1.6 | Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts

• Ethical issues are about would be considered wrong by society
• Legal issues are about what is actually right and wrong in the eyes of the law
• Cultural issues are about how groups of people with particular beliefs, practices or languages may be affected
• A stakeholder is a person who may be involved either directly, or indirectly with an issue or problem
• What issues are stakeholders involved in?


  Ethical Issues
• Ensuring public safety (Ethical issues)


  New technologies are being introduced so ethics apply here as the car's software needs to be programmed to decided who has safety priority
• Data security (Ethical Issues)


  Some people may use malware to obtain data. Ransomware infects a computer and it encrypts data on it, denying user access unless a ransom is paid
• The Data Protection Act 2018


  1. Data should be processed fairly and lawfully: not obtained by deception, and the purpose clearly stated
  2. Data should only be used for the purpose specified
  3. Data should be relevant and not excessive
  4. Data should be accurate and up-to-date
  5. Data should be kept for as long as necessary
  6. Personal data must be handled in away that ensures security
• Computer Misuse Act 1990


  • Illegal to access data stored on a computer unless you have permission to do so.
  • Illegal to access data on a computer when that material will be used to commit further illegal activity
  • Illegal to make changes to any data stored on a computer when the user does not have permission to do so
• Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988


  When someone writes a new piece of text, song, creates a video, or designs something, then they are said to be the copyright holder of the work. Other people are not allowed to copy the intellectual property without the permission of the copyright holder
• When a new idea needs a more formal protection, the owner can apply for a patent
• Open Source software


  • Mostly free of charge and provides the source code so that anyone can modify the software for their own purposes
  • Can have many authors
  • This allows programmers to contribute to the development of a program over time
• Open Source has no guarantee that it works properly as there is no requirement for anyone to ensure it is bug free and support might not be readily available
• Examples of open source software is:

  • Linux operating system
  • Firefox web browser
  • Python programming language
• Proprietary software


  • Should be free of bugs. If bugs still exist, updates known as patches are often provided free of charge
  • Help can be sought from the organisation if problems occur
  • Feature updates which extend the software's facilities are often available, although usually at a cost
  • Often has support available from many sources
• Proprietary software disadvantages:


  • Initial or ongoing subscription cost
  • Software cannot be adapted to meet the needs of the user. Only the machine code version of the software is distributed, which can't be edited
  • May be limited to a single computer or network, so unless the licence allows it, a user may not redistribute the software
• Examples of proprietary software:


  • Windows and OS X operating systems
  • Microsoft Office productivity suite
  • Adobe Creative Suite and productivity software