Impacts on society

In this lesson, we will be introduced to the five broad areas of impact (i.e. privacy, legal, ethical, environmental, and cultural). We will identify and discuss the impact areas through genuine examples. Finally, we will begin to understand the legal impact of technology specifically, and work through an example relating to the Data Protection Act (1998).

In this lesson, we will further exercise our knowledge about data protection and clarify the definition of the word 'stakeholder' and examples of impact that a specific technology has had on them. We will then learn about the relationship between data protection, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the right to be forgotten. Finally, we will learn about copyright, Creative Commons licensing and comparing open source and proprietary software.

In this lesson, we will be introduced to the Freedom of Information Act, and given the opportunity to study genuine examples. We will also learn about the Computer Misuse Act and categorise case studies by the different levels of offence.

In this lesson, we will understand what the term 'cultural impact' means. We will learn about downtime and its effect on businesses and individuals and examine the concept of 'digital divide' and work through examples of its impact. Finally, we will analyse the cultural implications of the growing use of mobile technology and the responsibility of stakeholders in mitigating any risks explore globalisation.

In this lesson, we will discover the reality and limitations of privacy and surveillance. We will learn the laws that protect us directly, and others that enable the security services to protect us from harm. We will then think about the tension that exists between these two sets of laws. In addition, we will consider the different technology that we encounter in our daily lives and the privacy implications of these. Finally, we will learn about how intrusive social media is in its harvesting of data, and become more informed about the data that they are making available through our engagement with technology, as well as the, environmental impacts of social media.

In this lesson, we will discover the reality of technology's impact on the environment and about how technology, if utilised strategically, can be used to protect the environment and can be a preserver rather than a destroyer.

In this lesson, we will review what the word 'ethical' means generally. We will then be introduced to the main ethical impacts of technology, and engage in activities to help them become more aware of how important acting ethically is.