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social and ethical issues - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Ethics apply to the use of computers as much as they do to other things in life. Ethical issues in computing include:
      - ensuring public safety
      - security of data
  - - - Ensuring public safety is paramount. As new technologies are introduced, they bring safety concerns.
      - For example, driverless cars may soon be on the roads in the UK. The designers of driverless cars have not only had to ensure the safety of passengers, but also of other drivers and pedestrians. Ethics apply here as a situation may occur where the car's software has to decide who has safety priority, the passengers or other road users.
  - - - Personal data is precious and needs to be kept safe. Unfortunately, there are people that attempt to hack systems in order to gain access to other people's data. Social media accounts, phone mailboxes and networks that computers connect to are all prone to hacking.
      - Some people may also use malware to obtain data. Recent times have seen the increased use of a type of malware known as ransomware. People who write ransomware do it to extort money from unsuspecting users. Once the ransomware infects a computer it encrypts data on it, denying users access unless a ransom is paid.
- - - - The introduction of computers has changed society, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. 'Cultural issues' is the term used for computer matters that have an effect on the nature and culture of society. Some of these issues include:
      - the digital divide
      - the changing nature of employment
    - - The digital divide is the division that exists between those people who can use technology and are comfortable doing so, and those who are not.
      - For example, 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 - while younger people might use various (and sometimes many) forms of social media each day, older generations may not be so comfortable sharing so many details about their lives. As a result, they might choose to shun social media or limit their use of it.
      - This division also extends to those people who can afford such technology, and those that cannot. Not everyone can afford the latest smartphone or games console. This is not just a national issue, but an international one too. The UK is prosperous with high standards of living, but many people live in countries where access to computers is expensive and unaffordable.
      - A further division exists between those people who have good computer skills and those who do not. Many employers now require good IT skills, and jobseekers who lack those skills may find it difficult to gain employment.
      - Not everyone has access to the same levels of technology. For example, people in cities tend to have access to high-speed broadband, while those in rural or remote areas often do not.
  - - - Another cultural issue is the changing nature of employment. Many companies now allow employees to work from home and communicate with them via technology. Cloud-based document storage enables workers to share documents with their employer, and communication can be via email or by video.
      - Additionally, many technology-based jobs have been moved abroad, where costs are cheaper. Many organisations have call centres/support centres in other countries. The cost of communicating with people in those countries is outweighed by the savings made.
      - The use of technology within the workplace has changed the nature of employment. 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.
    - - The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 exists to protect peoples' creations.
        
        When a person creates something, they own it. What they create might include:
        
        a picture, drawing or photograph
        
        a video, television programme or film
        
        text, such as a book, article or report
        
        a game
        
        Copyright is a legal means of ensuring that content creators can protect what they create. It only applies to certain types of creative work, including art work, books and computer programs. In general, copyright does not apply to ideas.
        
        Copyright is applied automatically as long as certain criteria are met - it is not necessary to register copyright or to use a © symbol. Work is automatically protected by copyright unless the copyright holder chooses to give that right away.
        
        Copyright gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to publish, copy, distribute and sell their creation. No one else can use the work without permission. Copyright on a piece of work lasts for a long time, although the rules about how long are quite complicated and vary from country to country. For example, in the UK, copyright on artistic work, literature, music and films lasts for 70 years after the death of the creator.
        
        When using computers, unless you have permission with regard to particular copyrighted material, it is illegal to:
        
        make copies of the material
        
        publish it and sell it without permission
        
        distribute it to other people
        
        sell copies to other people
        
        This applies to any copyrighted material, such as music, films, games and television programmes. The internet has made it extremely easy to access copyrighted material illegally. If you download a music track, film, game or programme without the copyright holder’s permission, you are breaking the law.
        For example, supermarkets earn their money by selling food and other products. If someone takes their products without paying, the supermarket does not make any money. In the same way, musicians, photographers, filmmakers and artists earn their money by selling products. If someone takes their products without paying, the person who created the work does not make any money.
        
        When you buy something, such as a book, film or music CD, the copyright holder grants permission for you to use it as part of the sale. This is called a licence. The licence is generally only for you to use.
- - - - people have new smartphones every couple of years
      - many organisations replace computers after three or four years
      - many people replace older technology before it fails simply because they perceive it to be old-fashioned or out of date
      - All of this means that computers have a heavy impact on the environment, which is unlikely to decrease in the near future. However, many devices are now more power efficient than their predecessors and some companies have come up with innovative ways to save power.
- - - - Computers might be used unlawfully in many ways, for example:
      - allowing someone to illegally share personal data
      - helping to steal financial information, such as credit card numbers or bank account details
      - helping to illegally copy and distribute films, television programmes and music
      - extorting information or blackmailing someone
- - - - The widespread use of computers has led to new types of crime. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 attempts to discourage people from using computers for illegal purposes. There are three separate parts to the Act:
      - It is illegal to access data stored on a computer unless you have permission to do so. Unauthorised access is often referred to as hacking.
      - It is illegal to access data on a computer when that material will be used to commit further illegal activity, such as fraud or blackmail.
      - It is illegal to make changes to any data stored on a computer when the user does not have permission to do so. If you access and change the contents of someone’s files without their permission, you are breaking the law. This includes installing a virus or other malware which damages or changes the way the computer works.
    - - However, one key part of the law is that intent must be proved. If a computer is not well protected, someone could accidentally access its data without meaning to. They might also accidentally change a document without realising it. For anyone to be found guilty, it has to be shown that they intentionally accessed and changed data.