This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser: Ethical Issues in Computing within Ethical Issues for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Ethical Issues in 3.8 Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Impacts for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 6 of 6 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Knowledge Organiser: Ethical Issues in Computing
Key Terms
- Ethics: The study of what is morally right and wrong (not just what is legal)
- Privacy: An individual's right to control their own personal information
- Surveillance: Monitoring people's activities, raising questions of freedom vs security
- Automation: Using technology to perform tasks previously done by humans, affecting employment
- Digital divide: The gap between those with access to technology and those without
- Algorithmic bias: When AI systems produce unfair outcomes due to biased training data
Must-Know Facts
- Something can be legal but still unethical (and vice versa)
- Ethical questions require balanced discussion — present both benefits and concerns
- Privacy concerns include: data tracking, facial recognition, data selling to third parties
- Automation can increase efficiency but displaces workers, creating unemployment
- Digital divide affects developing countries and disadvantaged groups disproportionately
- Computer scientists must ask "should we build this?" not just "can we?"
Key Concepts
- PADS-B: Privacy, Automation, Digital divide, Surveillance, Bias in AI
- Facial recognition: useful for security but risks mass surveillance and bias
- AI decision-making raises questions of accountability and fairness
- Exam answers: always give BOTH sides with specific examples
Common Mistakes
- Confusing ethical and legal issues: Legal issues concern what the law says is allowed; ethical issues concern what is morally right — something can be legal but unethical (e.g. collecting vast amounts of personal data legally but unfairly)
- Giving one-sided answers: Exam questions on ethical issues always require a balanced discussion — present both the benefits and the concerns with specific named examples
- Describing automation only as job losses: Automation also creates new technology roles and improves efficiency and safety — examiners expect both the negative displacement of workers AND the positive creation of new jobs
- Confusing algorithmic bias with human bias: Algorithmic bias occurs when AI systems trained on biased or unrepresentative data produce unfair outcomes — it is not the same as a person being biased; the algorithm itself perpetuates the unfairness at scale
- Treating the digital divide as just about internet access: The digital divide also encompasses differences in digital skills, device ownership, and affordability — it affects marginalised groups and developing nations, not just geography
Practice questions for Ethical Issues
Which of the following best describes an ethical issue in computing?
Explain what is meant by the digital divide and describe two ways it can affect people who do not have access to technology.
Quick recall flashcards
What does PADS-B stand for in ethical issues?
Privacy, Automation, Digital divide, Surveillance, Bias in AI
What is an ethical issue?
A question about what is morally right or wrong