7 Ethical, Legal & Environmental Impacts Flashcards
What is Open source Software?
Open source software is a model of software development which allows permitted use of its source code
What are Open Source Projects?
Open source projects are projects where the source code used to create the project is made publicly available
What are the pros of Open Source software?
Open source software is usually free
Open source software is maintained by a large community of contributors
Open source software encourages collaboration
Open source software encourages rapid development
What are the Cons of Open Source software?
Open source software usually provides no warranty or guarantee
Smaller projects may not receive regular updates
Official customer support may not be available
What is Propietary software also known as?
Proprietary software is also known as closed source software
What is Proietary Software?
Proprietary software is software where the source code is not available to people outside of the organisation.
When buying proprietary software you do not own the software, but have only bought a license to use it
Modifying, copying, or redistributing the software is illegal
What are the pros of Propietary Software?
Proprietary software comes with a warranty or guarantee
Proprietary software often has customer support
Proprietary software should be thoroughly tested and reliable
Proprietary software is usually easier to install and use for the average user
What are the Cons of Propietary Software?
Proprietary software’s source code is not available, so cannot be fixed or modified by users
Proprietary software might not do exactly what you want it to do
Proprietary software can be expensive
Proprietary software’s older versions may not be maintained
What are Licences?
A license is a set of rules which tell a consumer what they can and cannot do with a piece of software
For example:
You can / cannot distribute this software
You can / cannot resell this software
If you use an open source component within your software, your software must often have what kind of license?
Open Source Licence
What is the Digital Divide?
Not everyone has access to computers and the Internet
Those without access to technology are at a disadvantage in terms of education, welfare and career opportunities
What is Net Neutrality?
A key principle of the Internet was that all packets are treated equally.
That means that if two websites both want access to a network, they should both have equal response times
How is Net Neutrality being compromised?
Net neutrality is now being threatened, particularly in the United States of America
Companies are interested in paying Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prioritise their traffic
What are the impacts of the collapse of Net Neutrality?
If net neutrality collapses it could mean that the large, rich technology companies could have more control over the traffic of the Internet
They could pay to have their traffic prioritised over their competitors
Where are most electronic devices produced?
Electronic devices are typically assembled in factories that employ many people.
These factories are usually based abroad
The workers in these factories often work long hours, for low wages
What is Censorship?
Censorship is where a government or organisation limits what people can see over a network.
What are the pros of censorship?
Some countries use censorship to keep people safe online, or to block illegal content
This is a positive consequence of censorship
What are the cons of censorship?
Some governments censor political websites which oppose their own government
Some governments censor communications to other countries
This limits people’s freedom
What is the Data Protection Act (1998)?
The DPA determines what organisations can do with personal data that they have collected.
The DPA also defines the rights of the individual over the data that is stored about them.
In 2018, the DPA was strengthened by the introduction of a new act called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
What are the 8 principles of the Data Protection Act?
- Data must be used and processed in a fair and lawful way
- Data must only be used for the stated purpose
- Data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive for the specified use
- Data must be accurate and kept up-to-date
- Data should not be kept longer than necessary
- Data should only be used according to the rights of the data subject
- Data should be kept safe and secure
- Data must not be transferred to organisations within other countries that do not offer a similar level of protection
What are the three Offences in the Computer Misuse Act (1900)?
- It is illegal to attempt to access a network or device with the intent of committing further criminal activity
- It is illegal to to attempt to access a computer or its contents without authorisation
- It is illegal to intend to modify or destroy a computer system, software or data without authorisation
What is the Freedom of Information Act (2000)?
The FOI act states that public bodies must regularly publish certain information
It also gives members of the public the right to request information that is held by public bodies
What is a Public Body?
A public body is an organisation that provides a public service Public bodies include: Hospitals Schools Police forces Armed forces Government
What is Creative Commons?
Creative commons is a licensing framework which allows content producers to publish their intellectual property with licenses that give permission for others to use their work
What are the types of Creative Commons Licensing?
CC attribution
CC share-alike
CC non-commercial
CC no-derivatives
What are CC attribution?
Work can be shared, copied or modified as long as the content creator is credited
What are CC share-alike?
Any work that is used must be redistributed under the same license terms as the original
What are CC non-commercial?
Works can be used, but only if no profit is made from them
What are CC no-derivatives?
Work can be shared or redistributed, but not modified
What is The Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)
Copyright is a legal framework to protect the use of intellectual property
Copyright automatically applies to any original creative work that is physically expressed - you don’t have to register the work
How do you use copyrighted material?
It is possible to request permission from the copyright holder to use their material
This is done by writing to the creator, stating what you intend to use the work for
The copyright holder does not have to grant permission
If they do, they can choose to demand a fee
What are Patents?
Patents are legal protections over inventions. They cover ideas and concepts rather than intellectual property
Patents can apply to both hardware and software and must be registered
What issues does the overuse of technology cause?
Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
Eye strain
Neck and back problems
Lack of exercise
What is E-waste?
E-waste is discarded electronic devices
How is E-waste disposed?
E-waste can include toxic chemicals.
There are strict rules about the disposal of e-waste imposed by the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
To bypass these rules, many organisations send e-waste to countries with fewer regulations - such as China and India.
What are the Positive Environmental Impacts of Electronics?
Computer models and simulations have been used to test and improve efficiency of wind turbines and engines
Online communication reduces the need for travel for meetings, which reduces the impact of pollution from cars and aeroplanes
Computer systems have allowed scientists to monitor and predict the effects of climate change
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
The Internet of Things (IoT) relates to a concept where computer systems are integrated into everyday objects, so that they can all exchange data
What types of personal data can the IoT record?
Your location/movement habits (Using GPS)
Looks (Using Facial Recognition Software)
What Online Activities are usually tracked?
Websites you have visited
Search terms you have used
What you have purchased
What can you legally do with open source code?
Anyone can legally view, modify and distribute the source code
