1
2 marks
Identify two examples of ethical issues in computing.
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Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Impact (OCR GCSE Computer Science): Exam Questions
Exam code: J277
1 hour16 questions
2
2 marks
State two primary offences under the Computer Misuse Act (1990).
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3
1 mark
State one disadvantage of proprietary software.
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1
5 marks
Tick (✓) one box on each row to identify the legislation that would cover each of the given events.
Event | The Data Protection Act (2018) | Computer Misuse Act (1990) | Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988) |
|---|---|---|---|
A company transmits personal data to another company without the individual’s permission. | |||
A school accidentally publishes their students’ addresses on the school website. | |||
The interface for a piece of software is replicated by a rival company. | |||
A user leaves a computer logged on and another person leaves them a message on their desktop. | |||
A student guesses their teacher’s password and accesses their computer account. |
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2
6 marks
Tick (✓) one box in each row to show which legislation applies to each action.
Action | Data Protection Act 2018 | Computer Misuse Act 1990 | Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 |
|---|---|---|---|
Using a picture for the law company’s new logo without the original creator's permission. | |||
A secretary accessing a lawyer’s personal email account without permission. | |||
Making a copy of the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie and sharing it with a client. | |||
Storing customer data insecurely. | |||
A lawyer installing a key logger on the secretary’s computer. | |||
Selling client’s personal legal data to a marketing company without their permission. |
Fig. 2
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3
2 marks
Layla has created an educational game, she is going to release it as open source.
Give one benefit and one drawback of Layla releasing her game as open source.
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4
4 marks
Identify the legislation that relates to the following scenarios:
Scenario | Legislation |
|---|---|
A programmer wants to protect their work from being copied or distributed. | |
A person logs into a computer without permission by guessing the password. | |
A hacker gains access to a company’s files over a network without permission | |
A company collects data that it does not need about its customers. |
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5a
2 marks
Fiona is a software engineer. She is creating a new version of a computer game she released three years ago.
Fiona is considering selling the game online and not making it available physically in shops.
Describe the environmental impact of Fiona’s decision.
5b
2 marks
Fiona releases her game under a proprietary licence.
Explain why a proprietary licence is a more appropriate choice than open source.
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6a
2 marks
Marcus is a software developer who has created a mobile application for managing personal finances. He is considering distributing the application exclusively through digital app stores rather than creating physical installation media or USB drives.
Analyse the environmental impact of Marcus's decision to distribute his application digitally.
6b
2 marks
Marcus decides to release his financial management application under a proprietary licence instead of making it open source.
Evaluate why a proprietary licence provides better protection for Marcus's business interests compared to open source licensing.
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1
8 marks
Social networking websites use artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor posts from users.
Discuss the positive and negative uses of AI by social networking websites including:
Legal issues
Ethical issues
Privacy issues
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2
8 marks
People often want to buy the most up-to-date smartphones, even though the smartphone they own still works.
Discuss the impact of people wanting to upgrade to the latest smartphone.
In your answer, you might consider the impact on:
Smartphone users
Cultural issues
Ethical issues
Environmental issues.
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3a
2 marks
A technology company brings out new, updated devices twice a year.
Describe the environmental impacts of the company bringing out new devices twice a year.
3b
2 marks
Describe the cultural impacts of the company bringing out new devices twice a year.
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4
8 marks
A school asks its students to bring in their own electronic devices (e.g. tablets, laptops, mobile phones) to use in lessons instead of purchasing new equipment.
Discuss the issues surrounding students bringing their own devices. Include in your discussion:
Ethical issues
Legal issues
Privacy issues.
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5
8 marks
Daniel is a medical researcher trying to find a cure for a disease. He has a team of hundreds of people carrying out medical testing.
Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) mean that a computer program could do the work of dozens of researchers in a much shorter time. Daniel decides to increase his use of Artificial Intelligence.
Discuss the issues surrounding this decision. Consider the following in your answer:
Ethical issues
Legal issues
Cultural issues
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6
8 marks
A small island has 100 people living on it. The island has just been connected to the Internet, after previously having no Internet or mobile phone signal.
Discuss the impact on the island’s inhabitants and businesses of getting access to the Internet.
In your answer you might consider the impact on:
Inhabitants
Businesses
Ethical issues
Privacy issues
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7
8 marks
A computer programmer has developed a computer game that they want to release for users to download over the internet. The programmer needs to decide whether to release the game as open source or proprietary software.
Discuss the features, benefits and drawbacks of each type of licence for this program and make a recommendation to the programmer.
You should include the following in your answer:
features of each licence
legal and ethical issues of each licence
benefits and drawbacks of each licence.
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