Ethical & social issues

• Digital divide — not everyone can afford devices or fast internet, so some people are disadvantaged.
• Automation — computers and robots can replace jobs, but also create new ones.
• Wellbeing — screen time, social media pressure and online harms affect mental health.
• Bias & fairness — algorithms trained on biased data can make unfair decisions.

Balanced view: Edexcel wants you to discuss both sides — technology brings benefits and drawbacks. Don't just list; weigh them up.

Name the issue

Environmental issues

• E-waste — old devices thrown away contain toxic materials and are often not recycled.
• Energy use — data centres and always-on devices use huge amounts of electricity.
• Raw materials — making devices uses rare metals, mined at environmental cost.
• Positives — computing also cuts travel (video calls), enables smart energy use and paperless working.

Reduce the impact: repair and reuse devices, recycle responsibly, and use energy-efficient, sleep-mode hardware and renewable-powered data centres.

Privacy issues

Organisations collect huge amounts of personal data — location, browsing, purchases. This raises privacy concerns:

• Data can be tracked, profiled and sold without people fully understanding.
• Breaches can expose sensitive information to criminals.
• Surveillance (CCTV, monitoring) trades privacy for security — a debate with two sides.

Protecting privacy: strong passwords, limiting what you share, reading permissions, and laws like the Data Protection Act that force organisations to handle data responsibly.

What kind of issue is it?

Tap a statement, then tap the type of issue it is.

Data Protection Act 2018

The Data Protection Act 2018 (which brings in UK GDPR) controls how organisations collect, store and use personal data. Data must be:

• Used fairly, lawfully and only for the stated purpose.
• Accurate, kept up to date, and no more than needed.
• Stored securely and not kept longer than necessary.

People have rights to see the data held about them and to have mistakes corrected.

In short: the DPA protects your personal data and makes organisations that hold it responsible for keeping it safe and using it properly.

Which law?

Computer Misuse Act 1990

The Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes hacking and related acts criminal offences. It covers:

• Unauthorised access to computer material (e.g. logging into someone else's account).
• Unauthorised access with intent to commit a further crime.
• Unauthorised modification of data (e.g. deleting files, spreading a virus).
• Making or supplying tools for these offences.

Key word: unauthorised. Accessing a system you have no permission to use is illegal, even if you don't change anything.

Is it a crime?

Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects people's original work — software, music, images, writing — from being copied or used without permission.

• Copying, sharing or selling copyrighted software, music or films without a licence is illegal (piracy).
• Software licences set out what you're allowed to do (e.g. how many devices).
• Open-source software is deliberately shared so anyone can use, change and distribute it (often free); proprietary software keeps its source code private and is usually paid for.

Licence types: proprietary (paid, closed source) vs open-source (free to use and modify). Always check what a licence permits before copying.

Match the description to the law

Tap a description on the left, then its matching law/term on the right.

Cyber-security threats

Common threats you should recognise:

• Malware — viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware.
• Phishing — fake messages tricking users into giving away details.
• Social engineering — manipulating people into breaking security (e.g. pretending to be IT support).
• Brute-force attacks — trying many passwords automatically.
• Denial of Service — overwhelming a system so it can't respond.

Weakest link: people are often the easiest target. Phishing and social engineering exploit human trust, not technical flaws.

Spot the attack

Protecting against threats

• Strong passwords & two-factor authentication — resist guessing and brute-force.
• Anti-malware software & firewalls — block and remove threats.
• Encryption — keep intercepted data unreadable.
• Regular updates & backups — patch flaws and recover from ransomware.
• User education — spot phishing and avoid social engineering.
• Access levels & permissions — limit what each user can do.

Defence in depth: combine technical measures (firewall, encryption, updates) with sensible user behaviour for the strongest protection.

Best defence

Copyright & licences

The big ideas to know

You've covered the whole of Edexcel Issues & impact. Press Finish to see your score.