Issues (PAPER 1) Flashcards
What are the four main types of issues caused by technology
- ethical issues
- legal issues
- cultural issues
- environmental issues
What are ethical issues
issues related to what is considered right and wrong by society
What are legal issues
issues relating to what is right and wrong in the eyes of the law
What are cultural issues
issues about how groups of people with particular beliefs, practices and languages may be affected
What are environmental issues
issues relating to how we impact the natural world
What is a code of conduct
a set of rules that the company and its employees will follow
What is a stakeholder (in computing)
anyone with an interest in, or who may be affected by a technology
Why is it hard to keep information private on the Internet (4)
- Many websites require users to provide personal information
- Social media encourages people to post personal information
- Cloud computing allows for users to upload personal files to their servers
- Companies sell data
What are some ways users leak information to the public (3)
- don’t change their privacy settings
- not paying attention to T&Cs
- Losing devices / Having them stolen
What is internet censorship
When someone tries to control what other people can access on the Internet
What sorts of websites are censored in countries such as China
- websites critical of the government
- major foreign websites e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
What are common reasons for censorship (4)
- to protect children from inappropriate websites
- to restrict the spread of fake news
- protect national / personal security
- maintain political stability
What is computer surveillance
When someone monitors what others are accessing on the internet
What sort of surveillance techniques do governments use
- why do they do this
Packet sniffers, other software
- looking for key words that might alert them to illegal activities, terrorism etc.
What does ISP stand for
Internet Service Providers
what are the terms that describe what non-profit organisations try to prevent (censorship and surveillance)
- cyber censorship
- mass surveillance
What are 6 groups of people that can be affected by the actions of a technology company
- customers
- owners
- employees
- workers of shops that sell their products
- hardware suppliers
- local community
What are three problems with many online companies’ privacy agreements
- compulsory to agree to
- vague terms
- people often don’t read due to length
Why would someone give their personal details to a website
- required to make an account
- encouraged by social media
How has peer pressure increased due to technology
- people feel pressure to own the latest devices for fear of bullying
- parents feel pressured to buy new devices for their children
Why can technology cause stress
- ## a device may send a notification every time a work email comes - spreads work to everyday life
How can technology affect mental and physical health
- eyestrain
- repetitive strain injury
- back problems
- lack of face-to-face social interactions
- Cyber - bullying
What does RSI stand for
- what is it
Repetitive Strain Injury
- when parts of the body become damaged as a result of repeated movements over a long time
What is cyber bullying
when someone uses social media to deliberately harm someone else
What is trolling
- why is it done
when someone tries to cause public arguments with others
- for their own amusement or to gain attention
Why does anonymity increase cyberbullying and trolling
people are encouraged to say things they wouldn’t say face-to-face because there is no fear of being recognised
What is parental control software
software that can
- stop children from being able to search for inappropriate material
- allow the parent / organisation to see what the child is doing on their phone
What is sexting
sending sexually explicit messages or images to other people
Why can sexting be dangerous
- the person receiving the images may not be trustworthy
- they are able to forward these images to anyone
What does the word ‘viral’ mean
images, videos or messages on the internet which have rapidly spread over social media and seen by millions of people
Why would an organisation / individual want a promotional campaign to be viral
so that it would be seen by millions of people and therefore publicised to a large audience
What does allowing people to publish writings and media to social media and blogging websites do
give a voice to groups of people who may have been ignored by mainstream media
What is the sharing economy
- what are some examples
- what are the pros and cons
the name given to services which use new technology to let people make money from things they already own
- Uber, Airbnb
- Cheaper
- More risky, draw customers away from larger, more trustworthy companies
Why does the digital divide exist
- why does it put the less-fortunate at a disadvantage
- what are some causes of the digital divide
Because some people have a greater access to technology than others
- they can’t access many services that are available online
- poor network coverage, not enough money, older generation are inexperienced with computers
How is the global divide created
by differing levels of access to technology in different countries
How does the internet and technology increase the inequality between poorer and richer countries
- access to technology is different in different countries
- people in richer countries have better access to technology than poorer countries
- the internet and technology has created lots of opportunities for those with access
- therefore increasing the inequality
What is ‘One Laptop Per Child’
a charity which provides laptops to children in Africa, Central Asia and South America
What are common raw materials used in electronic devices
- what are the drawbacks of using these
Crude Oil (plastics)
Gold, Silver, Copper, Mercury, Palladium, Indium, Platinum
- many of these only exist in small quantities in the earth
- extracting these materials uses lots of energy, creates pollution
In what way is pollution created through using electricity
energy is often created using non-renewable sources like coal, oil and gas.
- The energy is used to create electricity which is used in devices
Why do servers use lots of energy
they are power hungry - lots of processing
- require special air - conditioned rooms
In what ways is energy wasted by devices
- servers normally only use a small portion of their processing power
- devices are often left idle
How can wasted energy from devices be reduced
- using virtual servers instead of real machines, running multiple of these on a single physical server, server will run at full capacity
- use sleep / hibernation modes
- don’t leave electrical devices on standby
What is e-waste
discarded electronic / electrical devices
How much e-waste is created each year
20 - 50 million tonnes
Why do modern devices have short lives before they are discarded
- they break
- people want to upgrade
How do device manufacturers and retailers indirectly promote the production of e-waste
- provide short warranties
- marketing to convince people to upgrade
- pricing policies that make it cheaper to replace rather than repair
What does WEEE stand for
- Why was it created
- What does it have rules for
Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment
- to tackle the e-waste problem
- disposing e-waste safely
- promote re-use
recycling
What often happens to e-waste in order to cut costs
- what are the issues with this
it is sent to African and Asian countries where regulations are less strict
- it then ends up in landfill where toxic chemicals can leak into ground water and harm wildlife
What does the Data Protection Act 2018 do
controls the use of personal data
Who are data subjects
people whose personal data is stored on computer systems
What are the 6 principles of the Data Protection Act
- Data must be used only in a fair, lawful and transparent way
- Data must be used only for the specified purpose
- Data should 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 is necessary
- Data should be kept safe and secure
What must an organisation do before collecting personal data
register with the government, saying what data will be collected and how they will use it
What rights does the Data Protection Act give data subjects
the right to see, amend and delete the personal data an organisation holds about them
What are two exceptions to the Data Protection Act
- if information could affect national security
- if the information could affect the outcome of a court case
What does the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act do
- why was it introduced
Protect innovations
- to protect intellectual property
What content does copyright cover
Written or recorded content
What does the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act make illegal
- sharing copyrighted files
- using unlicensed software
- plagiarise someone else’s work
What do patents cover
new inventions - ideas and concepts rather than actual content
How has the internet made protecting copyrighted content harder
- ease of file sharing
- difficult to enforce
- other countries have more relaxed copyright laws - data can be kept on servers in these countries
What are two common ways illegal files are shared
- over peer to peer networks - files are shared directly using BitTorrent protocol
- cloud based file-hosting websites - copyrighted content is uploading and anyone with an account can see
Why was the Computer Misuse Act 1990 introduced
to stop hacking and cyber crime
What four offences did the Computer Misuse Act introduce
- gaining unauthorised access to a private network or device
- gaining unauthorised access to a network or device in order to commit a crime
- unauthorised modification of computer material
- make, supply or obtain malware
What is a software license
an agreement that allows one or more individuals to legally use a piece of software
What is open source software
when the source code is made freely available
What are users allowed to do to Open Source Software
- what are some famous examples of this
- modify the source code to create their own spin-off software
- Apache HTTP server
- Android (from Linux)
- GIMP
What are the advantages of Open Source Software
- usually free
- made for good, not profit
- can be adapted to fit user needs
- wide pool of collaborators
- reliable and secure - problems are solved quickly by community
What are the disadvantages of Open Source Software
- small projects may not get regular updates - buggy, unpatched
- limited user documentation
- no warranties
- no customer support
What is source code
actual programming code behind the software - shows exactly how the software was made
What is proprietary software
software where only the compiled code is released
What is compiled code
the final file that doesn’t say how the program was made
What do proprietary software licenses often restrict
- modification
- copying
- redistribution
of the software
What are the advantages of proprietary software
- comes with warranties, documentation and customer support
- well tested and reliable
- cheaper for companies
What are the disadvantages of proprietary software
- expensive for users
- software may not exactly fit a user’s needs
- companies may not maintain older software after warranties expire
What is intellectual property
anything that someone has created
