Which statement about the effects of a computing innovation is correct?
Every effect is either purely beneficial or purely harmful
A single effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful, depending on perspective
An innovation's effects are always fully known before it is released
Only the creator's intended effects ever occur
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
What is an unintended consequence of a computing innovation?
A planned feature listed in the design document
An effect that only the creator can ever cause
A use or effect the creators did not originally intend, which can be beneficial or harmful
A consequence that is always harmful
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A smart doorbell records video of everyone who approaches a house. The homeowner feels safer, but neighbours dislike being recorded whenever they walk past. This best illustrates that a single effect of a computing innovation:
Can be seen as beneficial by some people and harmful by others
Is always beneficial once the device is installed
Only affects the person who bought the device
Has no impact until the creator releases an update
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
Advances in computing have made entirely new kinds of work possible in other fields. Which of the following is the best example of this?
Delivering letters on foot along a fixed route
Counting coins by hand at the end of the day
Stacking books alphabetically on a shelf
Building a detailed 3D model of a patient's heart to plan surgery
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A news app automatically shows each user more stories similar to ones they already read. Some users enjoy the personalised feed, while others end up seeing a narrower range of viewpoints. This shows that a single effect of an innovation:
Can be experienced as both beneficial and harmful
Is guaranteed to please every user
Has no effect on what users read
Only matters to the app's creators
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
When a company released a short-video sharing app, they did not expect it to become a major way people learn cooking and repair skills. This best shows that:
Every effect of an innovation is planned in advance
The effects of an innovation are not always anticipated by its creators
An innovation can only be used in the way its creators intended
Innovations have no effect until creators approve each use
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A person posts a short clip of their homemade science experiment for a few friends to see. Within days it has been shared millions of times worldwide. This is best described as:
A planned marketing campaign by the poster
A failure of the video platform
Proof that the video broke the platform's rules
An impact that reached far beyond the poster's original intended audience
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A crowdfunding website was built to help people raise money for creative projects such as films and games. Many people now use it instead to pay for unexpected medical bills. This is best described as:
A use the creators planned and advertised from the start
An impact beyond the innovation's originally intended purpose
A failure of the website to function correctly
An effect that only the website's creators experience
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A ride-sharing app lets drivers earn flexible income but also reduces the stability of full-time taxi jobs. This best illustrates that a computing innovation:
Has no effect on existing jobs
Always benefits everyone equally
Can have both beneficial and harmful effects at the same time
Can only ever be harmful to society
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
Why might the full impact of a computing innovation only become clear years after its release?
An innovation has no impact until its creator announces one
Innovations are designed to hide their effects on purpose
The creators always know every effect but keep them secret
Its effects, including unanticipated ones, emerge as the innovation becomes widely used
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A school adopts an app that automatically grades quizzes. Teachers save hours of marking (beneficial), but some students feel the feedback is less personal (harmful). This best shows that:
The same innovation is experienced differently depending on perspective
Automatic grading has no downsides for anyone
The app removes the need for teachers entirely
Only students are affected by the innovation
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
Advances in computing have enabled new kinds of work that could not exist without them. Which of the following is the best example?
Sorting a stack of paper mail by hand
Designing custom prosthetic limbs using 3D modelling software
Reading a printed book by candlelight
Writing a letter with a pen
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
What is a responsible programmer's duty regarding the unintended uses of their innovation?
To prevent users from ever accessing the innovation
To guarantee the innovation can never be misused
To ignore any use beyond the original purpose
To try to consider likely unintended uses and their potential effects during development
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
Which statement about programmers and unintended uses is correct?
A programmer cannot consider every possible way an innovation might be used
A programmer can foresee every future use of an innovation
Unintended uses of an innovation are always harmful
Programmers have no responsibility for unintended uses at all
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A voice-recognition tool built to transcribe business meetings is later used to give people with limited mobility hands-free control of their devices. This is best described as:
A harmful effect that the creators intended
An unintended beneficial effect of the innovation
A failure of the innovation to work as designed
An example of the digital divide
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A music streaming service lets listeners access millions of songs for a low monthly fee, but pays performing artists only a fraction of a cent per play. Whether this effect is viewed as beneficial or harmful most depends on:
The speed of the listener's internet connection
The perspective of the person affected, such as a listener versus an artist
The number of songs stored on the service
The brand of device used to listen
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A large retailer installs robots in its warehouses. Orders now reach customers a day faster, but many warehouse workers lose their jobs. This best illustrates that a computing innovation:
Never affects existing employment
Benefits every group involved equally
Can produce beneficial and harmful effects at the same time
Only has the effects the retailer intended
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A fitness app publishes a public map showing where its users most often run. Unexpectedly, the map reveals the layout of a secret military base, because soldiers stationed there used the app while exercising. This is best described as:
An unintended impact that the app's creators did not foresee
A deliberate feature designed to expose military bases
Evidence that the app was programmed incorrectly
A benefit the creators intended from the start
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
An image-recognition system was originally created to automatically tag objects in users' photos. Researchers later adapt the same technology to help doctors detect early signs of disease in medical scans. This is best described as:
A harmful effect the creators intended
An unintended benefit that led to advances in another field
A sign that the original system had failed
An example of data that cannot be anonymized
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
While building a new feature that lets users send private messages, a development team discusses how the feature could be misused for bullying and adds reporting tools before launch. This behaviour best represents:
A guarantee that the feature can never be misused
A decision to ignore any use beyond the original purpose
A responsible attempt to consider likely unintended uses during development
Proof that programmers can foresee every possible use
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A video platform's recommendation system is designed to keep viewers watching for as long as possible. Over time, it tends to suggest increasingly extreme content because such videos hold attention. The creators did not plan this outcome. This is best described as:
A beneficial effect the creators intended
A feature deliberately added to promote extreme content
A coding error that stops the system working
An unintended harmful consequence of how the system is used
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A neighbourhood app created for reporting lost pets is increasingly used to post unverified accusations about neighbours. This is best described as:
Proof that the app was poorly coded
A deliberate feature the developers built into the app
An unintended harmful use that emerged from how users interact with the app, not from its design
An example of strong encryption protecting users
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A city installs sensors that automatically adjust traffic lights to keep cars moving. Commuters reach work faster, but cyclists and pedestrians report longer waits at crossings, and nearby residents see more traffic on their streets. Which statement best analyses this situation?
The innovation is purely beneficial because traffic moves faster
The innovation is purely harmful because some people wait longer
A single effect, smoother car flow, is beneficial to some groups and harmful to others
The innovation has no real effect on anyone's daily routine
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?
A city releases a real-time feed of bus locations so that riders can see when the next bus will arrive. A person then uses the feed to track the movements of a specific driver they want to harass. Which statement best analyses this situation?
The harassment is an unintended harmful use arising from how the data is used, not from its intended purpose
The city intended the feed to be used for tracking individual drivers
The feed must have been programmed incorrectly to allow this
Releasing real-time data always prevents any harmful use
Choose your answer
Was this exam question helpful?