Rucete ✏ AP Computer Science Principles In a Nutshell
6. Impact of Computing
This chapter explores how computing innovations affect societies, economies, and cultures, including both intended and unintended effects, bias in computing, legal and ethical issues, safe computing practices, and cybersecurity threats.
The World Wide Web and the Internet
• Internet: A global network connecting millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks.
• World Wide Web: An information system accessed via the internet; originally designed for scientific information exchange.
• Positive and negative societal impacts include better communication and business opportunities, along with misinformation spread and privacy loss.
Digital Divide
• Digital divide: Gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not.
• Causes include infrastructure, education, cost, and indifference.
• Projects like Google X’s Project Loon aim to reduce this divide by expanding internet access.
• AP CSP ensures 9 hours of class time for all students to mitigate digital divide effects.
Beneficial and Harmful Effects of Computing Innovations
• Effects can be beneficial, harmful, or both depending on perspective.
• Example: GPS navigation benefits users but can be used by authorities for surveillance.
• Technology shifts how people work and complete tasks (e.g., AP exams grading now virtual).
Unintended Consequences
• Some innovations evolve beyond their original purpose (e.g., internet use, Dijkstra’s greedy algorithm).
• Computing innovations can lead to widespread effects not originally anticipated, both positive and negative.
Examples of Societal Impacts
• Innovations like Snapchat, Uber, WhatsApp, and cloud computing significantly influence communication, commerce, and daily life.
• Global resource distribution and mobile technology amplify issues of equity, access, and power.
Bias in Computing
• Algorithms can reflect human biases, leading to unintended discrimination.
• Biased input data or biased design choices may affect hiring, loan approvals, and policing.
• Programmers must actively work to minimize bias in algorithm development and data selection.
Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science
• Crowdsourcing gathers contributions from large groups of people for funding, data collection, or ideas (e.g., Stack Overflow, GoFundMe, community garden funding).
• Citizen science involves non-scientists in scientific research (e.g., firefly population studies).
Legal and Ethical Concerns
• Ethical computing involves considering the positive and negative consequences of innovations.
• Legal concerns include:
• Copyright: Protects creative works automatically upon creation (e.g., music, books, software).
• Creative Commons licenses: Allow creators to specify how others can use their work.
• Open-source software: Publicly available software that can be freely modified and shared.
• Open access: Research articles made freely available to everyone online.
Safe Computing Practices
• Best practices for protecting data and privacy:
• Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication.
• Be cautious when sharing personal information online.
• Regularly update software to patch vulnerabilities.
• Understand privacy policies and permissions when installing apps.
Malware and Cybersecurity Threats
• Malware types:
• Virus: Attaches to programs and spreads when executed.
• Worm: Self-replicates and spreads across networks.
• Trojan horse: Disguises as a legitimate program but harms the system.
• Ransomware: Encrypts files and demands payment for decryption keys.
Social Engineering Attacks
• Social engineering manipulates people into giving up confidential information (e.g., phishing emails, fake tech support calls).
• Be skeptical of unsolicited communications requesting sensitive data.
Phishing and Spoofing
• Phishing: Fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information by pretending to be trustworthy (often via email or fake websites).
• Spoofing: Impersonating another device, user, or website to steal information or gain unauthorized access.
Importance of Cybersecurity
• Protecting digital systems and information is critical in the interconnected world.
• Organizations implement firewalls, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, and encryption to enhance security.
• Users play an important role by practicing safe online behaviors and reporting suspicious activity.
In a Nutshell
Computing innovations profoundly impact society, both positively and negatively. Ethical and legal considerations guide responsible technology development and usage. Safe computing practices and strong cybersecurity awareness are essential to protect individual privacy and organizational integrity in the face of evolving digital threats.