans)
• Power distribution systems
• Driverless cars
• Stock trading
• Plant automation systems

Question 3

Define artificial intelligence:

Answer 3

The ability of a computer to replicate human intelligence, conflictive ability and grasp abstract concepts

Question 4

Describe how expert systems work:

Answer 4

Expert systems consist of a knowledge base made up of a set of facts and rules. This is used to build an inference engine which is interrogated to find diagnoses

Question 5

Give two applications of AI:

Answer 5

Two from:

• Neural networks
• Expert systems
• Voice recognition

Question 6

State two negative environmental effects of computers:

Answer 6

Two from:

• Toxic e-waste contaminating water
• E-waste in 3rd world countries
• Greenhouse gases from greater electricity consumption
• Reduced biodiversity
• Impact of climate change on future generations

Question 7

Give two ways in which technology can be used to protect the environment:

Answer 7

Two from:

• Smart home systems (sensors)
• Sleep and stand-by features on devices
• Smart engine designs

Question 8

Define censorship:

Answer 8

The act of suppressing the content that people are able to view, publish and access

Question 9

What is the free Internet?

Answer 9

The idea of an internet where nothing is filtered at all, in line with the principle of freedom of speech

Question 10

How is censorship used within schools?

Answer 10

Pupils may be prevented from accessing unsuitable material. May be used to maintain high productivity and prevent distractions

Question 11

Give arguments in favour of surveillance systems:

Answer 11

Useful for social security purposes and detecting crime.

Needed to trace and punish criminal activity.

Question 12

What is the name given to the process of analysing large data sets to uncover hidden trends?

Answer 12

Data mining

Question 13

Name three things web designers must take into account when designing a website

Answer 13

Colour paradigms, layout, character set