Effects of Computers Across Application Areas

A big jump in depth from Grade 10 — this subtopic covers how computers reshape the workplace, the many faces of computer crime, and how to critically evaluate information sources.

Effect on the workplace and employment practices:

AUP (Acceptable User Policy): A formal policy set by an organisation defining how employees/users are permitted to use company IT resources and networks.
Decentralisation of the workplace: Employees are no longer required to work from one central physical location, enabled by networked/remote computing (e.g. remote work).

Replacement of the workforce: robotics, artificial intelligence, and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, e.g. drones) are increasingly automating tasks previously done by humans — raising both efficiency gains and job displacement concerns.

Computer crime — social engineering techniques (manipulating people, not systems, into giving up information or access):

Technique	Description
Shoulder surfing	Directly observing someone entering a password/PIN or viewing sensitive information
Dumpster diving	Searching through discarded rubbish for sensitive information (documents, old hardware)
Phishing	Fraudulent messages designed to trick a user into revealing sensitive information
Trojan horse	Malware disguised as legitimate software to trick a user into installing it
Reverse social engineering	The attacker creates a situation where the VICTIM contacts THEM for help, making the victim trust the attacker more readily
Social media social engineering	Using information gathered from social media profiles to craft a convincing, targeted attack

Hacker: Broadly, someone who gains unauthorised access to computer systems — can be ethical ('white hat') or malicious ('black hat').
Cracker: Specifically refers to someone who breaks into systems with malicious intent, often to steal data or cause damage.
Virus author: Someone who writes malicious code intended to spread and cause harm.

Types of computer crime: theft of hardware, theft of software (piracy), theft of information, identity theft, bandwidth theft (unauthorised use of someone's network connection), and theft of time and services (unauthorised use of computing resources).

Safeguards against computer crime draw directly on 11.2.8's threats/solutions toolkit — strong passwords and authentication, user rights, firewalls, encryption, staff training against social engineering, and regular audits.

Consequences of inaccurate information: can mislead decision-making, damage reputations, spread panic or misinformation, and cause real financial or safety harm.

Criteria to evaluate the reliability of a data source/website — remember with the acronym-style checklist:

Criterion	Question to ask
Affiliation	Who supports/funds/owns this source? Could that create bias?
Audience	What level/who is the content written for — general public, experts?
Authority	Who is the author, and what are their credentials/expertise?
Content	Is the content well-organised, and do the links actually work?
Currency	Is the information current/up-to-date?
Design	Is the site well-designed, easy to navigate, and does it load quickly?
Objectivity	Does the source present information fairly, or does it reflect a clear bias/preconception?

💡 Exam Tip

The evaluation-criteria table above (Affiliation, Audience, Authority, Content, Currency, Design, Objectivity) is a classic long-answer question — practise applying all seven criteria to a specific example website, not just listing them.