4.8.1 Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Issues
AQA 7517 · A-Level Computer Science · ~16 min read
Ethical Issues in Computing
Ethics concerns what is morally right or wrong. Computer science raises several ethical issues:
Privacy: companies and governments collect vast personal data — who has access? How is it used?
Bias in algorithms: ML systems trained on biased data produce biased decisions (facial recognition, loan scoring, hiring algorithms)
Autonomous systems: self-driving cars must make life-or-death decisions — who is responsible? The programmer? Manufacturer?
Surveillance: CCTV, social media monitoring, government mass surveillance — privacy vs security trade-off
Artificial intelligence: deepfakes, fake news generation, manipulation of public opinion
Digital divide: unequal access to technology by age, geography, or income creates social inequality
Legal Issues — Key UK Legislation
Act
What it covers
Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR)
How personal data must be collected, stored, and processed. Data must be fair, lawful, accurate, up-to-date, not kept longer than necessary, secure, not transferred outside UK/EU without safeguards.
Computer Misuse Act 1990
Three offences: (1) Unauthorised access to computer material; (2) Unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences; (3) Unauthorised modification of computer material (e.g. viruses, deleting files).
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Protects intellectual property — software, music, literature. Copying, distributing or modifying without permission is illegal. Duration: life of author + 70 years.
Investigatory Powers Act 2016
Legalises bulk collection of internet data by security services. ISPs must store browsing data for 12 months.
Cultural Issues
Access: not all cultures have equal access to computing — digital divide between developed/developing countries
Social media: changes how people communicate, share information, and form communities
Language barriers: most internet content in English — disadvantages non-English speakers
Cultural homogenisation: global internet may erode local cultures and languages
Remote work: technology enables working from home, changing work-life balance and urban living
Environmental Issues
Energy consumption: data centres consume ~1-2% of global electricity; cooling is a major energy cost
Carbon footprint: servers, streaming, cryptocurrency mining produce significant CO₂
Manufacturing: rare earth minerals for chips require environmentally damaging mining
Benefits: smart grids, remote working (reduced travel), digital documents (less paper) — computing also helps environment
Professional Issues
BCS Code of Conduct: computing professionals must act with integrity, serve public interest, uphold professional competence
Whistleblowing: obligation to report unethical or illegal use of computing systems
Automation and employment: AI/robots replacing jobs — ethical obligation to consider societal impact
Exam tip: AQA 7517 Paper 2 regularly includes extended-answer questions on ethics and law — often asking you to "discuss the ethical issues..." or "apply the Data Protection Act...". Know all four Acts by name and the three Computer Misuse Act offences. For environment questions, cover both negative (e-waste, energy) AND positive (smart tech reduces emissions) impacts. Always structure answers with: issue, impact, example, possible solution.
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8 questions · instantly marked · AQA 7517 standard
Q1State the three offences defined by the Computer Misuse Act 1990.[3]
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Unauthorised access to computer material (e.g. hacking) [1]; unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences (e.g. accessing a bank system to steal) [1]; unauthorised modification of computer material (e.g. installing malware, deleting files) [1].
Q2Explain two principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR) that organisations must follow when handling personal data.[4]
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Any two from: data must be collected lawfully and fairly [1] — organisations must have a legal basis for processing [1]; data must be accurate and kept up to date [1]; data must not be kept longer than necessary [1]; data must be stored securely [1]; data must not be transferred outside UK/EU without adequate safeguards [1].
Q3Discuss the ethical issues raised by the use of AI-based algorithms to make decisions about loan applications.[4]
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Bias: if training data reflects historical discrimination, the algorithm may unfairly reject certain groups [1]; Transparency: applicants may not know why they were rejected, making it hard to appeal [1]; Privacy: sensitive personal data used [1]; Accountability: unclear who is responsible if the algorithm makes an unfair decision [1].
Q4What is meant by the 'digital divide'? Give one social consequence.[3]
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The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who do not [1]; this is often due to income, geography, age, or disability [1]; consequence: people without access cannot benefit from online services (banking, education, job applications) — creating or widening social inequality [1].
Q5Describe two negative environmental impacts of the computing industry.[4]
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Any two: E-waste — obsolete devices contain toxic materials (lead, mercury) that contaminate soil and water if improperly disposed of [1+1]; Energy consumption — data centres and servers consume vast amounts of electricity, contributing to CO₂ emissions [1+1]; Manufacturing — mining rare earth minerals for chips causes habitat destruction [1+1].
Q6The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects software. State two actions that would breach this Act.[2]
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Any two from: copying and distributing software without a licence [1]; modifying software without permission [1]; using software beyond the terms of the licence [1]; pirating software (e.g. cracked versions) [1].
Q7Evaluate the view that increased surveillance technology makes society safer. Include ethical considerations in your answer.[4]
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For: surveillance deters crime; CCTV helps catch criminals; facial recognition can identify missing persons [1+1]. Against: mass surveillance invades privacy; chilling effect on free speech; data may be misused or breached; discriminatory profiling [1+1]. Balanced conclusion expected for full marks.
Q8Explain one way technology can help reduce environmental impact, and one way it increases it.[2]
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Helps: remote working reduces commuter travel and therefore CO₂ emissions [1]; smart grids optimise energy distribution [1]. Increases: data centres and servers consume large amounts of electricity; AI model training has very high carbon footprint [1].
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Mini Test — Ethics & Law
10 questions · 10 minutes
⏱ 10:00
Section A — Multiple Choice [5 marks]
Q1The Computer Misuse Act 1990 defines how many criminal offences?
Q2The Data Protection Act 2018 applies to:
Q3The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes it illegal to:
Q4The 'digital divide' refers to:
Q5E-waste from computing includes:
Section B — Short Answer [5 marks]
Q6State one offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Mark schemeAny one: Unauthorised access to computer material [1]; Unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences [1]; Unauthorised modification of computer material [1].
Q7State one principle of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Mark schemeAny one: lawful/fair collection; accurate/up-to-date; not kept longer than necessary; stored securely; not transferred outside UK/EU without safeguards [1].
Q8State one negative ethical issue raised by AI decision-making systems.
Mark schemeBias — algorithm may replicate historical discrimination from training data [1]; Lack of transparency — cannot explain why a decision was made [1]; Accountability — unclear who is responsible for unfair decisions [1].
Q9Give one positive environmental impact of computing technology.
Mark schemeRemote working reduces commuter travel and CO₂ [1]; smart grids optimise electricity use [1]; digital documents reduce paper waste [1].
Q10Why might surveillance technology raise ethical concerns even if it reduces crime?
Mark schemeMass surveillance invades privacy — individuals are monitored without consent [1]; chilling effect — people may self-censor speech and behaviour knowing they are watched [1].