Ethical, legal and environmental impacts Flashcards
List some legal issues of using computers
Data theft, corruption of data, identity theft, use of pirated software, fraud and harassment
What are the provisions under the Computer Misuse Act (1990)
It states that it is illegal to make any unauthorised access to computers with the intent to blackmail people or modify files
How can a computer be protected from hacking
Using anti-virus software, firewalls, authentication, digital signatures and secure socket layers
What are the provisions under the Freedom of Information Act (2000)
It ensures that the public receives information held by public authorities such as government departments, local authorities, state schools and police when requested
What does the Communications Act (2003) ensure
It ensures that the Wi-Fi of users is not misused and prohibits use of offensive language in any communication system
What is the function of Data Protection Act (1998)
This act protects personal data stored in computer systems
What type of data is exempted in the Data Protection Act (1998)
National security, crime, taxation and domestic purposes
What are the provisions of CPDA act
CPDA act protects the intellectual property of an individual or organisation from being copied, modified and distributed without proper permission from owner
What features are included in commercial software to prevent its illegal distribution
License agreement and license key
How is CPDA referred to
‘all rights reserved’
What is the function of creative commons
It is an organisation that issues license to owners where the holder may choose to reserve copyrights to some part of the work, while allowing other parts to be copyright free
How are licenses issued by creative commons referred to
some rights reserved
List some organisations that develop proprietary software
Microsoft, Adobe and Apple
What are the advantages of using proprietary software
Owner of the software takes complete responsibility.
Support from organisation in commercial form and through community
What are the advantages of using open-source software
Available for no cost, users may modify software according to their needs and can be installed on multiple computers
What are the disadvantages of using open-source software
No one takes responsibility for failures and only community support is available
List some ethical standards laid down by the British Computer Society for computer professionals
Not doing any activity that could dishonour the profession, not taking up work that is beyond his/her capabilities, not taking bribes and avoid injuring others
List some the ethical and cultural issues
Privacy on social networking sites, censorship, work culture and automatic decision making
How have computers changed the way everyone works
The skillset required for each job is now different. People with computer and IT skills are preferred over others
How does artificial intelligence work
Artificial intelligence works by creating a knowledge base using conditional statements. An inference engine searches the knowledge base to obtain results. An interface interacts with the user or system connected
State an application for artificial intelligence
Chatbots
How do computers create environmental issues
Disposal of old computers releases harmful chemicals that are hazardous and have undesirable health impacts
