LEGISLATION

• As the use of computers and technological devices continues to rise every year, this increase brings with it a range of different types of issues
• Categories of issues described on this page


  • Cultural issues
  • Environmental issues
  • Ethical issues
  • Legal & Privacy issues
• Digital Divide


  The gap between those people who have access to modern digital technology (such as computers and the internet) and those who have limited access
• Digital divide can be seen in


  • People in cities vs. People in rural areas
  • Younger people vs. Elderly people
  • Developed countries vs. Developing countries
• The digital divide is an important ethical issue because digital technologies have led to numerous international benefits including boosted growth, improved product delivery, enhanced communication and increased opportunities
• The impact of digital technologies is uneven and these positive impacts are mostly occurring in technologically-advanced regions such as 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
• Changes to Work


  1. Staff may be able to work from home

  2. Access documents collaboratively outside of the traditional workplace

  3. Jobs have moved abroad to save costs

  4. Tasks can be outsourced to freelancers in other countries

  5. Loss of jobs, especially low-skilled jobs that have been replaced by technology and automation
• Technology has also created millions of new jobs, including installing and maintaining the machines that replace other roles
• Environmental issues concern the


  • Negative effects of producing, using and discarding computer systems and devices
• Energy and Material Consumption


  1. Devices need to be assembled using a range of materials, including plastics, metals and some rarer elements

  2. Devices need a considerable amount of electrical power to run

  3. Certain systems like web servers and data centres must be powered on all day, every day, which uses a large amount of energy
• Pollution and Waste


  1. Generating the electricity to power computers creates pollution

  2. 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

  3. Smartphone trends are also negative for the environment as 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
• Drones


  Unmanned aerial vehicles that are remotely operated and can be used for a wide range of purposes
• Uses of drones


  • 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
  • Military uses for surveillance and targeting
• Self-driving cars (also known as autonomous vehicles) are currently in the development and testing stage with companies like Tesla and Amazon
• Benefits of self-driving cars

  • 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
• Drawbacks of self-driving cars


  • 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
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)


  The act of computers replacing humans to analyse data and make decisions
• Benefits of AI


  • 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 or generating ideas, images or audio from a prompt
• Drawbacks of AI


  • AI can store and process a lot of personal data, especially personal assistants like Alexa which are always listening for 'wake words'
  • 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
  • AI GPT tools like ChatGPT can give incorrect results, may use copyrighted material in their response and students may use it to submit work that is not their own
• There has been a lot of criticism in the last few years about how internet companies and governments are using personal data to invade privacy and track civilians
• Every week a new company seems to announce that its data has been hacked. Attackers are constantly using botnets and infected systems to crack poorly secured databases and attempting to phish individuals for usernames and passwords
• Online crime includes


  • 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 are more common
  • Sharing copyrighted material such as television programmes, music and video games
  • Distributing prohibited material such as drugs or weapons on the dark web
• The increased popularity of the internet and the rising number of users has led to a wave of online crime, taking many different forms
• Data Protection Act (2018)


  Act introduced in the UK in 2018 to protect the privacy of data for people in the EU
• GDPR


  General Data Protection Regulation introduced by the European Union in 2018 to protect the privacy of data for people in the EU
• The UK matched GDPR by updating the Data Protection Act introduced in 1998 to become the Data Protection Act (2018)
• Data subject


  Each person who has their data stored
• Data controller


  An employee within an organisation who is responsible for registering with the Information Commissioner
• Information Commissioner


  The person in the UK who is responsible for managing several laws, most significantly the Data Protection Act
• When registering with the Information Commissioner


  The data controller must be clear on what information they are collecting, why it is being collected, and what the data will be used for
• Six principles of the Data Protection Act (2018)


  • Data must be collected lawfully and processed fairly
  • Data must only be used for the reasons specified
  • Data must be relevant and not excessive
  • Data must be accurate and up-to-date
  • Data must not be stored for longer than necessary
  • Data must be stored and processed securely
• Computer Misuse Act (1990)


  Act introduced as computers became cheaper and more common at home and work, to stop and punish those who use computers inappropriately
• Three main principles of the Computer Misuse Act (1990)


  • No unauthorised access to data
  • No unauthorised access to data that could be used for further illegal activities
  • No unauthorised modification of data
• Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988)


  Act that makes it a criminal offence to copy work that is not your own without the permission of the creator or the copyright holder
• The Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988) can refer to text, images, music, videos or software
• Actions prohibited by the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988)


  • Making copies of copyrighted material to sell to others
  • Importing and downloading illegally copied material (except for personal use)
  • Distributing enough copyrighted material to have a noticeable effect on the copyright holder
  • Possessing equipment used to copy copyrighted material, as part of a business
• Software licence


  Refers to how a user can legally use the software
• Two main types of software licences

  • Open source licence
  • Proprietary licence