Issues and Impact

What Issues and Impact covers

Issues and Impact is examined in Paper 1, Principles of Computer Science. It covers environmental impact of digital devices, personal data: privacy, ownership and consent, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, intellectual property: copyright, patents, trademarks and licences, malware, hacking and social engineering and protecting digital systems and data.

The 6 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Environmental impact of digital devicesEnergy use by devices and data centres, the manufacture of devices and rare earth elements, replacement cycles, disposal and recycling, and ways technology can help.Open →
• Personal data: privacy, ownership and consentPersonal data, privacy, ownership, consent and misuse, the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, people's rights over their data, and collecting only what is needed.Open →
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning and roboticsAI, machine learning and robotics, algorithmic bias and its causes, accountability, safety, legal liability for self-driving cars, and the effect on jobs.Open →
• Intellectual property: copyright, patents, trademarks and licencesIntellectual property, copyright, patents and trademarks, software licences, open source against proprietary software, software piracy, and protecting a new game.Open →
• Malware, hacking and social engineeringViruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware and key loggers, technical vulnerabilities such as unpatched software, and social engineering through phishing and pretexting.Open →
• Protecting digital systems and dataAnti-malware software, encryption, plaintext and ciphertext, acceptable use policies, full and incremental backups, off-site storage and recovery procedures.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Issues and Impact further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Virus vs Worm

  Virus: malicious code that attaches to a file and spreads when that file is opened. Worm: malicious code that copies itself across a network without any user action.

• Trojan vs Ransomware

  Trojan: malicious code disguised as a useful program that users install themselves. Ransomware: malicious code that locks files and demands payment to release them.

• Copyright vs Patent

  Copyright: automatic legal protection for original work such as program code or music. Patent: registered legal protection for a new invention, lasting up to 20 years.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What environmental issues are linked to digital devices?

   Model answer

   Devices affect the environment through the energy they use, the materials needed to make them and the way they are thrown away. Frequent replacement makes each of these worse.

2. 2

   Why does the energy consumption of digital devices matter?

   Model answer

   Devices, networks and data centres use large amounts of electricity. Much of that electricity still comes from fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide.

3. 3

   How can the energy used by a device be reduced?

   Model answer

   Devices can use power-saving modes and switch off when idle. Energy-efficient processors and screens also use less electricity.

4. 4

   Why do data centres consume so much energy?

   Model answer

   Data centres run thousands of servers day and night. The servers give off heat, so powerful cooling systems are needed as well.

5. 5

   How does manufacturing digital devices harm the environment?

   Model answer

   Metals such as cobalt, lithium and gold must be mined, which damages land and uses large amounts of water and energy. Factories also release carbon dioxide and other pollution.

6. 6

   Why are rare earth elements an environmental concern?

   Model answer

   Rare earth elements are needed for parts such as magnets, speakers and screens. Extracting them produces toxic waste that can pollute soil and water.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Issues and Impact revision questions

What does Issues and Impact cover in Edexcel GCSE Computer Science?

6 subtopics: environmental impact of digital devices, personal data: privacy, ownership and consent, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, intellectual property: copyright, patents, trademarks and licences, malware, hacking and social engineering and protecting digital systems and data. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Issues and Impact organised?

By the Edexcel 1CP2 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.