Unit 1.6 Notes
Ethical issues
Ethics is not illegal or legal but something that is morally right or wrong.
Ethics is also the standard of behaviour that are acceptable within our society. They are the moral
principles and values that make society operate effectively and justly.
Unethical behaviour undermines trust and leads to a loss of respect and goodwill.
The internet for example has many benefits:
Vast repository of knowledge
Communication
Education
Research
E-commerce
It also has drawbacks:
Increase in piracy
Distribution of illegal images
Offensive content
Fraud
Hate speech
Dissemination of fake news
Should the internet be regulated?
Yes NO
No different to other media like TV which is Freedom of expression is an absolute right
regulated
Has harmful offensive content Internet is different to other media – anyone
can be a broadcaster or author
Children need to be better protected Internet grows too quickly for filtering to be
effective
Profit making orgs on internet must share Censorship is bad for democracy
responsibility for policing internet
Parents take more responsibility
Practice questions:
Should the government be able to decrypt data?
Rudd said terrorists shouldn’t’ be able to communicate, Sir Tim said very bad idea for too much
power, other people may be able to decrypt as well
is social media and mobile technology having too much of a negative impact on teenage mental
health?
How to prevent it?
Are computer games bad for children?
, Being addicted, social skills decrease, not practising sport
Is the digital divide unavoidable?
Should DNA be recorded for every person on a database for crime prevention?
Genetic screening could be invaluable for someone who suspects they have inherited a family trait
making them more susceptible/likely to get a certain disease and invaluable for couples wanting to
make family planning decisions
However, what if a life insurance company wants to assess risk and what if an employer wants to
know, you could be stigmatised and you can get DNA from people without their knowledge
Should employees receive emails outside of working hours?
Is trolling ever acceptable?
Ethical issues in computing include ensuring public safety and the security of data.
Ensuring public safety is paramount. For example, driverless cars have to ensure the safety of
passengers but also of drivers and pedestrians, and there may be a situation where the car’s
software has to decide who has safety priority.
Personal data is precious and needs to be kept safe but there is obviously a risk of hacking. Links to
malware and ransomware.
The lack of a centralised authority makes it easy for people to be anonymous and bully or troll
others. These sites are owned and operated by organisations.
Drone warfare
No soldiers have to risk their lives and it is more precise
But it can also allow for indiscriminate attacks and leads to more attacks
Program drones can also act independently of human drivers to allow them to make targeting
decisions based on their programming and the standing orders they receive when they were
launched
Cultural issues
We have an increasing dependency on technology
Digital divide – access to technology not the same across the world
Younger people may embrace new technology more than older people who may fear technology or
feel excluded because they cannot use or understand it. For example, many younger people use
various forms of social media whereas older generations may not feel comfortable with sharing so
many details about their life.
This also links to those who can afford technology and those who can’t. some people may not be
able to afford the latest phone or games console. Many people live in countries where technology is
expensive and unaffordable.
People in cities have access to high speed broadband but those in rural areas often do not.
Ethical issues
Ethics is not illegal or legal but something that is morally right or wrong.
Ethics is also the standard of behaviour that are acceptable within our society. They are the moral
principles and values that make society operate effectively and justly.
Unethical behaviour undermines trust and leads to a loss of respect and goodwill.
The internet for example has many benefits:
Vast repository of knowledge
Communication
Education
Research
E-commerce
It also has drawbacks:
Increase in piracy
Distribution of illegal images
Offensive content
Fraud
Hate speech
Dissemination of fake news
Should the internet be regulated?
Yes NO
No different to other media like TV which is Freedom of expression is an absolute right
regulated
Has harmful offensive content Internet is different to other media – anyone
can be a broadcaster or author
Children need to be better protected Internet grows too quickly for filtering to be
effective
Profit making orgs on internet must share Censorship is bad for democracy
responsibility for policing internet
Parents take more responsibility
Practice questions:
Should the government be able to decrypt data?
Rudd said terrorists shouldn’t’ be able to communicate, Sir Tim said very bad idea for too much
power, other people may be able to decrypt as well
is social media and mobile technology having too much of a negative impact on teenage mental
health?
How to prevent it?
Are computer games bad for children?
, Being addicted, social skills decrease, not practising sport
Is the digital divide unavoidable?
Should DNA be recorded for every person on a database for crime prevention?
Genetic screening could be invaluable for someone who suspects they have inherited a family trait
making them more susceptible/likely to get a certain disease and invaluable for couples wanting to
make family planning decisions
However, what if a life insurance company wants to assess risk and what if an employer wants to
know, you could be stigmatised and you can get DNA from people without their knowledge
Should employees receive emails outside of working hours?
Is trolling ever acceptable?
Ethical issues in computing include ensuring public safety and the security of data.
Ensuring public safety is paramount. For example, driverless cars have to ensure the safety of
passengers but also of drivers and pedestrians, and there may be a situation where the car’s
software has to decide who has safety priority.
Personal data is precious and needs to be kept safe but there is obviously a risk of hacking. Links to
malware and ransomware.
The lack of a centralised authority makes it easy for people to be anonymous and bully or troll
others. These sites are owned and operated by organisations.
Drone warfare
No soldiers have to risk their lives and it is more precise
But it can also allow for indiscriminate attacks and leads to more attacks
Program drones can also act independently of human drivers to allow them to make targeting
decisions based on their programming and the standing orders they receive when they were
launched
Cultural issues
We have an increasing dependency on technology
Digital divide – access to technology not the same across the world
Younger people may embrace new technology more than older people who may fear technology or
feel excluded because they cannot use or understand it. For example, many younger people use
various forms of social media whereas older generations may not feel comfortable with sharing so
many details about their life.
This also links to those who can afford technology and those who can’t. some people may not be
able to afford the latest phone or games console. Many people live in countries where technology is
expensive and unaffordable.
People in cities have access to high speed broadband but those in rural areas often do not.
