APCSP APCSP Global and Ethical Implications 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle is addressed by laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)?
- The right to access any website for free
- That unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal (Correct answer)
- That all software must be open source
- That the government owns all digital data
Correct answer: That unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal
The CFAA makes unauthorized access to computer systems a federal crime, protecting individuals and organizations from hacking.
Question 2: What is 'digital divide' in the context of computing innovations?
- The gap between old and new programming languages
- The unequal access to technology and the internet across different socioeconomic groups (Correct answer)
- The difference between analog and digital signals
- The separation between hardware and software components
Correct answer: The unequal access to technology and the internet across different socioeconomic groups
The digital divide refers to disparities in technology access based on income, geography, or education, creating unequal opportunities.
Question 3: Which describes a benefit of open-source software for society?
- It prevents anyone from using the software without paying
- It allows anyone to view, modify, and distribute the code, fostering collaboration and innovation (Correct answer)
- It guarantees better security than proprietary software
- It is owned by a single corporation that controls updates
Correct answer: It allows anyone to view, modify, and distribute the code, fostering collaboration and innovation
Open-source software enables global collaboration, reduces costs for users, and allows communities to improve and audit code freely.
Question 4: What ethical concern arises when algorithms are used to make hiring decisions?
- Algorithms are always more accurate than humans, so there are no concerns
- Algorithms can perpetuate existing biases if trained on historically biased data (Correct answer)
- Algorithms are too slow for real-world hiring processes
- Algorithms can only be used in government hiring, not private companies
Correct answer: Algorithms can perpetuate existing biases if trained on historically biased data
If an algorithm is trained on past hiring data that reflected bias, it may systematically disadvantage certain demographic groups.
Question 5: What is 'net neutrality' and why does it matter?
- A rule requiring all websites to have the same design
- The principle that internet service providers must treat all data equally without blocking or throttling (Correct answer)
- A law requiring equal pay for tech workers
- A protocol that makes websites load at the same speed worldwide
Correct answer: The principle that internet service providers must treat all data equally without blocking or throttling
Net neutrality prevents ISPs from favoring certain websites or services with faster speeds, ensuring an open and competitive internet.
Question 6: Which is an example of a computing innovation that raised significant privacy concerns?
- The invention of the calculator
- Facial recognition systems used in public surveillance (Correct answer)
- The development of the QWERTY keyboard
- Floppy disk drives
Correct answer: Facial recognition systems used in public surveillance
Public facial recognition systems can track individuals without their consent, raising major privacy and civil liberties concerns.
APCSP APCSP Global and Ethical Implications 1
Which principle is addressed by laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)?