SAM HARRIS TECH REVISION

OCR GCSE CS - 1.6 Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Concerns

1.6 Impacts of technology (OCR J277)

Ethical Issues: Questions of right and wrong, such as AI decision-making, digital divide, and job replacement.
Legal Issues: Following the law and protecting data.
Cultural Issues: How technology affects society, including social media, global communication, and health (blue light/posture).
Environmental Issues: Energy consumption, e-waste, and the extraction of precious metals for hardware.
Privacy Issues: The balance between security, surveillance, and personal data collection.

Data Protection Act 2018: Controls how personal data is used by organisations and government (GDPR).
Computer Misuse Act 1990: Makes hacking and creating/distributing malware illegal.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: Protects intellectual property from being copied without permission.
Software Licences: Open source (free to modify/share) vs Proprietary (paid, restricted, and closed source).

Year: 2024 (June)
A company wants to release a new computer game. Discuss the legal and ethical issues they should consider when deciding whether to release the game as open source or proprietary software.
Mark: [8]
Year: 2024 (June)
State the name of the legislation that protects personal data stored on a computer system.
Mark: [1]
Year: 2023 (June)
Explain two ways that the use of energy-efficient hardware can reduce the environmental impact of a data centre.
Mark: [4]
Year: 2023 (June)
Describe one way that technology has a positive impact on culture in modern society.
Mark: [2]
Year: 2022 (June)
Identify three principles of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Mark: [3]
Year: 2022 (June)
Explain how the 'Digital Divide' can impact a person's ability to access education.
Mark: [3]
Year: 2021 (November)
State the purpose of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and identify one specific offence under this act.
Mark: [2]
Year: 2021 (November)
A business is replacing all of its desktop computers. Describe two ways the business can dispose of the old computers to minimize environmental impact.
Mark: [4]
Year: Sample Assessment Material (J277)
Identify which legislation would apply if someone made an illegal copy of a piece of software.
Mark: [1]
Year: Sample Assessment Material (J277)
Discuss the ethical and privacy issues associated with a social media company using algorithms to monitor private messages.
Mark: [8]

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