This mini-lesson covers OCR J277 · 1.6 Ethical, legal, cultural & environmental impacts of digital technology, plus the key legislation: the Data Protection Act 2018, Computer Misuse Act 1990, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and software licences (open vs proprietary).
Answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you're ready.
Impacts
Ethical, legal, cultural & environmental impacts
When new technology is created, we should think about its impacts on people and the planet:
Ethical — is it right/fair? (e.g. AI bias, surveillance, tracking users).
Legal — does it break the law? (data protection, copyright, hacking).
Cultural — how does it change society and groups? (social media, remote working, the digital divide).
Environmental — energy use of data centres/devices, and e-waste from discarded electronics.
Privacy — who collects your data and what they do with it.
Digital divide: not everyone has equal access to technology/the internet, which can widen inequality between people, regions and countries.
Quick check
Which impact?
?Old smartphones being thrown away, ending up in landfill and leaking toxic metals, is mainly which type of impact?
Legislation · data
Data Protection Act 2018
The Data Protection Act 2018 (which brings GDPR into UK law) controls how organisations collect and use personal data. It requires that data is:
used fairly, lawfully and for a specified purpose;
accurate, kept up to date and no longer than necessary;
kept secure and not transferred outside protections without safeguards.
It gives individuals rights to see the data held about them and have mistakes corrected.
Legislation · misuse & copyright
Computer Misuse Act & Copyright Act
Two more laws to know:
Computer Misuse Act 1990 — makes hacking illegal. It covers: (1) unauthorised access to a computer, (2) unauthorised access with intent to commit a further crime, and (3) unauthorised modification of data (e.g. spreading viruses).
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 — protects people's original work (software, music, images, writing). Copying, sharing or using it without permission is illegal (e.g. piracy).
Tell them apart: Computer Misuse Act = hacking & unauthorised access; Copyright Act = using/copying someone's original work without permission.
Quick check
Which law is broken?
?Someone gains access to a school's network without permission and changes exam data. Which law does this break?
Software is released under a licence that sets out what you can do with it:
Open source — source code is available to view, edit and share; often free; maintained by a community (e.g. Linux).
Proprietary — source code is secret; you buy a licence to use it but cannot modify or redistribute it (e.g. Windows). Usually comes with official support.
Link to copyright: a licence is how the copyright owner grants permission to use their software under set conditions.
Quick check
Which law?
?A company stores customers' personal details. Which law says they must keep that data accurate, secure and used only for its stated purpose?
Quick check
Digital divide
?Some pupils have fast home internet and laptops while others have neither, so they cannot complete online homework as easily. This inequality of access to technology is called the:
Match it
Match the law to what it does
Tap a law on the left, then what it protects on the right.
Law
Protects against
Recap
The big ideas to know
Impacts: ethical · legal · cultural · environmental (e-waste, energy) · privacy · digital divide
Data Protection Act 2018: fair, secure, accurate use of personal data + rights to see/correct it