1.5.2 Moral & Ethical Issues Flashcards
What are the advantages of computers in the workforce?
Increased efficiency & productivity
Reduced unit labour costs
Lower prices for customers
Removes need to work in repetitive/tedious environment
Online services reduce rent and labour costs
What are the disadvantages of computers in the workforce?
Contribute to rising structural unemployment
Middle income manufacturing jobs main target so shift towards low-income service jobs
What are the advantages of automated decision making?
Faster reactions to certain scenarios in driverless cars
Quick response in application processes
What are the disadvantages of automated decision making?
Controlling content displayed on user’s social media can lead to a closed minded society
Using algorithms for application processes could result in unfair treatment
Who is responsible for decisions made by driverless cars?
Who should be prioritised, the pedestrian or passenger?
Algorithms must be thoroughly tested to produce software free of bias
What are the advantages of artificial intelligence?
Used to replicate the knowledge of experts
Used in medicine to draw links between illnesses and form diagnoses
Used in neural networks to detect patterns and identify financial fraud
Use in voice recoginition systems provides convenience in smart home systems
What are the disadvantages of artificial intelligence?
Use in voice recognition systems such as smart home systems raises privacy concerns
Raises questions about accountability
What are positive environmental effects of technology?
Smart home systems use sensors to determine when heating/lighting should be switched on/off
Devices offer “sleep” or “stand-by” features
What are negative environmental effects of technology?
More technology thrown away as it becomes affordable & accessible
Computer components are toxic and contaminate water supplies
E-waste is sometimes shipped to third world countries with lower environmental standards for disposal
Electricity uses fossil fuels which emit greenhouse gas
Impact future generation & harm biodiversity
What are the advantages of censorship?
ISPs block content associated with terrorism & extremist political beliefs
Exists on smaller level such as schools/workplaces to maintain productivity & prevent distraction
What is censorship?
The act of suppressing the content that people are able to view, publish & access
What are the disadvantages of censorship?
Concerns about misuse to push a certain ideology
Some believe in a “Free Internet”
Summarise the monitor of behaviour.
Employers monitor productivity by tracking websites workers are accessing
Surveillance systems used to detect crime
Ankle monitors used to track those on house arrest
Some argue it to be unethical in violating basic human rights
Some argue it essential to defer individuals from committing crimes
Summarise the analysis of personal information.
Large amounts of data from numerous sources can identify connections between two variables through data mining
Ethical concerns about whether companies have a responsiblity to feedback trends they uncover to individuals involved
Pressure on larger firms to be more transparent about data collected
What is data mining?
The process of extracting knowledge or insights from large amounts of data using various statistical and computational techniques
Summarise piracy & offensive communications.
Unauthorised copying of content is a form of theft
Internet provides a seemingly anonymous front for offensive communication
The Malicious Communications Act 1998 makes it a criminal offence to send indecent or offensive messages to anyone online
