Computer Systems (IV) - Issues and Legislation Flashcards
What issues can be raised due to the use of technology?
Ethical
Legal
Cultural
Environmental
What do we mean by the term ‘ethical issues’ when describing the use of technology?
What would be considered right and wrong by society
What do we mean by the term ‘legal issues’ when describing the use of technology?
What is actually right or wrong in the eyes of the law
What do we mean by the term ‘cultural issues’ when describing the use of technology?
How groups of people with particular beliefs, practices or languages may be affected
E.g. ethnic groups / religions / countries
What do we mean by the term ‘environmental issues’ when describing the use of technology?
How we impact the natural world
What can happen when a new technology becomes available?
It can directly / indirectly affect many people
Owners / employees / customers / suppliers / local community can all see changes when new technologies are introduced
Give some examples of why information can often be difficult to keep private on the internet
Many websites require users to provide personal information to set up an account
Social media actively encourages posting of personal information
Cloud computing allows personal files to be saved
Privacy agreements are often required
What steps can users take to make the information they share more private?
Change privacy settings
Reduce the amount of information stored on devices / shared by the user on the internet
Question “who is the product” with ‘free’ services
What is censorship?
When someone tries to control what others can see / share / talk about
E.g. some governments restrict access to information, such as China (restricting websites critical of government + many foreign websites) / Cuba (access to internet from government-controlled access points)
What is surveillance?
Where someone monitors what others are doing / accessing on the internet
Government agencies my use packet sniggers and other software to monitor internet traffic / look for key words or phrases
Why is censorship and surveillance controversial?
Some people support them in some form (e.g. to protect children / stop terrorism)
Others are completely against
How can new technology impact our social well-being?
Influence is used enormously by the big corporations to pressure people into buying / upgrading
Peer-pressure is enormous for the “latest”
Smartphones blur the work/life balance
Face-to-face social interactions can be neglected
What are some significant issues of social media in terms of user welfare?
Cyberbullying – using social media to harm another (intimidate / humiliate / defame / distress)
Tolling – trying to cause public arguments for personal amusement / gaining attention
Sexting / access to inappropriate content a significant concern
What health problems can be linked to using too much technology?
Eyestrain
Repetitive strain injury (fingers / wrists damaged due to repeated movements)
Back problems from poor posture
Weight issues – lack of exercise / sitting jobs
What is the digital divide?
Certain people have greater access to technology (income / urban versus rural for network access / experience and use (e.g. older generations)
This divide is both local, national and global – inequality can increase
How has new technology changed business?
Streaming / subscriptions
Sharing economy (Uber / Airbnb)
Can be risky - safety regulations / insurances / take customers away from previous services / tax avoidance
What are the environmental issues of new technologies?
New devices use up natural resources which are limited
Precious metals are rare / habitats are lost in their extractions
Energy (and therefore pollution) is significant in making and using new technologies
What is WEEE?
Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment directive
Designed to tackle e-waste by promoting reusing / recycling / disposing of safely
What are the six principles of the Data Protection Act?
Personal data must be fairly and lawfully processed
Personal data must be obtained for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
Personal data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive
Personal data must be accurate and up to date
Personal data must not be kept for longer than is necessary
Personal data must be handled in a way that ensures security
What was the Computer Misuse Act introduced for?
The Computer Misuse Act was introduced to stop hacking and cyber crime
What three offences did the Computer Misuse Act introduce?
Gaining unauthorized access to a private network or device (for example through hacking)
Gaining unauthorised access to a network or device in order to commit a crime (for example damaging the system / stealing data)
Unauthorised modification of computer material (for example delete / changing files / adding malware)
What is the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act?
The Copyright, Designs and Patents 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
What does the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act aim to do?
The act makes it illegal to share copyrighted files without the copyright holder’s permission, use unlicensed software or plagiarise
Copyright holders can make money by granting permission to use the material for a fee
What are patents?
Patents cover new inventions (they protect ideas and concepts rather than actual content)
What legal issues exist with file sharing?
The internet has made it harder to protect copyrighted content – file sharing is extremely simple to do
It is also harder to enforce when servers hold the material in other countries with different laws
What are the two types of ownership and licensing software?
Open source software
Proprietary software
What is Open source software and give some examples
Open source software can be free of copyright and is usually available to anyone. Examples include:
Linux operating system Firefox web browser Python programming language Open Office productivity suite Thunderbird mail client Apache web server GIMP image editing software Moodle virtual learning environment
List the advantages of Open source software
It costs nothing and provides the source code so that anyone can modify the software for their own purposes.
It can have many authors, enabling programmers to contribute to the development of a program over time, refining and improving it and adding extra features.
A modified version, known as a derivative, must also be made freely available for anyone else to use or adapt.
List the disadvantages of Open source software
There is no guarantee that it works properly as there is no requirement for anyone to ensure it is bug free.
Support might not be readily available, especially if the program is not in widespread use.
What is Proprietary software and give some examples
Proprietary software is software that is copyrighted, which means it can only be obtained by paying for a licence. Examples include:
Windows and OS X operating systems Microsoft Office productivity suite Adobe Creative Suite productivity software Logic music creation software Paid-for games for consoles
List the advantages of Proprietary software
The product should be free of bugs. If bugs still exist, updates known as patches are often provided free of charge, which fix these bugs.
Help can be sought from the organisation who supplied the software if problems occur.
Feature updates which extend the software’s facilities are often available (usually at a cost).
Proprietary software that is in widespread use often has support available from many sources.
List the disadvantages of Proprietary software
There is an initial or ongoing (subscription) cost.
Software cannot be adapted to meet the needs of the user. Only the machine code version of the software is distributed, which cannot be edited.
It can be limited to a single computer or network, so unless the licence allows it, a user may not redistribute the software.
