AQA A-Level Computer Science: Consequences of Uses of Computing — Revision Notes

Consequences of uses of computing (section 4.8 of AQA A-Level Computer Science 7517) asks you to discuss the individual (moral), social (ethical), legal and cultural opportunities and risks of computing, and the challenges legislators face in the digital age. It is assessed on Paper 2, usually through a scenario and an extended written answer, so the marks go to a balanced, well-explained argument that stays on the scenario.

Condensed for the final weeks. For the full explanation, use the Consequences of uses of computing study guide. Practise extended answers with the Consequences of uses of computing practice questions.

Syllabus coverage

AQA 7517 specification (Version 1.6, 31 July 2023), section 4.8.1 Individual (moral), social (ethical), legal and cultural issues and opportunities. You should:

• show awareness of current individual (moral), social (ethical), legal and cultural opportunities and risks of computing
• understand that digital technologies have dramatically increased the capacity to monitor behaviour, amass and analyse personal information, and distribute, publish, communicate and disseminate personal information
• understand that computer scientists and software engineers have power, and the responsibilities that go with it, in the algorithms they devise and the code they deploy
• understand that software and its algorithms embed moral and cultural values
• understand the issue of scale: software used the whole world over lets individuals produce great good but also cause great harm
• be able to discuss the challenges facing legislators in the digital age

The section is short in the specification but has no fixed list of examples: any current technology can be the scenario.

The four lenses – one line each

Lens	Ask	Example question to raise
Individual (moral)	Is it right for this person or company to do this?	Should a developer build a feature they think will be misused?
Social (ethical)	What does it do to groups and society? Is it fair?	Does an algorithm treat some groups worse than others?
Legal	What does the law allow, require or forbid? Can it be enforced?	Which country’s law applies to data stored abroad?
Cultural	How does it change ways of life, values and expectations?	Does a global service respect local norms about privacy?

For each lens, give an opportunity and a risk, and say who is affected.

The three capacities the specification names

1. Monitoring behaviour – CCTV with facial recognition, location tracking from phones, employer monitoring of email and keystrokes, website tracking. Opportunity: safety, crime detection, fraud prevention. Risk: loss of privacy, people changing what they say or do because they are watched, misuse by those in power.
2. Amassing and analysing personal information – loyalty cards, social media profiles, health and fitness apps. Opportunity: personalised services, medical research, efficient public services. Risk: people do not know what is held or how it is used; profiling; data breaches.
3. Distributing and publishing personal information – social media sharing, data sold between companies, leaks. Opportunity: communication, journalism, whistleblowing. Risk: information is copied instantly and worldwide and is very hard to remove.

Power, values and scale

• Power and responsibility: the person who writes the algorithm decides how it treats everyone who uses it. Engineers should consider consequences before deploying code, not after.
• Embedded values: design choices carry values – what a recommendation system promotes, what a content filter blocks, which default privacy settings are chosen, what data a model is trained on. Biased training data produces biased decisions.
• Scale: one change can reach millions of users at once. A small error or a harmful design is multiplied; so is a beneficial one (free education, translation, accessibility tools).

Why is legislating for computing hard?

Challenge	Why it matters
Pace of change	Laws take years to pass; technology changes in months, so laws can be out of date on arrival
Jurisdiction	Data and services cross borders; a company, its servers and its users may be in different countries
Enforcement	Offenders can be anonymous or abroad; encrypted communications are hard to inspect
Balancing rights	Privacy against security; free speech against protection from harm
Technical understanding	Legislators may not fully understand the technology they regulate
Unforeseen uses	A law written for one technology may not fit a new one (e.g. AI-generated content)

UK legislation you may use as evidence (the specification does not name any Act, but citing real law accurately strengthens a legal point): the Data Protection Act 2018 (personal data), the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (unauthorised access), the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (copying creative work and software) and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (interception and surveillance by public bodies). Always say what the law requires, not just its name.

Worked example: planning an extended answer

Scenario: a city council wants to install cameras with facial recognition in its shopping centre.

Point 1 (social, opportunity)   Faster identification of wanted criminals and missing people
                                -> shoppers may feel safer
Point 2 (moral, risk)           Everyone is scanned without consent, not just suspects
                                -> loss of privacy; people may avoid the area
Point 3 (ethical, risk)         Recognition may be less accurate for some groups
                                -> wrongful stops; unfair treatment embedded in the software
Point 4 (legal)                 Biometric data is personal data: needs a lawful basis,
                                security and limits on how long it is kept
Point 5 (scale / legislators)   Once installed it can be extended city-wide;
                                law may lag behind the technology
Judgement                       Acceptable only with clear limits, accuracy testing,
                                independent oversight and public consultation

Each point: state it, explain the consequence, link to the scenario. Finish with a supported judgement.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Listing issues without explaining their consequences for people in the scenario.
• Writing only benefits or only risks – “discuss” needs both sides and a conclusion.
• Naming a law without saying what it requires, or attaching the wrong Act to an issue.
• Writing a general essay on “technology” instead of using the details in the question.
• Treating “moral” and “legal” as the same thing: something can be legal but wrong, or illegal but defensible.
• Forgetting the specification’s own ideas – power, embedded values, scale, challenges for legislators – which make strong, specific points.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a moral and an ethical issue in AQA 7517? The specification pairs individual with moral and social with ethical. Moral issues concern what an individual or organisation should do; ethical issues concern effects on society and fairness to groups.

Do I need to learn specific laws? The specification does not name any Acts, but asks you to discuss the challenges facing legislators. Accurate reference to real laws, such as the Data Protection Act 2018, makes a legal point more convincing.

How do I reach the top band in an extended answer? Cover several different issues, explain each consequence in the context of the scenario, balance opportunities against risks and finish with a justified judgement.

Related resources

Consequences of uses of computing study guide | Consequences of uses of computing practice questions

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Computer Science (7516/7517) specification, Version 1.6 (31 July 2023), section 4.8 – aqa.org.uk/7517.