Ethical, Legal and Environmental Impacts GapFill

Computer technology has become more powerful and less   portabledurableavailableexpensive and is widely used in all aspects of modern life; this has had a significant impact on culture, law, ethics and the environment. The technology has provided numerous benefits, but also raises many issues. For example, the Internet is available 24/7 to anyone with an internet connection meaning  that people can access services and communicate with others at any time, but also puts pressure on people to be available at all times, for example , 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.   AnalyticalCaringLow-skilledEntertainment jobs are often the easiest to replace with  robotshighly-trained staffyounger workersolder workersbeing used in large distribution warehouses 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.

Computer systems can be used to reduce human impact on the environment, for example by using smart devices that use   VPNsGUIembedded systemsdrivers 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 not  recycledrepaireddefragmenteddisposed of properly.

While the Internet has made communication much easier, it has also changed how people communicate. The ease of using social media or other online platforms means people may have fewer personal interactions with others. This can lead to people feeling isolated and has led to serious concerns regarding   mental healthcommunicationthe environmentemployment, 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  problem concernssecondary concernsprivacy concernsprior concerns as people may not have much control over their  files stored on removable deviceshardwareencrypted datapersonal data being read, being given to other organisations or becoming publicly available. Many online platforms also allow for   privateanonymoussynchronousdistributed 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.

There is also the issue of the ethical or moral use of new technology; this could range from the use of algorithms to decide a credit card limit or analyse job applications being biased on the grounds of gender through poor design by humans through to the remote monitoring of employees who need to work from home. Even though the technology is available and it is not against the  regulationslawgovernmentevaluations, is it ethical or moral to use it in this way?

Legislation has struggled to keep up with the rapid developments in technology, especially in the area of unauthorised access to data,  employmentlegislationidentity theftdefragmented, fraud and online harassment or trolling. With the increasing use of  driversVPN’sportablecloud storageyour data can be stored anywhere in the world and laws can be very different in different countries. At present the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ensures that individual’s rights to privacy are covered within Europe. Other older legislation is the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Many people are unaware of the volume of personal details they willingly share through the use of online apps, mobile phone location data and  malwaregeotagginglegislationprivacy of images as well as sharing route data through  creative designsavailable designsregulated itemswearable technologies like fitness trackers. The easy availability of wireless technology in cafe’s and shops also make users vulnerable to attack and having data such as passwords intercepted and stolen and how important it is to choose networks that  are locationsare defragmenteduse botsencrypt data and require a password to access the Wi-Fi network.