moral and ethical issues

Question 1

Moral and ethical impacts on the environment

Answer 1

• increased demand=increased manufacturing and increased energy needed to run devices
• greenhouse gasses & climate change
• landfills

Question 2

Moral and ethical impacts of unequal access

Answer 2

• distinct divide between access in countries in the developing/developed world
• many schools have online resources, students without computers are disadvantaged

Question 3

Moral and ethical impacts of online behaviour

Answer 3

• people perceive the internet as impersonal and anonymous=unacceptable behaviour
• trolling/cyber bulling can affect someone’s offline life

Question 4

Moral and ethical impacts of globalisation

Answer 4

• IT systems have played a key role in allowing the world to be more interconnected
• despite obvious benefits, globalisation has also caused problems

Question 5

Moral and ethical impacts on freedom of speech

Answer 5

• many sites set rules for the content added by users and for user behaviour and close down accounts/groups/pages which break these rules
• some users feel this is a form of censorship-violation of freedom of speech

Question 6

Moral and ethical impacts of acceptable use

Answer 6

Many companies have acceptable use policies that define how employees can use IT systems. E.g. restricted internet access

Question 7

Moral and ethical impacts on health and safety

Answer 7

• Health and safety risks associated with IT systems include the risk of RSI, eye and back problems.
• Employers have a moral responsibility to carry out risk assessments and provide suitable equipment and working conditions for employees (ergonomic)

Question 8

Moral and ethical impacts of copyright

Answer 8

Illegally downloading media has grown more prevalent with the growth of IT systems. Likewise the availability of images on the internet increases the risk of people infringing copyright on their work.

Question 9

Moral and ethical impacts of computer misuse

Answer 9

Viruses hacking and denial of service attacks cause harm to individuals and businesses
The effects can include loss of income for the business/loss of jobs/upset at inability to use IT systems

Question 10

Moral and ethical impacts on protection of data

Answer 10

Organisations and individuals have an ethical responsibility to protect the data of other people that they are using, storing and transmitting.

Question 11

Moral and ethical impacts on privacy

Answer 11

• The growth of IT services (E.g. location enabled targeted advertising) has lead to the blurring of lines between our online and offline lives
• E.g. cyber bullying/identity theft

Question 12

Moral and ethical impacts of accessibility

Answer 12

• New IT systems should be accessible to people regardless of disability
• Inaccessible systems cause upset/stress and can deny access to those with disabilities