Ethics for the Information Age

by Quinn, Michael J.

• ISBN13: 9780321375261
• ISBN10: 0321375262
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Addison Wesley

Summary

Widely praised for its balanced treatment of computer ethics, Ethics for the Information Age offers a modern presentation of the moral controversies surrounding information technology. Topics such as privacy and intellectual property are explored through multiple ethical theories, encouraging readers to think critically about these issues and to make their own ethical decisions.

Author Biography

Michael J. Quinn is a professor of computer science at Oregon State University.

Table of Contents

Preface	xix
Catalysts for Change	1	(52)
Introduction	2	(4)
Milestones in Computing	6	(16)
Mechanical Adding Machines	6	(3)
The Analytical Engine	9	(1)
Boolean Algebra	10	(1)
Zuse's Z Series	11	(1)
Harvard Mark 1	12	(1)
Colossus	13	(1)
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer	13	(1)
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)	13	(1)
Small-Scale Experimental Machine	14	(1)
First Commercial Computers	15	(2)
Transistor	17	(1)
Integrated Circuit	18	(1)
IBM System/360	19	(1)
Microprocessor	20	(2)
Milestones in Networking	22	(9)
Electricity and Electromagnetism	22	(1)
Telegraph	23	(1)
Telephone	24	(1)
Typewriter and Teletype	25	(1)
Radio	26	(1)
Television	27	(1)
Remote Computing	28	(1)
ARPANET	28	(1)
Email	29	(1)
Internet	29	(2)
NSFNET	31	(1)
Broadband	31	(1)
Milestones in Information Storage and Retrieval	31	(8)
Codex	31	(1)
Gutenberg's Printing Press	32	(1)
Newspapers	32	(1)
Hypertext	33	(1)
Personal Computers	34	(2)
Single-Computer Hypertext Systems	36	(1)
Networked Hypertext: World Wide Web	36	(2)
Search Engines	38	(1)
Information Technology Issues	39	(14)
Summary	40	(2)
Review Questions	42	(4)
Discussion Questions	46	(1)
In-Class Exercises	46	(1)
Further Reading	47	(1)
References	48	(3)
An Interview with Douglas Engelbart	51	(2)
Introduction to Ethics	53	(54)
Introduction	53	(7)
Defining Terms	54	(1)
Four Scenarios	55	(4)
Overview of Ethical Theories	59	(1)
Subjective Relativism	60	(2)
The Case for Subjective Relativism	60	(1)
The Case against Subjective Relativism	61	(1)
Cultural Relativism	62	(4)
The Case for Cultural Relativism	63	(1)
The Case against Cultural Relativism	64	(2)
Divine Command Theory	66	(3)
The Case for the Divine Command Theory	66	(1)
The Case against the Divine Command Theory	67	(2)
Kantianism	69	(5)
Good Will and the Categorical Imperative	69	(2)
Evaluating a Scenario Using Kantianism	71	(1)
The Case for Kantianism	72	(1)
The Case against Kantianism	73	(1)
Act Utilitarianism	74	(5)
Principle of Utility	74	(1)
Evaluating a Scenario Using Act Utilitarianism	75	(1)
The Case for Act Utilitarianism	76	(1)
The Case against Act Utilitarianism	77	(2)
Rule Utilitarianism	79	(3)
Basis of Rule Utilitarianism	79	(1)
Evaluating a Scenario Using Rule Utilitarianism	79	(1)
The Case for Rule Utilitarianism	80	(1)
The Case against Utilitarianism in General	81	(1)
Social Contract Theory	82	(8)
The Social Contract	82	(2)
Rawls's Theory of Justice	84	(3)
Evaluating a Scenario Using Social Contract Theory	87	(1)
The Case for Social Contract Theory	87	(2)
The Case against Social Contract Theory	89	(1)
Comparing Workable Ethical Theories	90	(1)
Morality of Breaking the Law	91	(16)
Social Contract Theory Perspective	91	(1)
Kantian Perspective	91	(1)
Rule Utilitarian Perspective	92	(1)
Act Utilitarian Perspective	93	(1)
Conclusion	93	(1)
Summary	94	(1)
Review Questions	95	(2)
Discussion Questions	97	(1)
In-Class Exercises	98	(1)
Further Reading	99	(1)
References	99	(4)
An Interview with James Moor	103	(4)
Networking	107	(48)
Introduction	107	(2)
Email and Spam	109	(6)
How Email Works	109	(1)
The Spam Epidemic	110	(2)
Ethical Evaluations of Spamming	112	(3)
Fighting Spam	115	(5)
Mail Abuse Prevention System	115	(1)
Ethical Evaluations of Blacklisting by MAPS	116	(1)
Proposed Solutions to the Spam Epidemic	117	(1)
CAN SPAM Act of 2003	118	(2)
Emergence of ``Spim''	120	(1)
The World Wide Web	120	(4)
Attributes of the Web	120	(1)
How We Use the Web	121	(2)
Too Much Control or Too Little?	123	(1)
Ethical Perspectives on Pornography	124	(2)
Analyses Concluding Pornography Is Immoral	124	(1)
Analyses Concluding Adult Pornography Is Moral	125	(1)
Commentary	125	(1)
Summary	125	(1)
Censorship	126	(3)
Direct Censorship	126	(1)
Self-Censorship	127	(1)
Challenges Posed by the Internet	127	(1)
Ethical Perspectives on Censorship	128	(1)
Freedom of Expression	129	(3)
History	129	(1)
Freedom of Expression Not an Absolute Right	130	(1)
FCC v. Pacifica Foundation et al.	131	(1)
Children and the Web	132	(3)
Web Filters	132	(1)
Child Internet Protection Act	133	(1)
Ethical Evaluations of CIPA	133	(2)
Breaking Trust on the Internet	135	(5)
Identity Theft	135	(2)
Chat-Room Predators	137	(1)
Ethical Evaluations of Police ``Sting'' Operations	138	(1)
False Information	139	(1)
Internet Addiction	140	(15)
Is Internet Addiction Real?	140	(2)
Contributing Factors	142	(1)
Ethical Evaluation of Internet Addiction	143	(1)
Summary	144	(1)
Review Questions	145	(1)
Discussion Questions	146	(1)
In-Class Exercises	147	(1)
Further Reading	148	(1)
References	148	(5)
An Interview with Jennifer Preece	153	(2)
Intellectual Property	155	(56)
Introduction	155	(2)
Intellectual Property Rights	157	(6)
What Is Intellectual Property?	157	(1)
Property Rights	157	(2)
Extending the Argument to Intellectual Property	159	(2)
Benefits of Intellectual Property Protection	161	(1)
Limits to Intellectual Property Protection	161	(2)
Protecting Intellectual Property	163	(6)
Trade Secrets	163	(1)
Trademarks and Service Marks	164	(1)
Patents	165	(1)
Copyrights	165	(4)
Fair Use	169	(5)
Sony v. Universal City Studios	170	(1)
RIAA v. Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc.	171	(2)
Digital Technology and Fair Use	173	(1)
New Restrictions on Use	174	(4)
Digital Millennium Copyright Act	174	(1)
Digital Rights Management	175	(1)
Secure Digital Music Initiative	175	(1)
Encrypting DVDs	176	(1)
Making CDs Copyproof	177	(1)
Criticisms of Digital Rights Management	177	(1)
Peer-to-Peer Networks	178	(6)
Napster	179	(1)
FastTrack	179	(1)
BitTorrent	180	(1)
RIAA Lawsuits	180	(1)
MP3 Spoofing	181	(1)
Universities Caught in the Middle	182	(1)
MGM v. Grokster	183	(1)
Legal Music Services on the Internet	184	(1)
Protections for Software	184	(4)
Software Copyrights	185	(1)
Violations of Software Copyrights	185	(1)
Software Patents	186	(1)
Safe Software Development	187	(1)
Open-Source Software	188	(5)
Consequences of Proprietary Software	188	(1)
Open-Source Definition	189	(1)
Beneficial Consequences of Open-Source Software	189	(1)
Examples of Open-Source Software	190	(1)
The GNU Project and Linux	191	(1)
Impact of Open-Source Software	192	(1)
Critique of the Open-Source Software Movement	192	(1)
Legitimacy of Intellectual Property Protection for Software	193	(3)
Rights-Based Analysis	193	(1)
Utilitarian Analysis	194	(2)
Conclusion	196	(1)
Creative Commons	196	(15)
Summary	198	(4)
Review Questions	202	(1)
Discussion Questions	203	(1)
In-Class Exercises	204	(1)
Further Reading	204	(1)
References	205	(4)
An Interview with Wendy Seltzer	209	(2)
Privacy	211	(68)
Introduction	211	(2)
Perspectives on Privacy	213	(8)
Defining Privacy	213	(1)
Harms and Benefits of Privacy	214	(3)
Is There a Natural Right to Privacy?	217	(3)
Privacy and Trust	220	(1)
Disclosing Information	221	(2)
Public Information	223	(5)
Rewards or Loyalty Programs	223	(1)
Body Scanners	224	(1)
Digital Video Recorders	224	(1)
Automobile ``Black Boxes''	225	(1)
Enhanced 911 Service	225	(1)
RFIDs	226	(1)
Implanted Chips	227	(1)
Cookies	227	(1)
Spyware	228	(1)
U.S. Legislation	228	(2)
Fair Credit Reporting Act	228	(1)
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act	229	(1)
Video Privacy Protection Act	229	(1)
Financial Services Modernization Act	229	(1)
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act	229	(1)
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act	230	(1)
Public Records	230	(4)
Census Records	230	(1)
Internal Revenue Service Records	231	(1)
FBI National Crime Information Center 2000	231	(1)
Privacy Act of 1974	232	(2)
Covert Government Surveillance	234	(4)
Wiretaps and Bugs	235	(2)
Operation Shamrock	237	(1)
U.S. Legislation Authorizing Wiretapping	238	(6)
Title III	239	(1)
Electronic Communications Privacy Act	239	(1)
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act	239	(1)
USA Patriot Act	240	(4)
Data Mining	244	(5)
Marketplace: Households	246	(1)
IRS Audits	246	(1)
Syndromic Surveillance System	246	(1)
Total Information Awareness	247	(1)
Criticisms of the TIA Program	247	(1)
Who Should Own Information about a Transaction?	248	(1)
Opt-in Versus Opt-out	248	(1)
Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)	249	(1)
Identity Theft	249	(5)
Background	249	(2)
History and Role of the Social Security Number	251	(1)
Debate over a National ID Card	252	(1)
The REAL ID Act	253	(1)
Encryption	254	(25)
Symmetric Encryption	254	(1)
Public-Key Cryptography	255	(1)
Pretty Good Privacy	255	(3)
Clipper Chip	258	(1)
Effects of U.S. Export Restrictions	258	(1)
Digital Cash	259	(3)
Summary	262	(2)
Review Questions	264	(2)
Discussion Questions	266	(2)
In-class Exercises	268	(1)
Further Reading	269	(1)
References	269	(6)
An Interview with Ann Cavoukian	275	(4)
Computer and Network Security	279	(46)
Introduction	279	(1)
Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses	280	(12)
Viruses	280	(3)
Worms	283	(3)
The Internet Worm	286	(4)
Trojan Horses	290	(1)
Defensive Measures	291	(1)
Phreaks and Hackers	292	(12)
Hackers	292	(4)
Phone Phreaking	296	(1)
The Cuckoo's Egg	297	(1)
Legion of Doom	297	(1)
Fry Guy	298	(1)
U.S. v. Riggs	299	(1)
Steve Jackson Games	300	(1)
Retrospective	301	(1)
Penalties for Hacking	302	(1)
Recent Incidents	303	(1)
Denial-of-Service Attacks	304	(4)
Attacks that Consume Scarce Resources	304	(3)
Defensive Measures	307	(1)
Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks	307	(1)
SATAN	308	(1)
Online Voting	308	(17)
Motivation for Online Voting	308	(1)
Proposals	309	(1)
Ethical Evaluation	310	(3)
Summary	313	(1)
Review Questions	314	(1)
Discussion Questions	315	(1)
In-Class Exercises	316	(1)
Further Reading	317	(1)
References	318	(3)
An Interview with Matt Bishop	321	(4)
Computer Reliability	325	(44)
Introduction	325	(1)
Data-Entry or Data-Retrieval Errors	326	(2)
Disfranchised Voters	326	(1)
False Arrests	327	(1)
Analysis: Accuracy of NCIC Records	327	(1)
Software and Billing Errors	328	(2)
Errors Leading to System Malfunctions	328	(1)
Errors Leading to System Failures	329	(1)
Analysis: E-Retailer Posts Wrong Price, Refuses to Deliver	329	(1)
Notable Software System Failures	330	(6)
Patriot Missile	331	(1)
Ariane 5	332	(1)
AT&T Long-Distance Network	333	(1)
Robot Missions to Mars	333	(2)
Denver International Airport	335	(1)
Therac-25	336	(8)
Genesis of the Therac-25	337	(1)
Chronology of Accidents and AECL Responses	337	(3)
Software Errors	340	(2)
Post Mortem	342	(1)
Moral Responsibility of the Therac-25 Team	343	(1)
Computer Simulations	344	(3)
Uses of Simulation	344	(1)
Validating Simulations	345	(2)
Software Engineering	347	(3)
Specification	347	(1)
Development	348	(1)
Validation	349	(1)
Software Quality Is Improving	350	(1)
Software Warranties	350	(19)
Shrinkwrap Warranties	351	(1)
Are Software Warranties Enforceable?	352	(3)
Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act	355	(2)
Moral Responsibility of Software Manufacturers	357	(2)
Summary	359	(2)
Review Questions	361	(2)
Discussion Questions	363	(1)
In-class Exercises	364	(1)
Further Reading	365	(1)
References	365	(4)
Work and Wealth	369	(46)
Introduction	369	(1)
Automation and Unemployment	370	(9)
Automation and Job Destruction	371	(1)
Automation and Job Creation	372	(3)
Effects of Increase in Productivity	375	(1)
Rise of the Robots?	376	(3)
Workplace Changes	379	(6)
Organizational Changes	379	(2)
Telework	381	(2)
Temporary Work	383	(1)
Monitoring	383	(1)
Multinational Teams	384	(1)
Globalization	385	(4)
Arguments for Globalization	385	(2)
Arguments against Globalization	387	(1)
Dot-Com Bust Increases IT Sector Unemployment	387	(1)
Foreign Workers in the American IT Industry	388	(1)
Foreign Competition	389	(1)
The Digital Divide	389	(5)
Evidence of the Digital Divide	390	(1)
Models of Technological Diffusion	391	(1)
Critiques of the Digital Divide	392	(2)
The ``Winner-Take-All Society''	394	(3)
The Winner-Take-All Phenomenon	394	(1)
Harmful Effects of Winner-Take-All	395	(2)
Reducing Winner-Take-All Effects	397	(1)
Access to Public Colleges	397	(18)
Effects of Tuition Increases	397	(1)
Ethical Analysis	398	(3)
Summary	401	(2)
Review Questions	403	(1)
Discussion Questions	403	(1)
In-class Exercises	404	(2)
Further Reading	406	(1)
References	406	(5)
An Interview with Jerry Berman	411	(4)
Professional Ethics	415	(44)
Introduction	415	(1)
Is Software Engineering a Profession?	416	(3)
Characteristics of a Profession	416	(1)
Certified Public Accountants	417	(1)
Software Engineers	418	(1)
Software Engineering Code of Ethics	419	(9)
Preamble	420	(1)
Principles	421	(7)
Analysis of the Code	428	(5)
Preamble	428	(1)
Virtue Ethics	429	(3)
Alternative List of Fundamental Principles	432	(1)
Case Studies	433	(5)
Software Recommendation	434	(1)
Child Pornography	435	(1)
Anti-Worm	436	(2)
Whistleblowing	438	(21)
Morton Thiokol/NASA	439	(2)
Hughes Aircraft	441	(2)
Morality of Whistleblowing	443	(3)
Summary	446	(2)
Review Questions	448	(1)
Discussion Questions	449	(1)
In-class Exercises	450	(1)
Further Reading	451	(1)
References	451	(4)
An Interview with Paul Axtell	455	(4)
Appendix A: Plagiarism	459	(4)
Consequences of Plagiarism	459	(1)
Types of Plagiarism	459	(1)
Guidelines for Citing Sources	460	(1)
How to Avoid Plagiarism	460	(1)
Misuse of Sources	460	(1)
Additional Information	461	(1)
References	461	(2)
Index	463