T5 - Ethical and environmental issues:

Question 1

Facial recognition used for police:

Answer 1

used to find criminals wanted by the police or courts

Question 2

Pros: Facial recognition

Answer 2

They may be at risk of harm to themselves or others
They may be reported as missing
‘deter and prevent crime’
It may also save the police time

Question 3

Cons: Facial recognition

Answer 3

use personal biometric data = some people may not consent to this
The systems may alter public behaviour
may be more likely to misidentify children or people of colour

Question 4

Jobs robots can do:

Answer 4

Cars have been built by robots for many years
Fast food restaurants now allow customers to order their own food
Robots such as Maidbot are able to clean hotel rooms

Question 5

Computers in healthcare:

Answer 5

healthcare apps on smartphones
downloaded a health app
Wearable technology can offer continuous, long-term monitoring

Question 6

Mabu Healthcare robot:

Answer 6

Mabu sits on the owner’s bedside table as a ‘personal healthcare companion’
Used for patients managing chronic diseases
talks to patients and reminds them to take their medication

Question 7

Over exposure to robots in childhood eg
and effect

Answer 7

childminding robots are being developed
Effect: severe attachment disorders

Question 8

Digital divide: is between

Answer 8

Between those who have/don’t have tech (rural areas)

Between different age groups
People in poverty

Question 9

factors that contribute to digital divide

Answer 9

Internet speed
Mobile signal

Question 10

Pros of remote working:

Answer 10

Time and money saved commuting
Less commuting can be better for the environment
Saves the company the cost of building more office space
Companies have a wider pool of people to choose from, and employees don’t need to relocate
Work-life balance can be improved
Allows virtual meetings to take place where face to face conversation is not possible

Question 11

Cons: remote working

Answer 11

feel isolated
less face to face contact, - harder to build relationships with colleagues
Difficult for companies to monitor employee performance
It can be difficult to stop focusing on work, which disrupts work-life balance
distractions

Question 12

Social networks are able to remove users who post things that violate their policies - even if the
user hasn’t broken any laws:

This is ethical because :

Answer 12

The companies are private so should be able to decide who uses their service
Removing certain users can make the environment safer or more pleasant for other users
Anti-social people can be removed from public spaces in real life – e.g. with ASBOs

Question 13

Social networks are able to remove users who post things that violate their policies - even if the
user hasn’t broken any laws: Unethical:

Answer 13

A few people can control the views of billions of others
denies people any ability to participate in social media
It denies freedom of speech

Question 14

Lifecycle of a smartphone:

Answer 14

Mining for raw materials
Manufacture
Purchase and use
Recycling centre
Reprocessing plant

Question 15

Environmental damage: producing a smartphone

Answer 15

Mining raw materials leads to contamination and erosion
Plastics damage the environment if not recycled
Gas and coal are needed to power factories
Diesel is needed to transport raw materials, parts and the final product
Most materials used are non-renewable + recyclable

Question 16

Fairphone:

Answer 16

designed so that the user can replace the parts in it
This means the phone lasts longer and creates less waste

Question 17

Changeable parts for fairphone:

Answer 17

Vibration mechanism
Battery
Rear camera

Question 18

Fairphone pros:

Answer 18

Designed for easy use and to be long lasting
Offers repair tutorials to increase how long the phone can work for
Responsibly sourced materials
Good working conditions for people who make the phone

Question 19

Impacts of e-waste on the environment:

Answer 19

Very harmful to humans and the environment if not processed correctly
Lithium batteries can catch fire and may be hard to recover
If components cost too much to recover they go to landfill
Mining materials damages the environment

Question 20

Ways to reduce the impact of e waste

Answer 20

Make devices that can be fixed with modular components
Use removable batteries
Use modern recycling facilities