In the last few decades, computer science has massively changed every aspect of our society. Jobs have been lost in many industries, and in some cases have been made completely obsolete. There are also many new industries that did not exist before computers, and the situation is changing and evolving all the time.

When we look at the impact of computers and computing technology, there are certain areas that we should consider:

Ethical issues are about what would be considered right and wrong by society.

Legal issues are about what is actually right and wrong in the eyes of the law

Cultural issues are about how groups of people with particular beliefs, practices or languages may be affected e.g ethnic groups, religions, countries.

Environmental issues are about how we impact on the natural world:

• The impacts of Computer Science on the Environment are both positive and negative
• Computers have helped in manufacturing, engineering, surgery, medicine etc.
• However, generally technology requires electricity to function
• Often judgements need to be made as to whether this is a good balance
• Also, what happens to old computers/robots etc?

Privacy issues concern how our personal information is kept safe, and how we have a right to privacy.

A stakeholder is a person who may be involved either directly, or indirectly with an issue or problem. Most issues and problems will have many stakeholders, some may be obvious, some may be less obvious.

Questions about ethical, legal, cultural, environmental and privacy issues often carry high mark allocations. To gain the higher band of marks you should be able to identify more than just the ‘obvious’

Open Source Software

Benefits of Open Source Software:

• Generally allows users access to the code to edit or change it themselves:
• It is usually free to download Open Source software.
• You may be able to edit and distribute the updated changes you make to Open Source Software.
• Users can edit and customise software freely.
• There is generally a very strong social support forum if you need help.
• Open source software is usually free and good for companies with limited budgets.
• It allows collaboration with other people who may want the same modifications.
• Better versions of the software (i.e. less buggy) may appear faster than proprietary software.

Drawbacks

• Relies on support networks of other users.
• To edit the code, you need expert knowledge.
• De-bugging can be hard as no one person is necessarily responsible for the software.
• May not evolve in a strict timeframe and may not have regular updates. The development team have no obligation to produce updates, and may simply move on to other projects.
• May need to buy in external support.
• Could be more open to exploitation through users adding in malicious code.
• There may be hidden costs due incurred in training staff to use non industry standard software, and to maintain non standard systems.

Proprietry Software

Proprietary Software is licenced software. It generally costs money to buy and this can give you the confidence of the program being produced by a ‘professional’ company. Proprietary software generally has many features built into one program.

Proprietary Software will have official updates, support, upgrades and fixes released.

Benefits:

• Generally provide free customer support.
• Meet professional standards.
• Always someone to go back to if you have problems.
• Generally likely to be more tailored to market needs.
• Bugs, Security fixes etc., are more likely to be fixed faster.
• May be broader and contain more features.

Drawbacks:

• Cost may be significant.
• Limited to expansion by only what is available.
• Reliant on one company – what if it goes bust?
• May not fully meet the needs of the customer.

The Data Protection Act 1998

The DPA concerns how personal data is stored and maintained. There are eight principles:

1. Data should be processed fairly and lawfully: not obtained by deception, and the purpose clearly stated.
2. Data should only be used for the purpose specified.
3. Data should be relevant and not excessive.
4. Data should be accurate and up-to-date.
5. Data should only be kept for as long as necessary.
6. Individuals have a right to access data kept about them to check and update it if necessary.
7. Adequate security must prevent unauthorised access to data.
8. Data cannot be transferred outside the EU unless a country has adequate data protection laws.

Computer Misuse Act 1990

The Computer Misuse Act is often referred to as the "hacking law". It makes it an offense to access a computer system without authorisation. Accessing a computer system may just be logging on as another user because they have shared your password, or could mean a much more complex attack on a computer or network using sophisticated techniques (this is the kind of attack that you would see in a movie!)