Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Impacts
Computers and the internet have changed almost every part of daily life — how we shop, learn, work and talk to each other. Most of these changes bring real benefits, but they also create new problems that society has to think about. To make sense of these effects, we usually sort them into five kinds: ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy issues. Understanding each one helps us design and use technology responsibly rather than simply assuming that newer always means better.
Ethical issues
An ethical issue is about whether something is right or wrong, even when no law is being broken. Technology raises many of these questions. Is it fair for a company to replace workers with machines that never tire or need paying? Should a self-driving car be trusted to make life-or-death decisions on the road? Is it acceptable for an employer to monitor everything staff do on their work computers? None of these has a simple answer, but each must be weighed up whenever new technology is introduced.
Cultural issues
Cultural issues are about how technology changes the way whole groups of people live and behave. Social media has changed how friends keep in touch and how quickly news spreads. Online shopping has changed what our high streets look like. One important cultural problem is the digital divide — the gap between those who can afford fast devices and reliable internet and those who cannot. People on the wrong side of this divide can miss out on jobs, education and services that are increasingly online only.
Environmental issues
Building and running digital technology affects the planet. Manufacturing a phone or laptop uses energy, water and valuable metals that must be mined from the ground. When devices are thrown away they add to e-waste, which can be difficult to recycle and may release harmful substances if it ends up in landfill. The huge data centres that store our files and stream our videos also use large amounts of electricity, much of which still comes from burning fossil fuels.
Digital technology harms the environment in three main ways: mining raw materials to build devices, the electricity used to power devices and data centres, and the e-waste created when old equipment is thrown away.
Privacy issues
Every time we use an app or website we hand over information. Personal data like your name, location and browsing habits is collected by many of the companies whose services you use. This raises privacy issues: who can see this data, how long is it kept, and could it be sold, leaked or stolen? Targeted adverts and location tracking can be convenient, but they mean people often have far less control over their personal information than they realise.
It is easy to focus only on the problems, but technology brings huge benefits too. Video calls let families stay in touch across the world and cut down on polluting travel. Online learning opens up education to people who could never reach a classroom. Smart heating and lighting can reduce the energy a home wastes. A balanced view recognises both sides — the very same technology can be a benefit and a problem at the same time.
The law steps in
Because technology can be misused, several laws exist to protect people and their work. Three of these are especially important in computing, and you should know the purpose of each one and what it allows or forbids.
The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK law that controls how organisations collect, store and use personal data. It updated earlier rules to match modern European standards. Under it, an organisation must keep personal data secure and accurate, use it only for the reason it was collected, keep it no longer than needed, and let people see the data held about them. Selling or sharing personal data without a proper reason breaks this law.
The Computer Misuse Act 1990 targets hacking and other computer crimes. It makes three main things illegal: gaining unauthorised access to a computer system, which is basic hacking; gaining access with the intent to commit a further crime such as fraud; and making unauthorised changes to data, for example spreading a virus or deleting someone’s files. In short, it is against the law to get into a system, or to change what is on it, without permission.
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects intellectual property. It gives the creator of an original work — a song, a film, a book, an image or a piece of software — ownership of that work. It is illegal to copy, share or sell someone’s work without their permission, which is why pirating films, music or software breaks this law.
Three laws matter most in computing: the Data Protection Act 2018 guards personal data, the Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes hacking and unauthorised changes illegal, and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects people’s original work.
A quick way to keep them apart is to ask what each one is really about. The Data Protection Act is about how your personal data is handled by organisations. The Computer Misuse Act is about the damage caused by hacking and viruses. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act is about protecting the things people create and design. If a question describes a real situation, decide which of these three it is about before you name the law.
Software licences
When you get software, you rarely own it outright. Instead you agree to a software licence — a legal agreement that says how the software may be used, how many devices it can go on, and whether you are allowed to copy or change it. Licences exist so that creators keep control of their work and are paid fairly for it. Most software falls under one of two kinds of licence: open source or proprietary.
Open source software makes its source code — the human-readable instructions that make up the program — freely available. Anyone can look at it, change it and share their own version, and it is usually free to download. The Linux operating system and the Firefox web browser are well-known examples. The main benefits are low cost and flexibility; the main drawbacks are that there may be no official support if something goes wrong, and it can be harder for a beginner to set up.
Proprietary software works the other way round. Its source code is kept secret, so users cannot see or change it, and it is normally bought — often ‘off the shelf’ as a finished product. Microsoft Windows and Adobe Photoshop are examples. The benefits are professional support, regular updates and a polished, tested product; the drawbacks are the cost and the fact that you cannot change it to suit your own needs.
Open source software gives users access to the source code so they can change and share it, and it is usually free. Proprietary software hides its source code and is bought under a licence, but it comes with professional support and regular updates.
The right choice depends on the situation. A school with little money but skilled staff might pick open source software to save on licence fees and to customise it for lessons. A busy business that needs guaranteed support and reliable updates might prefer proprietary software, even though it costs more, because someone is responsible for fixing problems quickly. When recommending a licence, weigh up the cost, the need for support, and whether the software must be changed.