Who gets harmed: the five targets
The exam frames every harm question around who is affected. The Five harm targets are individuals, groups, society, organisations and ecosystems - and harms are not singular: one system (e.g. facial recognition) can hit several at once.
The exam frames every harm question around who is affected. Learn the five buckets and what sits in each.
| Target | What sits in it |
|---|---|
| Individuals | Civil rights, economic opportunity, safety |
| Groups | Discrimination towards population subgroups → gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status |
| Society | Democratic process, trust in government, educational access, job redistribution |
| Organisations | Reputational, cultural, economic, acceleration risks |
| Ecosystems | Natural resources, environment, supply chain |
Harms are not singular - one system can hit several targets at once. The set-piece example is facial recognition → harms individuals (journalists, protesters, domestic-violence victims, wrongful identification for a crime), groups (identifying marginalised people who gather regularly at one location), society (deepfakes and spoofing eroding public trust) and organisations (privacy violations and security breaches through biometric theft).
Key terms - quick answers
What is “Five harm targets”?
Sources and study method
This independent lesson uses active recall, spaced retrieval and scenario practice. Read the full study method.