Legal and Ethical Concerns

Part of: Impact of Computing

Legal vs. Ethical Big Idea 5 separates two ideas that often overlap but are not the same: - Legal concerns ask: does this follow the law? Laws govern hacking, data protection, copyright, and more. - Ethical concerns ask: is this right, even if it is legal? Something can be perfectly legal yet still harmful or unfair. The exam wants you to weigh both. Collecting user data with a vague consent banner may be legal but still ethically questionable. Common Concerns - Privacy : how much personal data should a company gather and keep? - Surveillance : monitoring can improve safety but erode freedom. - Unauthorized access : breaking into systems is both illegal and unethical. - Plagiarism and copyright : using others' work without permission. Reasoning About Trade-offs Ethical analysis often weighs benefits against harms across stakeholders. A simple model assigns scores and compares totals, but remember real ethics is richer than arithmetic. Key Takeaways - Legal is about laws; ethical is about right and wrong, they can diverge. - Privacy, surveillance, unauthorized access, and plagiarism are recurring concerns. - Strong answers consider multiple stakeholders and weigh harms against benef

Challenge: Access Log Compliance