AQA · GCSE · Computer Science
Course version: 8525 · Version from Sept 2020
Students should be aware that ordinary citizens normally value their…
Full specification wording
Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy: Students should be aware that ordinary citizens normally value their privacy and may not like it when governments or security services have too much access.
Privacy means controlling who can see personal data such as messages, location history, medical records and browsing habits.
Checked against the AQA 8525 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 8 of 9
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Privacy means controlling who can see personal data such as messages, location history, medical records and browsing habits. Ordinary citizens usually value this control: they expect private conversations to stay private and may feel uneasy when governments or security services can read, store or share large amounts of their data. The concern is not only secrecy but power: bulk access can feel like surveillance of innocent people, and citizens may worry about mistakes, misuse or data being kept too long. A useful method is to separate the two ideas in the statement: first, that citizens normally value privacy; second, that they may dislike excessive government or security-service access. In a multiple-choice question, look for the option that matches both ideas and rejects the claim that citizens do not care about privacy.
What earns the marks
- Recognises that privacy is something ordinary citizens normally value, not something only criminals care about.
- Explains that citizens may dislike governments or security services having too much access to their private data.
- Identifies examples of private data such as messages, location data, medical records or browsing history.
- Distinguishes concern about excessive access from the separate argument that access may be needed for safety.
- Rejects options claiming citizens are indifferent to privacy or that access has no effect on ordinary people.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing the citizens' viewpoint with the government's viewpoint.
Put it right: This statement is about how citizens feel about access.
Exam tips
- Underline the words ordinary citizens and too much access before choosing an option.
- Eliminate any option that says citizens do not value privacy at all.
- Check the chosen option covers both privacy being valued and dislike of excessive access.
Try the lesson
The start of the Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy: Students should be aware that ordinary citizens normally value their privacy and may not like it when governments or security services have too much access. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Many people object when a security service collects and stores details of ordinary citizens' phone calls and internet activity. Which reason best explains this objection?
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Test your understanding of Ethical, legal and environmental impacts of digital technology on wider society, including issues of privacy: Students should be aware that ordinary citizens normally value their privacy and may not like it when governments or security services have too much access.
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