Ethical, legal and environmental impacts
OCR GCSE Computer Science revision on Ethical, legal and environmental impacts. Aligned to the OCR GCSE Computer Science J277 specification. This bank has 8 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 8)
-
Question 1
The Data Protection Act / UK GDPR requires that personal data is...
- A) Kept forever in case of audit
- B) Used only for the stated purpose
- C) Always shared with the police on request
- D) Stored in the cloud
Show answer
Answer: Used only for the stated purpose
Key UK GDPR principles: lawful + fair + transparent processing, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity + confidentiality, accountability. Data subjects (people) have rights: access, rectification, erasure ('right to be forgotten'), portability. Schools and apps storing student data must comply.
-
Question 2
The Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes which of these illegal?
- A) Writing code at work
- B) Unauthorised access to computer systems
- C) Selling computer parts
- D) Using public Wi-Fi
Show answer
Answer: Unauthorised access to computer systems
Three main offences: (1) unauthorised access (basic hacking — even just trying counts), (2) unauthorised access with intent to commit further crime (fraud, theft), (3) unauthorised modification (e.g. spreading malware). Sentences up to 10 years for the worst. Modernised by the Police and Justice Act 2006.
-
Question 3
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 covers...
- A) Driving licences
- B) Software, music, books, art — protecting creators' rights
- C) Building permits
- D) Birth certificates
Show answer
Answer: Software, music, books, art — protecting creators' rights
Software is automatically copyrighted on creation. Lasts 70 years after the author's death (or 50 years for computer-generated works). Fair use (private study, news reporting) is allowed without permission. Open-source licences (GPL, MIT) work BY copyright — the author grants specific rights they'd otherwise withhold.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
5 more questions on Ethical, legal and environmental impacts — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Computer Science spec.