Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental (1.6) GapFill

Over the last few decades, computer technology has become more powerful and less  portablesecureavailableexpensive. It has therefore become widely used in all aspects of modern life and has had a significant impact on culture, law, ethics and the environment. This has provided numerous benefits, but also raises many issues. For example, the Internet allows for constantly available and almost instant communication. This means that people can access services and talk to others at any time, but also puts pressure on people to be available at all times, as an employer may expect employees to respond to urgent communication outside of work hours.

Advancing computer technology has created many new jobs and entirely new industries. However, it has also led to people being replaced by computers.  EntertainmentCaringLow-skillAnalytical jobs are often the easiest to replace and the new jobs that are created generally require specific skills, such as programming knowledge, meaning that those who lose their jobs due to technological advances often lack the necessary skills to move into the new jobs that are created. This is a growing concern as computers are becoming  more expensivewirelesscapable of a wider variety of taskslarger. Technology has also made individual workers significantly more productive, but despite this, many workers have had little or no increase in pay or reduction in the working hours expected of them, so most of the additional profits go to employers, contributing to growing inequality.

Computer systems can be used to reduce human impact on the environment, for example by using smart devices that use  VPNsembedded systemsGUIsdrivers to automatically turn off or go into a low-power mode to reduce energy consumption, or through the use of online services and communication that reduce the amount that people need to travel. However, the increased use of electronic devices has led to an increased demand for power, online shopping may have increased the amount that products need to be transported, and many electronic items contain environmentally harmful materials which can cause issues if they are  repairednot disposed of properlydefragmentedrecycled.

While the Internet has made communication much easier, it has also changed how people communicate. Because of how easy it is to contact others using social media or other online platforms, people may have fewer personal interactions with others. This can lead to people feeling isolated and has led to serious concerns regarding  communicationthe environmentemploymentmental health, especially as many people post mainly the positive aspects of their life, which can give others a false sense that their life isn't as good as everyone else's. The heavy use of social media also raises privacy concerns as people may not have much control over  their encrypted datatheir personal datatheir hardwarethe files saved on their removable storage devices being read, being given to other organisations or becoming publicly available. Many online platforms also allow for  distributedanonymoussynchronousprivate communication, meaning the identity of a user is not given. This tends to make people less considerate of others, as they face few repercussions for what they say, and they are therefore less likely to think about how their actions affect others.

Anonymity also allows for individuals to create  licensesbotsfragmentsTrojans – user profiles that are controlled by a computer program rather than a user, to present their opinion as though it is shared by many other people. This can be used by companies to create fake reviews to promote their products, and there are growing concerns in democratic countries that voters are being manipulated by other nations or individuals with an interest in producing a particular result. This can be accomplished either by presenting their opinion as popular to manipulate others into siding with it, producing 'fake news', or targeting individuals to try to influence how they vote. As  driversartificial intelligence systemsCPUsembedded systems become more advanced, it will become harder to tell the difference between real users and fake accounts.

With all of the societal changes that happen as technology develops, it is necessary to create new legislation to limit the misuse of new technologies. Examples of UK legislation involving computer systems are the  Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment RegulationsData Protection ActCreative Commons LicenseComputer Misuse Act, which makes it illegal to attempt to gain unauthorised access to a computer system; and the  Computer Misuse ActData Protection ActWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment RegulationsFreedom of Information Act, which states how personal information can be collected and used.