Cambridge 9618 · International A Level Computer Science · ~12 min read
Notes
Video
Slides
Quiz
Worksheet
Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Overview
Computing does not exist in isolation — it has profound impacts on individuals, society, and the environment. Cambridge 9618 requires you to be able to discuss, evaluate and distinguish between ethical (moral right/wrong), legal (law-based), and social (community/society impact) issues arising from computing.
⚖️ Ethical Issues
Privacy — should companies collect personal data?
AI bias — algorithmic discrimination
Intellectual property — is copying software morally wrong?
Surveillance — monitoring employees or citizens
Automation displacing workers
📜 Legal Issues
Data Protection Act — rules on personal data
Computer Misuse Act — illegal hacking
Copyright law — software piracy
Freedom of Information Act — right to data held by public bodies
👥 Social Issues
Digital divide — unequal access to technology
Job displacement by automation and AI
Social media addiction and mental health
Online communities and isolation
🔒 Privacy Issues
Data collection by tech companies (cookies, tracking)
Government surveillance programs
Data breaches exposing personal information
GDPR and data subject rights
Key UK Legislation
Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR
Updated 2018 — aligned with GDPR
Governs how organisations collect, store and use personal data. Key principles:
Data must be processed lawfully, fairly and transparently
Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary
Accurate and kept up to date
Kept no longer than necessary
Processed securely (integrity and confidentiality)
Individual rights: right to access data held about you; right to rectification; right to erasure ("right to be forgotten").
Computer Misuse Act 1990 (CMA)
1990 — primary UK cybercrime law
Makes it illegal to:
Access a computer without authorisation (unauthorised access — hacking)
Access a computer with intent to commit further offences
Modify or impair computer data without authorisation (includes malware, ransomware)
Carry out or supply tools for attacks (2006 amendment)
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
1988
Protects intellectual property:
Software is protected — copying without licence is illegal (piracy)
Applies to code, images, written content, databases
Creators own their work and can licence or sell it
Freedom of Information Act 2000
2000
Gives the public the right to request information held by UK public authorities (government, councils, NHS, schools). Promotes transparency and accountability.
Privacy and Surveillance
Digital technology creates unprecedented surveillance capabilities. Key tensions:
CCTV and facial recognition: improves public safety but may violate the right to anonymity in public spaces
Internet tracking / cookies: enables personalised services but accumulates detailed profiles of individuals without their full knowledge
Employer monitoring: companies may monitor employee emails, internet use, and keystrokes — legal but ethically debated
Government mass surveillance: national security justification vs right to privacy
AI and Automated Decision-Making
Artificial intelligence raises specific ethical concerns:
Algorithmic bias: AI trained on biased historical data may perpetuate discrimination (e.g., hiring algorithms biased against certain demographics)
Accountability: when an AI makes a harmful decision, who is responsible — the programmer, the company, or the algorithm?
Autonomous weapons: should lethal decisions be delegated to machines?
Deepfakes: AI-generated fake video/audio — ethical and legal concerns
The Digital Divide
The digital divide refers to unequal access to technology and the internet between different groups — often along lines of income, age, geography, or disability. Consequences:
People without internet access are disadvantaged in education, job searching, government services, and healthcare
Developing countries have less infrastructure — global digital inequality
Older people may lack digital literacy — excluded from online-only services
Environmental Impact
Computing's environmental impact is increasingly significant:
Energy consumption: data centres worldwide consume approximately 1–2% of global electricity; AI and cryptocurrency mining are growing consumers
E-waste: discarded electronic equipment contains toxic materials (lead, mercury, cadmium); improper disposal contaminates soil and water
Carbon footprint: manufacturing new devices, running data centres, and cooling equipment all produce greenhouse gas emissions
Exam tip: Cambridge 9618 ethical/legal questions often require you to present arguments FOR and AGAINST a computing development, or to identify whether an issue is ethical, legal, or social. Always use specific examples and where possible name the relevant legislation (Data Protection Act, Computer Misuse Act, Copyright Act). Never say an action is "illegal" unless you can cite which law makes it so.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Confusing ethical and legal — something can be legal but unethical (e.g., companies selling user data legally but without the user's knowledge in a meaningful sense) or illegal but considered ethical by some (e.g., whistleblowing)
Saying all surveillance is illegal — CCTV, employee monitoring, and government surveillance are often legal under specific conditions
Not naming the legislation — if asked which law, name it: Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act, Copyright Act, etc.
Treating "digital divide" as only about money — it also includes age, disability, geographic location, and digital literacy
✅ Notes completed!
▶
Video coming soon
Click slide or press arrow keys to navigate
Worksheet — 1.6.1 Ethical, Legal & Social Issues
6 questions · instantly marked · Cambridge 9618 standard
Q1Distinguish between an ethical issue and a legal issue in computing. Give an example of each.[4]
✅ Mark scheme
Ethical issue: a moral question about right or wrong — not necessarily covered by law [1]; e.g., whether it is right for companies to track users' browsing habits for advertising [1]; Legal issue: a matter governed by legislation — the law prohibits or permits it [1]; e.g., hacking is illegal under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 [1].
Q2State three rights a data subject has under the Data Protection Act / UK GDPR.[3]
✅ Mark scheme
Any three: right to access data held about them [1]; right to rectification (correction of inaccurate data) [1]; right to erasure / "right to be forgotten" [1]; right to object to processing [1]; right to data portability [1].
Q3A company trains an AI recruitment system using historical hiring data. Describe one ethical concern with this approach.[2]
✅ Mark scheme
Algorithmic bias: if historical hiring data reflects past discrimination (e.g., fewer women in senior roles), the AI may learn to prefer candidates matching those historical patterns [1]; this perpetuates discrimination — candidates may be unfairly rejected based on protected characteristics without any human decision being made [1].
Q4Explain what is meant by the "digital divide" and give two consequences of it.[3]
✅ Mark scheme
Digital divide: the gap between those who have access to digital technology/internet and those who do not [1]; Consequences (any two): people without access are disadvantaged in employment (online job applications) [1]; unequal educational access (online resources, e-learning) [1]; exclusion from online-only government/healthcare services [1].
Q5Under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, which of the following actions is illegal? Justify your answer. [a] Accessing a work computer without permission [b] Reading a colleague's email that they accidentally left open on a shared screen[3]
✅ Mark scheme
[a] Accessing a work computer without permission IS illegal under the Computer Misuse Act — unauthorised access to computer material [1]; [b] Reading email already visibly displayed (not actively hacking) is NOT illegal under the CMA — no unauthorised access to a computer system occurred, though it may be unethical and a breach of workplace policy [1]; CMA requires deliberate unauthorised access via a computer system, not passive viewing of visible information [1].
Q6Identify two environmental impacts of computing and explain what individuals or organisations can do to reduce these impacts.[4]
✅ Mark scheme
Any two impacts + mitigations: E-waste — electronic devices contain toxic materials (lead, mercury); organisations should use manufacturer take-back schemes and ensure proper recycling [1+1]; Energy consumption — data centres and device use consume large amounts of electricity; organisations can use renewable energy sources and energy-efficient hardware [1+1]; Carbon footprint — manufacturing and shipping devices contributes to emissions; individuals can extend device lifespan rather than replacing frequently [1+1].
Q7A hospital is considering using an AI system to diagnose medical conditions from X-rays without human review. Identify two ethical issues this raises and for each describe one action the hospital should take to address it responsibly.[6]
✅ Mark scheme
Issue 1: accountability — if the AI makes a wrong diagnosis, it is unclear who is responsible: the hospital, developer, or clinician — action: require a qualified doctor to review all AI recommendations before treatment decisions — 2 marks; Issue 2: bias — AI trained on non-representative data may perform worse for certain demographic groups — action: audit the training data for demographic representation and regularly test accuracy across patient groups — 2 marks; Issue 3 (if given): lack of patient consent — patients may not know AI is involved in diagnosis — action: inform patients and obtain consent — 2 marks. (Award 1+1 for each issue-action pair.)
Q8Explain what is meant by the digital divide. Describe two ways in which the digital divide can disadvantage individuals in modern society and suggest one policy measure a government could take to reduce it.[5]
✅ Mark scheme
Digital divide: the gap between those who have access to digital technology and the internet and those who do not — 1 mark; disadvantage 1: inability to access online government services, job applications, or banking — putting those without access at economic and social disadvantage — 1 mark; disadvantage 2: limited access to online education resources, widening achievement gaps — 1 mark; policy: government-subsidised broadband rollout to rural/low-income areas, or provision of free devices to qualifying households — 1 mark; additional valid point — 1 mark.
Topic Quiz
Question 1 of 10
You scored
out of 10
Card 1 of 7
Click to reveal definition
🎉
All cards reviewed!
Term
Definition
🎯
Mini Test — 1.6.1 Ethical, Legal & Social Issues
10 questions · 10 marks · 10 minutes
⏱ 10:00
Section A — Multiple Choice [5 marks]
Q1Which UK law makes it illegal to access a computer system without authorisation?
Q2A company sells personal data to advertisers without users' knowledge. This is primarily:
Q3The "digital divide" refers to:
Q4Under the Data Protection Act, personal data must be:
Q5Which of the following is the most serious environmental concern about computing?
Section B — Short Answer [5 marks]
Q6State two things the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act protects.
Mark schemeSoftware/programs [1]; written content / literary works [1]; images [1]; databases [1]. (Any 2)
Q7Give one example of an ethical issue raised by AI that is NOT covered by existing UK law.
Mark schemeAccept: algorithmic bias (e.g., AI hiring tools discriminating without a human decision maker) [1]; accountability for AI decisions (who is responsible when AI causes harm) [1]; use of AI in autonomous weapons [1].
Q8Explain what is meant by "right to be forgotten" under the Data Protection Act.
Mark schemeAn individual has the right to request that an organisation deletes all personal data they hold about that individual [1]; the organisation must comply unless there is a legitimate reason to keep the data (e.g., legal obligation) [1].
Q9Give one argument for and one argument against the use of CCTV in public spaces.
Mark schemeFor: CCTV deters crime and provides evidence for prosecutions, improving public safety [1]; Against: mass surveillance infringes people's right to privacy and anonymity in public spaces [1].
Q10A programmer writes malware that encrypts users' files and demands a ransom. State which law they have broken and what offence they have committed.
Mark schemeComputer Misuse Act 1990 [1]; the offence of unauthorised modification of computer material — encrypting files without the owner's permission impairs the computer [1].