CS: Economic, Moral, Legal, Ethical & Cultural issues relating to CS (17)

Economic definition.

The ease of which money can be transferred around the globe as well as unemployment being a result of computer efficiency.

Moral and ethical definition.

These terms relate to what is right and wrong, and are not clear cut.
e.g. parents monitoring their children’s activities (protective or intrusive?)

Legal definition.

Relating to laws.

Cultural definition.

Relates to how society works and anything relating to human civilisation e.g. smartphones becoming the norm.

Data protection act year.

1998.

The DPA’s (Data Protection Act) principles.

• A company keeping personal data must register with the Data Commissioner.

• Data must be obtained and processed lawfully.

• It cannot be shared with others without consent.

• Data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive.

• Data must be up to date and accurate.

• It must be stored no longer than necessary.

• Their must be the facility to correct incorrect information.

• Data can only be exported outside the European Community to countries which also possess adequate data protection laws.

Data Protection Act exemptions.

• If the information is held to safeguard national security.

• If the information is used to prevent crime.

• If the information is used to collect taxes.

• If the information is used in journalism for historical purposes.

Computer Misuse Act year.

1990.

Computer misuse act principles.

• Unauthorised access to computer material, data or programs.

• Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences.

• Unauthorised modification of computer material.

Freedom of Information Act year.

2000.

Freedom of Information Act principles.

• Public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities.

• Members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.

Exemptions of Freedom of Information Act.

• Information held for criminal investigations.

• Where disclosure may cause a specific type of harm, such as, endangering health and safety.

• Prejudicing law enforcement.

Copyright Designs & Patents Act year.

1988.

Copyright Designs & Patents Act principles.

Copyright gives the creators of artistic and creative works the right to choose how their material is used.

Copy the work, e.g. burning another copy of windows to give to a friend is prohibited.
Rent, lend or issue copies of work to the public e.g. making your music collection available to listen free online is prohibited.
Adapt the work in regards to take an existing piece of software, add to it and sell it is prohibited.

Exemptions of Copyright Designs & Patents Act.

Produce a backup copy for personal use.
Make a copy of a computer program in order to test and see how it works.
Record shows with the intention of watching them at a later date and not releasing them to the public.

Positive effects on employment.

Created new jobs.
Computers speed up the repetitive boring part of jobs reliably, leaving people free to do the creative interesting parts.
Computers are cheaper to run, so have led to a reduction in the cost of manufactured goods.

Negative effects on employment.

Some Jobs have disappeared completely.
People need to update their IT skills to remain in employment as computers are becoming more commonly used to perform tasks e.g. communicating etc.
Computer systems can be expensive to install.
Learning new systems can take time and costs to train staff.

Telecommuting definition.

Working from home, communicating with work electronically.

Advantages of telecommuting.

Companies save money on office space, heating and lighting costs if employees are working from home.
Adverse weather no longer affects employees being able to do their job.
Less time wasted on travelling to work, employees have more time to spend doing their jobs or enjoying their leisure time.

Disadvantages of telecommuting.

Purchase and distribution of equipment can be expensive initially, even though costs are saved later on things such as heating and lighting.
Networking costs can be higher, as a connection to each employee's home must be maintained, rather than just a single connection to one office location.
Security costs can be incurred. and security can be difficult in such a distributed environment.
If equipment needs to be maintained or repaired, this is much more inconvenient for the company, as the equipment is no longer together in a centralised location.
Staff can become distracted and less productive at home.

Positive effects computers have on the environment.

Computers can replace paper documents saving trees and processing.
Computer networks can be used to send products such as files or music that would otherwise have to be shipped or sent in planes.

Negative effects computers have on the environment.

Computers are made up of rare chemicals that need to be mined.
Computers are made up of toxic chemicals that are often not properly disposed of.
Computers use electricity, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels.
Computers require a great deal of intensive manufacture to create, all of which required burning fossil fuels.

Positive effects of unrestricted internet access.

People can share and access information that would be very difficult for them to obtain without the internet.
People can spread news of atrocities and corruption very quickly, ultimately helping to bring those responsible to justice.

Negative effects of unrestricted internet access.

Automated filters make it easy for governments to monitor millions of citizens.
It is very easy to distribute false information or unconfirmed rumours.
People can access vast amounts of illegal information and other illegal websites.

Code of conduct.

A document that spells out the rules and responsibilities for employees of an organisation.
Most codes of conduct include an IT-related section.

What a code of conduct’s IT section contains.

• Rules for sending emails or other messages to other users, expressly forbidding offensive or discriminatory content.

• A list of websites or types of website that should not be accessed.

• Instructions to keep usernames and passwords private.

• Limitations on use of IT equipment and software for personal or commercial use.

• Reference to data that can be accessed by employees but that should be kept confidential.

• Reference to steps that need to be taken to prevent accidentally breaking a law, such as the Computer Misuse Act.

General Data Protection Regulation year.

2018.

General Data Protection Regulation principles.

• A set of rules to protect the privacy of all European Union citizens.

• GDPR is to simplify the data, privacy and consent legislation across the EU in the digital age.

• All private data must be collected lawfully and with consent.

• All data collected and stored must be protect from misuse and exploitation.

• The types of data considered personal under the existing legislation include name, address, and photos.

• GDPR extends the definition of personal data so that something like an IP address can be personal data.

• It also includes sensitive personal data such as genetic data, and biometric data which could be processed to uniquely identify an individual.

GDPR extra rules.

Under the GDPR it is a legal requirement that data breaches such has hacking are reported to the relevant authorities within 72 hours and the consumer has a right to know when a breach occurs.
Businesses also need to make it easier for consumers to access their data and be very clear on how their data is being processed and used.
GDPR also acknowledges the right to be forgotten where by a business should delete data help on a consumer if they have no grounds to retain it.
Parental consent is required for the processing of data of under 16-year olds.
Data processors can be directly liable for the security of personal data.

Internet definition.

A international collection of interconnected networks.
A public ally available to everyone with an internet connection.

Advantages and disadvantages of the internet.

Companies can sell services online e-commerce.
Acting as a middleman to other providers of products and services.
Searching potential suppliers and potential customers.
Bidding for work on out sourcing websites and outsourcing work themselves.

Internet threats.

Credit card numbers can be intercepted.
Viruses and other malicious code can record a users credit card number as it is typed.
Phishing is a problem where a fake website is used to imitate another e.g. for entering your bank details.
Fraudsters use the internet to sell personal information onto others e.g. identity theft.

Advantages of email.

• A message can be sent from your desk to anywhere in the world at the price of a local call.

• The same message can be sent simultaneously to a group of people.

• The message will arrive in at most a few hours, and can be picked up the next time the recipient looks at their e-mail.

• It is easy to send a reply to an e-mail as soon as it is received or forward it to someone else.

• Long files including video, sound and graphics can be sent automatically when the cheap rate starts after 6pm.

• Graphics and text can be electronically transmitted and placed in a document by the recipient.

Disadvantages of email.

• E-mails can spread viruses, forwarded e-mails continue to infect new users.

• E-mails can often be ignored by their indented recipient if they are perceived as spam (junk mail).

• Emails take up bandwidth to be sent and inbox space, which the recipient may not be happy with.

• Can be seen as contributing to the decline in the quality of written work e.g. “l8r” instead of later.

• Emails have social implications if used in a situation to replace speaking to colleagues.

Intranet definition.

A collection of web pages held locally on a server owned by a company or organisation.
Typically contain information that should not be made publicly available as it is only available to members of the organisation.
A username and password is required.

Extranet definition.

Very much like the internet except it is accessible to certain individuals who are not members of the organisation such as customers.
They will still have a username and password but can login from anywhere in there internet e.g. a customer logging in to check their account details.

Advantages of forums / chat rooms.

• Programmers use them to ask questions of each other to given topics.

• Students use them to discuss work.

• Teachers can enter chat rooms and teach students who may be scattered world wide.

• They can be used socially to meet like minded people.

• A cheaper form of communication than phone.

Disadvantages of forums / chat rooms.

• Information may not be reliable and may be out of date.

• People in chat rooms may not be who they claim to be.

• Viruses can also be transmitted.

Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations year.

1992.

Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations principles.

• Your forearms should be approximately horizontal and eyes the same height as the top of the VDU (Visual Display Unit).

• You should have enough work space to accept whatever documents or other equipment you need.

• Try different arrangements of keyboard, screen, mouse and documents to find the best arrangement for you.

• Arrange your desk and VDU to avoid glare, or bright reflections on the screen. Adjust curtains or blinds to prevent unwanted light.

• Make sure there is space under the desk to move your legs freely.

• Avoid excess pressure from the edge of your seat on the backs of your legs and knees.