1.6 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology Flashcards
What are the different types of issues?
PEELS
Privacy
Ethicals
Enviromental
Legal
Social
Pros and Cons of the internet
The Internet has many benifits:
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Education
- Research
- E-commerce
However, It also has many drawbacks
- Increase in Piracy
- Distribution of illegal media
- Offensive content
- Fraud
- Hate Speech
- Fake News
Should the internet be regulated?
- Yes:
- The Internet is no different to other media:TV, Radio, newspaper etc.
- The Internet has harmful, offensive and illegal content
- Children should be Protected
- Profit making organisations on the internet should share responsibility for policing the internet they have created.
- No:
- Freedom of Expression is an absoloute right
- The internet is different to other media because anyone can be an author and broadcaster
- The interent grows too quickly for filtering to have any impact
- Censorship is bad for democracy
- Parents should take more responsibility
Privacy issues
what are the Pros and cons of more surveilance?
Pros: More crime prevention
Cons: loss of privacy
Data Protection Act 2018
Computer Misuse Act 1990
The widespread use of computers has led to new types of crime. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 attempts to discourage people from using computers for illegal purposes. There are three separate parts to the Act:
- It is illegal to access data stored on a computer unless you have permission to do so. Unauthorised access is often referred to as hacking.
- It is illegal to access data on a computer when that material will be used to commit further illegal activity, such as fraud or blackmail.
- It is illegal to make changes to any data stored on a computer when the user does not have permission to do so. If you access and change the contents of someone’s files without their permission, you are breaking the law. This includes installing a virus or other malware which damages or changes the way the computer works.
The maximum punishment for breaking this law is a £5,000 fine or several years’ imprisonment.
However, one key part of the law is that intent must be proved. If a computer is not well protected, someone could accidentally access its data without meaning to. They might also accidentally change a document without realising it. For anyone to be found guilty, it has to be shown that they intentionally accessed and changed data.
Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1998
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 exists to protect peoples’ creations.
When a person creates something, they own it. What they create might include:
- a picture, drawing or photograph
- a video, television programme or film
- text, such as a book, article or report
- a game
Copyright is a legal means of ensuring that content creators can protect what they create. It only applies to certain types of creative work, including art work, books and computer programs. In general, copyright does not apply to ideas.
Copyright is applied automatically as long as certain criteria are met - it is not necessary to register copyright or to use a © symbol. Work is automatically protected by copyright unless the copyright holder chooses to give that right away.
Copyright gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to publish, copy, distribute and sell their creation. No one else can use the work without permission. Copyright on a piece of work lasts for a long time, although the rules about how long are quite complicated and vary from country to country. For example, in the UK, copyright on artistic work, literature, music and films lasts for 70 years after the death of the creator.
When you buy something, such as a book, film or music CD, the copyright holder grants permission for you to use it as part of the sale. This is called a licence. The licence is generally only for you to use.
When using computers, unless you have permission with regard to particular copyrighted material, it is illegal to:
- make copies of the material
- publish it and sell it without permission
- distribute it to other people
- sell copies to other people
This applies to any copyrighted material, such as music, films, games and television programmes. The internet has made it extremely easy to access copyrighted material illegally. If you download a music track, film, game or programme without the copyright holder’s permission, you are breaking the law.
For example, supermarkets earn their money by selling food and other products. If someone takes their products without paying, the supermarket does not make any money. In the same way, musicians, photographers, filmmakers and artists earn their money by selling products. If someone takes their products without paying, the person who created the work does not make any money.
There are, however, some situations where it is legal to copy, publish, distribute or sell copyrighted material. These are:
- when you are the copyright holder
- when you have the copyright holder’s permission
- when the copyright holder has chosen to give up their copyright
Creative Commons License
Makes it easier to share copyrighted work online
Freedom of Information Act 2000
This act was introduced to give the public the right to access any information recorded by the public sector organisations. This includes: - schools - councils - government departments - health trusts and hospitals - libraries - museums
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 was introduced to give the public the right to access any information recorded by public sector organisations. These organisations include:
- schools
- councils
- government departments
- health trusts and hospitals
- libraries
- museums
Anyone is able to request information, regardless of how old they are, where they live or their nationality.
Requests must be made in writing, either by letter or by email. The organisation then has 20 working days to provide the information.
Many people incorrectly assume that public bodies must give them any information that they request. Organisations are excluded from providing information if:
- The information required is regarded as sensitive - the Data Protection Act 2018 overrules in this instance. For example, a request to find out how much an employee earned would be rejected as that information is sensitive to the employee.
- The information will be too costly or time consuming to produce. For a public organisation, such as a school, or a council, the cost limit is £450. Organisations determine costs based on £25 per hour per person. Therefore, if the information requested would take longer than 18 hours (18 x £25 = £450) to produce, the request would be rejected. For the government and armed forces, this limit is raised to £600 (24 hours).
1.
What makes it harder to keep information private on the internet?
Why is censorship and Surveillance a cause for concern?
How can new technologies have a impact on our social well-being?
What health problems can technology cause?
Eye Strain can be caused by looking at a device for too long
Repetetive strain injury is caused by repeated movements and can cause joint pain
Bad posture can occur from sitting in a position for too long
How do new technologies change how we do buisness?
Why is their a digital divide?
What are enviromental issues with technology?
Natural resources
E-waste
Large amounts of energy
What is proprietary software?
What are the pros and cons of proprieatary software?
