Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues Flashcards
The Data Protection Act 1998
● Applies to information stored both on computers and in organised paper filing systems
● Covers personal data
● An individual who can be identified by personal data is called a data subject
● The right to request a copy of the data held about them
● The right to correct the data held about them
● The right to prevent marketing using contact details provided by the data subject
● As of 2018, The Act has been replaced
The Computer Misuse Act 1990
● Concerns the malicious use of computers
● Originally created to ensure that computer hacking was covered by law
● Gas since been frequently updated
● Three primary offences:
1. Unauthorised access to computer materials.
2. Unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences.
3. Unauthorised modification of computer material.
The Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988
● Brought in to protect people’s property online
● Covers works like logos and music recordings
● Copyright automatically applies to original works
● Copyright doesn’t expire until 25-70 years after the death of the creator , depending
on the type of work
● The Act was extended in 1992 to include computer programs
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
● Covers investigation and surveillance by public bodies
● Enforces internet service providers and mobile phone companies to give up
information upon request from an authorised authority
● Ensures that ISP’s networks have sufficient hardware installed to facilitate
surveillance
● Particularly controversial as its powers extend to small agencies like local councils
● Some people feel that the Act is an invasion of privacy
● Some people feel that the Act is often improperly used
Computers in the Workforce
● Computers are used to increase efficiency and productivity in the workforce.
● Examples include reducing delivery times and shortening manufacturing processes .
● Higher productivity reduces unit labour costs meaning lower prices for consumers .
● However, it has contributed to rising structural unemployment .
○ Middle-income manufacturing jobs have been hit the hardest so there has been a shift towards low-income service jobs .
● There has been a rise in the services being offered exclusively online .
○ Examples include online shopping and online banking services.
○ This has reduced costs of renting and cut labour costs for businesses.
Automated Decision Making
● Used to decide what users should be displayed on their social media feeds .
○ May create a dangerous bubble , leading to a close-minded society .
● Automated decision-making is used in various application processes , sometimes with life-changing consequences.
○ Examples include application processes for mortgages, loans and jobs.
○ Also used in power distribution systems .
● Relying entirely on these algorithms could result in people being treated unfairly.
● Automated decision-making in driverless cars allows for faster reactions to certain
scenarios. However, there are ethical considerations to make:
○ Who should be harmed if a scenario arises in which either a pedestrian or
the driver must be harmed?
○ Who is responsible for the consequences of this decision?
● Algorithms must be thoroughly tested to produce software which is free of bias.
AI
● The ability of a computer to replicate human intelligence .
● Used in neural networks for pattern detection and identifying financial fraud .
● AI is used in voice recognition systems such as in smart home systems .
○ Provide convenience for people but raise concerns about privacy .
● AI raises questions about accountability :
○ Who is responsible when things go wrong?
○ What rights should sentient AI have?
Environment
● People throw away more devices than ever before as technology has become more affordable and widely accessible.
● Computers components are toxic and can contaminate water supplies .
○ E-waste is sometimes shipped to third world countries with lower environmental standards to be disposed which is considered immoral.
● Electricity to power our device requires using up fossil fuels which emit greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming .
● Impact future generations and harm biodiversity .
● In parallel, there has been a growth in environmentally-friendly technologies .
○ Examples include smart home systems which use sensors to determine when heating and lighting should be switched.
○ Devices offer ‘Sleep’ and ‘Stand-by’ features.
Censorship and the Internet
● The act of suppressing the content that people are able to view, publish and access .
● ISPs block content associated with terrorism and extremist political beliefs .
● People worry that censorship may be misused to push a certain ideology .
● Some people believe in the idea of a ‘ Free Internet ’, where nothing is filtered at all .
● Censorship can exist on a smaller level, such as within a school or workplace.
● Censorship may be used to maintain productivity and prevent distractions .
Monitor Behaviour
● Computers are used to monitor people’s behaviour in various environments.
● Employers monitor productivity by tracking the websites workers are accessing.
● Surveillance systems , such as CCTV cameras, are used to detect crime .
● Ankle monitors are used to track people under house arrest.
● Some argue that this is unethical and contravenes basic human rights.
● Others argue that this is essential to put people off committing crime.
Piracy and Offensive Communications
● The unauthorised copying of content , such as software or media and is a form of theft , though the Internet has made it easy to source these types of content online.
● The Internet provides a seemingly anonymous front for offensive communication.
● Offensive communication includes online harassment, cyber-bullying or stalking .
● The Malicious Communications Act introduced in 1998 makes it a criminal offence
to send indecent or offensive messages to anyone online .
Layout
Web developers must consider who will be viewing websites when designing them.
● The Equality Act introduced in 2010 makes it illegal to discriminate against
providing a service to a certain group of people .
● It must be easy for users to navigate between pages .
● Menus must be displayed on the appropriate side of the page depending on how
the language is read.
● People with visual impairments may need to enlarge text or alter the contrast .
Websites should provide alt text for images and provide a screen magnifier option .
● Transcripts of audio files should be provided for those with hearing impairments.
Colour Paradigms
Web designers must consider how colours are interpreted around the world.
● Some colours are regarded as unlucky in certain cultures.
Character Sets
● Websites should be accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
● Website content needs to be translated into multiple languages .
● Unicode is the preferred character set for this as it is able to represent over a million
characters .
