Spec & Goals 3 min
AQA Spec 3.8.1 — Ethical, legal, cultural, privacy and environmental impacts; stakeholders
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Name the five types of impact AQA examines.
- Define a stakeholder and identify who is affected by a technology.
- Discuss both benefits and drawbacks of a digital technology.
Warm-Up 5 min
This unit looks at how computing affects the wider world. Almost every technology brings benefits and problems at the same time — and the exam wants both sides.
Quick starter
Smartphones connect us instantly. Name one clear benefit and one genuine downside of everyone carrying one.
Reveal the idea
Benefit: instant communication and access to information. Downside: privacy loss, distraction, or e-waste. Good Unit 8 answers always weigh both.
Key Concept — five lenses + who is affected 14 min
AQA asks you to consider the impacts of digital technology through five lenses:
| Impact | About… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical | What is right or fair to do. | Is it fair for an algorithm to decide who gets a loan? |
| Legal | What the law allows or forbids. | Hacking is illegal under the Computer Misuse Act. |
| Cultural | Effects on groups, society and behaviour. | Social media changing how people interact. |
| Privacy | Control over personal data. | Apps tracking your location. |
| Environmental | Effects on the planet. | E-waste and the energy used by data centres. |
Stakeholders
A stakeholder is any person or group affected by a technology or decision. Good answers consider several stakeholders, because an impact can help one group and harm another.
- Individuals — users, customers, employees.
- Organisations — businesses, schools, hospitals.
- Society / the public — communities, future generations.
- The environment — treated as a stakeholder too.
Worked Example — many lenses, many stakeholders 12 min
Problem: A supermarket replaces cashiers with self-checkout machines. Analyse the impacts and stakeholders.
| Lens | Impact | Stakeholder affected |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical | Is it fair to replace workers with machines? | Cashiers (jobs lost). |
| Cultural | Less human interaction when shopping. | Customers, community. |
| Legal/Privacy | Cameras and loyalty data collected. | Customers (data privacy). |
| Environmental | Machines use energy and become e-waste. | The environment. |
Balanced conclusion: the shop saves money and customers may queue less (benefits), but cashiers lose jobs and some shoppers dislike the change (drawbacks). Different stakeholders gain and lose.
Try It Yourself 12 min
Goal: List the five types of impact AQA examines.
Goal: Define stakeholder and name three stakeholders affected by a new school fingerprint-payment system.
Goal: Give an example of something that is legal but could be seen as unethical, and explain why.
📝 Exam Practice 10 min
Define the term stakeholder.
Mark scheme
- A person or group affected by / with an interest in a technology or system (1).
Identify two different types of impact that digital technology can have on society.
Mark scheme
- Any two of: ethical / legal / cultural / privacy / environmental (2).
A town installs CCTV cameras with facial recognition. Discuss the impacts on different stakeholders.
Mark scheme
Levels-marked (up to 6). Reward balanced points across lenses, e.g.:
- Benefit — deters crime / helps police (society safer).
- Privacy — constant tracking of innocent people (individuals).
- Ethical — consent; bias in recognition; who controls the data.
- A reasoned conclusion weighing safety against privacy gains top marks.
Recap & Key Terms 3 min
Technology has ethical, legal, cultural, privacy and environmental impacts — usually benefits and drawbacks together. A stakeholder is anyone affected; impacts often help one group and harm another. "Legal" and "ethical" are not the same. Strong answers stay balanced.
- Ethical issue
- A question of what is morally right or fair, separate from what is legal.
- Legal issue
- Whether something complies with the law.
- Privacy
- A person's right to control their personal data.
- Stakeholder
- A person or group affected by, or interested in, a technology.
Homework 1 min
Task (≤ 15 min): Pick a technology you use daily. Write one impact under each of the five lenses (ethical, legal, cultural, privacy, environmental), naming a stakeholder for each.
Model answer (example — ride-hailing app)
Ethical: drivers paid per trip with little security (drivers). Legal: must follow data-protection law (company). Cultural: changes how people travel (society). Privacy: app tracks every journey (passengers). Environmental: more cars on the road / app servers use energy (environment).
Award marks for: one valid impact per lens (5), each tied to a stakeholder.