Computers, Ethics, and Society

by Ermann, M. David; Williams, Mary B.; Shauf, Michele S.

• ISBN13: 9780195107562
• ISBN10: 019510756X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-03-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Computers can have both a positive and negative impact on our lives. As they become increasingly important, these machines have the potential to deprive us of our privacy and even the jobs we need to support ourselves. On the other hand, they can enhance the quality of human life by producingunimagined freedom from drudgery and want. Ideal for students in sociology, philosophy, and computer science courses, Computers, Ethics, and Society serves as a reminder that although technology has the potential to improve or undermine our quality of life, it is society which has the power toultimately decide how computers will affect our lives. Computers, Ethics, and Society, now in its second edition, provides a stimulating set of interdisciplinary readings specifically designed to understand these issues. The readings examine current computer problems, discussing them at a level that can explain future realities. Topics include thethreat to privacy, computer wrong-doing and whistleblowing, and the questions of how to decide when and if a computer-related act is wrongful. In addition, the problems of unemployment and opportunities for international cooperation are considered in light of broader issues of justice and community.New chapters in the second edition deal with specific and timely issues such as the conflict over copyrights on the Internet; the influence and effect of computer technology on women, minorities, and third world societies; and the exploitations of Internet technology by right-wing militia groups andother underground organizations.

Author Biography

M. David Ermann is Professor of Sociology at the University of Delaware Michele S. Shauf is a scholar of graphics visualization and usability. She is currently employed in the private sector

Table of Contents

I. Computers in an Ethical Framework	3	(66)
The Ethical Context of Computing
1. Ethical Issues in Computing: Work, Privacy, and Justice	3	(17)
Mary B. Williams
2. Information Technologies Could Threaten Privacy, Freedom, and Democracy	20	(6)
Dorothy Nelkin
3. Technology Is a Tool of the Powerful	26	(7)
Philip Bereano
Ethical Theories We All Use
4. The Best Action Is the One with the Best Consequences	33	(9)
John Hospers
5. The Best Action Is the One in Accord with Universal Rules	42	(5)
James Rachels
Is Our Intuitive Moral Sense a Reliable Guide?
6. Fundamental Tendencies Underlying the Human Moral System	47	(10)
James Q. Wilson
7. "Design Errors" in the Human Moral System	57	(12)
Mary Maxwell
II. Computers and Personal Life	69	(92)
Privacy Concerns in Computerized Society
8. Why Privacy Is Important	69	(8)
James Rachels
9. Are Hacker Break-ins Ethical?	77	(12)
Eugene H. Spafford
10. Your "Private" Information May Be Public Property	89	(10)
Carl Hausman
11. Solving the Problems of Electronic Cash	99	(15)
Steven Levy
Effects of Computerization on Personal Fulfillment
12. Information and Our Interactive Future	114	(8)
Bill Gates
13. Will There Be a Job for Me in the New Information Age?	122	(6)
Jeremy Rifkin
14. Informing Ourselves to Death	128	(9)
Neil Postman
How Computers Affect Interpersonal Relationships
15. Social Relations and Personal Identity in a Computerized Society	137	(15)
Kenneth J. Gergen
16. Gender Differences in Online Communication	152	(9)
Judith Broadhurst
III. Computers and the Just Society	161	(110)
Work in the Computerized Society
17. Computers Transform the Work Setting	161	(14)
Ian G. Barbour
18. Computerization, Work, and Less-Developed Countries	175	(15)
Ruth Pearson
Swasti Mitter
19. Computing in Small, Energetic Countries	190	(7)
Jason Dedrick
Seymour Goodman
Kenneth Kraemer
20. Whatever Happened to the Information Revolution in the Workplace?	197	(11)
Tom Forester
Computer Law in the Just Society
21. The Constitution in Cyberspace	208	(12)
Laurence H. Tribe
22. The World Wide Web and Copyright Law	220	(6)
Lance Rose
23. Copyright Battles on the Web: From Elvis to Wittgenstein	226	(3)
Ross Kerber
24. The GNU Manifesto	229	(11)
Richard M. Stallman
The Role of Government in Computerized Society
25. Legislation to Protect Privacy	240	(7)
Thomas R. Mylott III
26. Digital Communication Must Not Weaken Law Enforcement	247	(16)
Dorothy E. Denning
27. Wiretap Laws Must Not Weaken Digital Communications	263	(8)
Marc Rotenberg
IV. Computing Professionals and Their Ethical Responsibilities	271
What People Do Matters
28. The Morality of Whistle-Blowing	271	(8)
Sissela Bok
29. Lotus Marketplace: How the Good Guys Finally Won	279	(6)
Steven Levy
30. Why Good People Do Bad Things: The Case of Collective Violence	285	(18)
Craig Summers
Eric Markusen
31. People Are Responsible, Computers Are Not	303	(10)
Batya Friedman
Peter H. Kahn, Jr.
Professional Codes
32. The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics	313	(1)
Computer Ethics Institute
33. ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct	314	(9)
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
34. Using the ACM Code	323	(11)
Ronald E. Anderson
Deborah G. Johnson
Donald Gotterbarn
Judith Perrolle
35. Can We Find a Single Ethical Code?	334
Robert N. Barger