Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact — OCR GCSE Computer Science
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Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact explained
Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact covers 2 specification points, including Impacts of digital technology on wider society… and Legislation relevant to Computer Science The….
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Impacts of digital technology on wider society including Ethical issues Legal issues Cultural issues Environmental issues Privacy issues
Digital technology changes how people live, work and relate, so its effects reach far beyond the device. Ethical issues ask what is right or fair: should a company sell personal data, or should a self-driving car prioritise one life over another? Legal issues arise when behaviour is governed by law, such as handling personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018. Cultural issues concern how technology shapes shared ways of life, for example streaming changing how music is consumed or social media altering language. Environmental issues cover energy use in data centres, mining materials for batteries (such as lithium and cobalt) and electronic waste. Privacy issues concern control over personal information, such as location tracking or always-on microphones. A strong answer names a specific technology, identifies the affected group and explains a benefit and a drawback.
Legislation relevant to Computer Science The Data Protection Act 2018 Computer Misuse Act 1990 Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 Software licences (i.e. open source and proprietary)
Computer scientists must know the laws that govern data, access and creative work. The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how personal data is collected, stored and used, giving individuals rights such as access to their data and requiring organisations to keep it accurate and secure. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes unauthorised access to computer material, unauthorised access with intent to commit further offences, and unauthorised modification of computer material criminal offences. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects original creative and design work, so copying software, music or images without permission can infringe copyright. Software licences set the terms of use: proprietary licences restrict copying, modification and redistribution, while open source licences allow users to view, modify and share the source code, often under conditions.
Your focus
- Identify ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy issues arising from a named digital technology.
- Explain at least one positive and one negative impact of digital technology on a specific group in society.
- Apply the five issue categories to an unfamiliar scenario and justify which concern is most significant.
Show all 6 objectives
- Identify the purpose of the Data Protection Act 2018, Computer Misuse Act 1990 and Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
- Compare open source and proprietary software licences in terms of access, modification and distribution.
- Apply the appropriate legislation or licence type to a given computing scenario and justify the choice.
Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact flashcards
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Data Protection Act 2018
Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impact exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies a named digital technology or service, such as social media, cloud storage, smartphones or AI assistants, rather than discussing technology in general.
- Explains an ethical issue by weighing what is right or fair, for example whether it is acceptable to profile users for targeted advertising without clear consent.
- Explains a legal issue by linking behaviour to rules or laws, such as an organisation breaching data protection duties when it loses customer records.
- Explains a cultural issue by showing how technology changes shared habits, values or communication, for example how streaming alters music purchasing or how translation apps affect minority languages.
- Explains an environmental issue with a concrete impact, such as the electricity used to cool data centres, mining materials for batteries, or toxic substances in discarded devices.
- Explains a privacy issue by referring to collection, storage, sharing or tracking of personal data, such as a fitness app sharing location history.
- Uses a balanced structure that gives both positive and negative consequences for at least one issue, showing that impacts are not one-sided.
- States the purpose of the Data Protection Act 2018: to protect personal data and give individuals rights over information held about them.
- Describes at least one Data Protection Act requirement or right, such as keeping data secure and accurate, or allowing individuals to request a copy of their data.
- States that the Computer Misuse Act 1990 criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems, for example hacking into an account or network.
- Distinguishes levels of offence under the Computer Misuse Act, such as unauthorised access alone compared with unauthorised access intending to commit a further crime or unauthorised modification of data.
- States that the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects original works, including software, and that copying or distributing without permission can be unlawful.
- Contrasts proprietary and open source software licences, for example proprietary software restricts copying and modification while open source software permits access to and modification of source code.
- Applies the correct law or licence type to a short scenario, such as identifying the Computer Misuse Act when an employee accesses a colleague's account without permission.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the command word carefully: 'describe' needs a point plus detail, while 'discuss' or 'evaluate' needs both sides and a judgement.
- 💡Anchor each paragraph to one issue from the list so the examiner can see coverage; a short opening sentence naming the issue helps.
- 💡Use current, realistic examples such as contactless payment, wearable health trackers or generative AI tools, and keep the link to the issue explicit.
- 💡Match the law to the action in the scenario: ask whether the issue is data handling, unauthorised system access or copying creative work.
- 💡Name the Act and year once, then spend the marks explaining how it applies rather than repeating the title.
- 💡For licence questions, compare both types directly using a feature such as access to source code, modification rights or redistribution.
Common Mistakes
- Treating ethical and legal as synonyms. Correction: ethical means what is morally right or fair, while legal means what is permitted or forbidden by law; an action can be legal but still unethical.
- Giving only a benefit or only a drawback. Correction: state one advantage and one disadvantage for the chosen technology so the impact is balanced.
- Using vague phrases such as 'it affects society' without a named example. Correction: name the technology, the group affected and the specific change, for example 'facial recognition in shops can misidentify customers and deter them from entering'.
- Confusing the Computer Misuse Act 1990 with the Data Protection Act 2018. Correction: the Computer Misuse Act deals with unauthorised access and modification of computer systems, while the Data Protection Act deals with personal data handling.
- Assuming open source means no licence or no rules. Correction: open source software is still licensed; the licence permits source code access and modification, often with conditions such as attribution or share-alike.
- Believing that copying software for personal use is always allowed. Correction: the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects software, so copying without the licence holder's permission can infringe copyright.