Ethical, cultural, environmental and privacy issues
OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277) · Computer systems (Paper 1) › Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental impacts › Impacts of digital technology
Practise Ethical, cultural, environmental and privacy issues. 17 exam-style questions on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
Written for this site in the style of OCR exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1Easy3 marks
(a) State what is meant by the digital divide.[1]
(b) Which one of these is an environmental issue linked to digital technology? Tick (✓) one box.[1]
Cyberbullying
Hacking
Software piracy
Old devices being thrown into landfill
(c) Give one example of a cultural change caused by digital technology.[1]
Show the answer and mark scheme
(a)
the gap between people who have access to digital technology / the Internet and those who do not
(b)Answer: Old devices being thrown into landfill
(c)
social media changing how people communicate / online shopping replacing high-street shops / streaming replacing CDs and DVDs / more people working from home
Question 2Medium4 marks
Describe two environmental impacts of the increasing use of digital technology.[4]
Show the answer and mark scheme
e-waste: millions of devices are thrown away every year
toxic materials (e.g. lead, mercury) can leak into soil and water from landfill / waste is often shipped to developing countries
energy use: devices and data centres use large amounts of electricity
much of which is generated from fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide
raw materials: rare metals must be mined to make devices
which damages habitats and uses up non-renewable resources
positive impact: video calls reduce travel / less paper is used
which reduces carbon emissions / saves trees
Question 3Hard4 marks
A company installs software that monitors every employee's emails and web browsing at work.
Explain the ethical issues raised by this decision.[4]
Show the answer and mark scheme
employees may feel that their privacy is being invaded
it may reduce trust and morale / staff may feel they are not trusted
the company may argue that monitoring is needed to protect data / prevent leaks / meet legal responsibilities
employees should be told that they are being monitored and why
personal information collected could be misused or seen by other staff
monitoring should be proportionate, e.g. limited to work systems and work time