1.6.1 Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts of digital technology

What is the digital divide?

• the gap between those people who have access to modern digital technology and those who have limited access

Between what groups of people is there a digital divide?

• People in cities vs. People in rural areas.

  • people in cities tend to have access to high-speed broadband, while those in rural or remote areas often do not.

• Younger people vs. Elderly people.

  • younger people may embrace new technology more than older members of society who sometimes fear technology and feel excluded because they cannot use or understand it. The use of social media is a prime example of this

• Developed countries vs. Developing countries.

  • many people live in countries where access to computers is expensive and unaffordable.

Why is the digital divide a concern?

• digital technologies have led to numerous international benefits including boosted growth, improved product delivery, enhanced communication and increased opportunities.

• this impact is uneven and these positive impacts are mostly occurring in technologically-advanced regions (mainly North America, Western Europe and Japan.)

• Regions like some nations in Africa and Central Asia have limited digital infrastructure and government instability, leading to poor internet speeds, high costs and limited resources.

How is the nature of employment changing?

• the development of new technologies such as cloud storage and increased video communication have transformed the way that many businesses operate across the world. Staff may be able to work from home or access documents collaboratively outside of the traditional workplace

• some jobs have moved abroad to save costs, such as help centres for online issues. Tasks can be outsourced to freelancers in other countries where people are content to be paid less for their time and services.

• automation of processes using technology has led to a fall in manual, low-skilled work, such as warehouse packing. On the other hand, more high-skilled work is now available, which includes the maintenance of automated systems.

What are the advantages and disavantages of working remotely?

advantages

• 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

disadvantages

• remote workers can feel isolated

• there is less face to face contact, which can make it harder to

  build relationships with colleagues or participate in meetings

• difficult for companies to monitor employee performance

• It can be difficult to stop focusing on work, which disrupts

  work-life balance

• It can be hard to avoid distractions when working at home

  from children, spouses, pets and doorbells

What is the need for resources in digital technology?

• needed in order for computers to be produced, distributed and used.

• Metals and plastics are used to manufacture components, while energy is expended in distributing equipment and in using it.

• systems such as web servers, domain name servers and data centres, need to be left running continuously. This requires lots of energy to maintain. Additionally, businesses, organisations, schools and homes all now have greater access to technology.

What problems arise from the production of new tech, the need for energy and the disposal of digital technology?

• generating the electricity to power computers creates pollution

• computers are difficult to recycle and discarded components can lead to land, water and air pollution due to harmful materials, such as lead and mercury, leaking into the environment.

• smartphone trends - new devices are released yearly, with minor upgrades that people buy to appear fashionable and up-to-date.

• To lessen the environmental impact, people should reuse and recycle their devices.

What are the ues of drones?

A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is remotely operated and can be used for a wide range of purposes.

• filming and photography for television, movies and special events.

• monitoring pollution levels in the atmosphere.

• tracking and monitoring wildlife, such as rhino populations in Africa.

• disaster zone response, such as searching for survivors following an earthquake.

• delivery companies are developing drones to quickly deliver goods across cities. 

• delivery companies are developing drones to quickly deliver goods across cities. 

What are some ethical questions in relation to the use of drones?

• Should you need a licence to buy and fly a drone?

• Should drones be used to monitor the public? Like flying CCTV?

• Should drones be used to deliver items? Like Amazon packages?

• If a drone hits a plane and it crashes, what should the punishment be?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of self driving cars?

advantages

• in theory, driving will be safer because cars are less likely to make mistakes that humans do and they can’t become distracted or tired.

• self-driving cars should be more fuel-efficient because they take the most direct route to destinations and do not get lost.

• ‘drivers’ in the car can perform other tasks instead of driving, such as work or planning.

• autonomous vehicles could include trucks and vans to automate the delivery and freight industries. Trucks could drive overnight to deliver goods whereas currently, human drivers must take breaks every few hours.

disadvantages

• cars could still crash as code and software processes may fail.

• the technology is still in development and will be very expensive for the first few years when self-driving cars are available to purchase.

• jobs may be lost such as delivery and truck drivers whose vehicles are equipped with self-driving technology. Other industries like motorway services and hotels may also be affected.

What are some ethical questions in relation to the use of self driving cars?

• would you trust a car to drive itself?

• who is to blame if a self-driving car crashes? The car maker?

• the people in the car? The software writers?

• what should happen to the people whose jobs are taken by self-driving vehicles?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of AI?

advantages

• processes are sped up as computers can analyse large amounts of data much quicker than a human.

• AI can be used when a human is unavailable, such as using a symptom checker on the internet for a minor illness rather than booking and waiting for a doctor.

• repetitive or time-consuming tasks can instead be completed by a computer, such as searching and sorting scientific data.

disadvantages

• AI can store and process a lot of personal data, especially personal assistants like Alexa which are always listening for ‘wake words’. This data can be viewed by the company that develops it and could be hacked by attackers

• AI is programmed by humans and mistakes in code could have disastrous consequences if the AI is used to make important decisions, such as military deployment or in self driving vehicles.

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What are some ethical questions in relation to the use of AI?

• If a robot harms a human who is to blame? The robot? The programmer? The manufacturer? Us?

• Would you trust a walking, talking robot assistant in your home?

• Should AI make decisions for us?

How does increased use of digital technology lead to the loss of privacy, safety and hacking?

• facebook was involved in a scandal with using personal data for reasons that were not the original intention.

• in reverse, WhatsApp and Apple have been criticised for encrypting messages sent by terrorists that police have been unable to track and read.

• attackers are constantly using botnets and infected systems to crack poorly secured databases and attempting to phish individuals for usernames and passwords

What are some ethical questions in relation to data loss and privacy?

• should the UK government be able to see the websites you have visited in the last year?

• what should happen if a major company is hacked and bank details are stolen? Should they be fined? Pay customers? Prison?

• should WhatsApp allow authorities to access encrypted messages? What if they know a terrorist is using it to communicate?

What are some examples of online crimes?

• unlawfully obtaining personal information and using it for identity theft or fraud.

• harassment and threatening others on social media or private messages; blackmail.

• cyber attacks

• sharing copyrighted material such as television programmes, music and video games

• distributing prohibited material such as drugs or weapons on the dark web.