Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology

by Herman T. Tavani (Rivier College )

• ISBN13: 9780471998037
• ISBN10: 0471998036
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780471249665
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: Wiley
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

"Herman Tavani has written an excellent introduction to the field of cyberethics. . . . We need a good book in cyberethics to deal with the present and prepare us for an uncertain future. Tavani\'s Ethics and Technology is such a book."--from the foreword by James Moor, Dartmouth College Is there privacy in a world of camera phones and wireless networking? Does technology threaten your civil liberties? How will bioinformatics and nanotechnology affect us? Should you worry about equity and access in a globalized economy? From privacy and security to free speech and intellectual property to globalization and outsourcing, the issues and controversies of the information age are serious, complex, and pervasive. In this new edition of his groundbreaking book, Herman Tavani introduces computer professionals to the emerging field of Cyberethics, the interdisciplinary field of study that addresses these new ethical issues from all perspectives: technical, social, and philosophical. Using fascinating real-world examples--including the latest court decisions in such cases as Verizon v. RIAA, MGM v. Grokster, Google versus the Bush Administration, and the Children\'s Online Pornography Act (CIPA) --as well as hypothetical scenarios, he shows you how to understand and analyze the practical, moral, and legal issues that impact your work and your life. Tavani discusses such cutting-edge areas as: * Globalization and outsourcing * Property rights and open source software * HIPAA (privacy laws) and surveillance * The Patriot Act and civil liberties * Bioinformatics and genomics research * Converging technologies--pervasive computing and nanocomputing * Children\'s online pornography laws Updating and expanding upon the previous edition, Ethics and Technology, Second Edition provides a much-needed ethical compass to help computer and non-computer professionals alike navigate the challenging waters of cyberspace. About the Author Herman T. Tavani is Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College and Co-Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT). He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on ethical aspects of information technology. www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Author Biography

Herman T. Tavani is Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College and Co-Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT). He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on ethical aspects of information technology. 
 www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xv
Organisation and Structure of the Book	p. xvii
The Web Site for Ethics and Technology	p. xx
A Note to Students	p. xxi
Note to Instructors: A Roadmap for using this book	p. xxi
A Note to Computer Science Instructors	p. xxii
Acknowledgments	p. xxv
Foreword	p. xxvii
Introduction to Cyberethics: Concepts, Perspectives, and Methodological Frameworks	p. 1
Verizon and the Recording Industry	p. 1
The Amy Boyer Cyberstalking Case	p. 2
Defining Key Terms: Cyberethics and Cybertechnology	p. 3
The Cyberethics Evolution: Four Developmental Phases	p. 5
Are Cyberethics Issues Unique Ethical Issues?	p. 7
Designing a Controversial Computer System	p. 8
Software Piracy	p. 9
Case Illustration of a Policy Vacuum: Duplicating Computer Software	p. 10
Cyberethics as a Branch of Applied Ethics: Three Distinct Perspectives	p. 12
Describing the Impact of a Technology on a Community's Workforce	p. 18
A Comprehensive Cyberethics Methodology	p. 22
A Comprehensive Strategy for Approaching Cyberethics Issues	p. 26
Chapter Summary	p. 27
Review Questions	p. 28
Discussion Questions	p. 28
References	p. 29
Further Readings	p. 30
Online Resources	p. 30
Ethical Concepts and Ethical Theories: Establishing and Justifying a Moral System	p. 31
Ethics and Morality	p. 32
Discussion Stoppers as Roadblocks To Moral Discourse	p. 40
Scenario: Moral Relativism	p. 47
Why Do We Need Ethical Theories?	p. 47
Case Illustration: The Bork Bill	p. 49
Consequence-Based Ethical Theories	p. 50
Scenario: Act Utilitarianism	p. 51
Duty-Based Ethical Theories	p. 53
Scenario: Kant's Principles of Universality and Impartiality	p. 54
Hypothetical Scenario: A Dilemma that Involves Conflicting Duties	p. 56
Contract-Based Ethical Theories	p. 57
Character-Based Ethical Theories	p. 60
Integrating Aspects of Classical Ethical Theories into a Single Comprehensive Theory	p. 63
Chapter Summary	p. 66
Review Questions	p. 67
Discussion Questions	p. 68
References	p. 69
Further Readings	p. 69
Critical Thinking Skills and Logical Arguments: Tools for Evaluating Cyberethics Issues	p. 71
Critical Thinking and Logical Argumentation	p. 71
Constructing an Argument	p. 75
Valid Arguments	p. 76
Sound Arguments	p. 80
Invalid Arguments	p. 82
Inductive Arguments	p. 82
Fallacious Arguments	p. 84
A Seven-Step Strategy for Evaluating Arguments	p. 85
Identifying Some Common Fallacies	p. 87
Chapter Summary	p. 93
Review Questions	p. 93
Discussion Questions	p. 94
References	p. 94
Further Readings	p. 94
Professional Ethics, Codes of Conduct, and Moral Responsibility	p. 95
Professional Ethics	p. 96
Do Computer Professionals Have Any Special Moral Responsibilities?	p. 99
Professional Codes of Ethics and Codes of Conduct	p. 100
Conflicts of Professional Responsibility: Employee Loyalty and Whistle-Blowing	p. 109
Moral Responsibility, Legal Liability, and Accountability	p. 115
Case Illustration: Therac 25	p. 118
Assessing Risk In The SoftwareDevelopment Process	p. 120
Case Illustration: The Aegis Radar System	p. 120
Chapter Summary	p. 121
Review Questions	p. 122
Discussion Questions	p. 123
References	p. 124
Further Readings	p. 125
Privacy and Cyberspace	p. 127
Are Privacy Concerns Associated with Cybertechnology Unique or Special?	p. 128
What is Personal Privacy?	p. 130
Why is Privacy Important?	p. 132
Gathering Personal Data: Monitoring, Recording, and Tracking Techniques	p. 134
Case Illustration: The VeriChip Personal Identification System	p. 138
Exchanging Personal Data: Merging and Matching Electronic Records	p. 139
Case Illustration: Merging Information Retrieved From DoubleClick's and Abacus' Databases	p. 141
Scenario: Using Matching Techniques to Monitor Mail Entering and Leaving Your Neighborhood	p. 143
Case Illustration: Biometric Technology and Data Matching at Super Bowl XXXV	p. 143
Mining Personal	p. 144
Scenario: Data Mining at the XYZ Bank	p. 145
The Problem of Protecting Personal Privacy in Public	p. 148
Scenario: Shopping at SuperMart and Nile.com	p. 149
Case Illustration: Google Search Requests and the Bush Administration	p. 151
Scenario: Using an Internet Search Engine to Locate a Friend	p. 152
Two Case Illustrations: Using the Internet to Access Public Records in the City of Merrimack, New Hampshire and in the State of Oregon	p. 154
A Technological Solution to Online Privacy Concerns: Privacy-Enhancing Tools (PETs)	p. 155
Privacy Legislation and Industry Self-Regulation	p. 160
Case Illustration: Toysmart.com
Chapter Summary	p. 163
Review Questions	p. 164
Discussion Questions	p. 165
References	p. 166
Further Readings	p. 167
Security in Cyberspace	p. 169
Security In The Context Of Cybertechnology	p. 169
Three Aspects of Cybersecurity: Data, System, and Network Security	p. 171
Case Illustration: The Code Red Worm	p. 173
Ethical Aspects of Cybersecurity	p. 174
Cyberterrorism	p. 179
Case Illustration: A Computer Network Failure or an Instance of Cyberterrorism?	p. 179
Information Warfare	p. 181
Security Countermeasures	p. 183
Is a Code of Network Ethics Needed to Address Security Concerns in Cyberspace?	p. 187
Is Total Security In Cyberspace A Reasonable Expectation?	p. 188
Computer Security and Risk Analysis	p. 189
Chapter Summary	p. 190
Review Questions	p. 191
Discussion Questions	p. 191
References	p. 192
Further Readings	p. 193
Cybercrime and Cyberrelated Crimes	p. 195
Cybercrimes and Cybercriminals	p. 195
Defining Cybercrime	p. 202
Lee Uses a Computer to File a Fraudulent Income Tax Return	p. 203
Three Categories of Cybercrime: Piracy, Trespass, and Vandalism in Cyberspace	p. 204
Cyberrelated Crimes	p. 205
Programs and Techniques Designed to Combat Cybercrime in the United States	p. 209
Case Illustration: Entrapment on the Internet	p. 209
National and International Laws to Combat Cybercrime	p. 212
Scenario: A "Virtual Casino"	p. 212
Scenario: International Corporate Lawsuits	p. 213
Technologies and Tools for Combating Cybercrime	p. 214
Chapter Summary	p. 218
Review Questions	p. 218
Discussion Questions	p. 219
References	p. 219
Further Readings	p. 220
Intellectual Property Disputes in Cyberspace	p. 221
Background: The Intellectual Property Debate Involving Cybertechnology	p. 221
What is Intellectual Property, and Why Should it be Protected?	p. 222
Software as Intellectual Property	p. 224
Copyright Law	p. 225
Case Illustration: Eldred v. Attorney General John Ashcroft	p. 228
Case Illustration: Dimitri Sklyarov's Decryption Program	p. 228
Case Illustration: Distributing Proprietary Software in Cyberspace	p. 230
Case Illustration: The Original Napster Web Site	p. 231
Case Illustration: MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd	p. 232
Case Illustration: Decrypting Code for DVD Technology	p. 234
Patents, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets	p. 236
Case Illustration: A Pivotal Court Decision Involving Software Patents	p. 237
Case Illustration: Amazon.com v. BarnesandNoble.com	p. 238
Case Illustration: AOL v. AT&T	p. 238
Philosophical Foundations for Intellectual Property Rights	p. 239
Scenario: ABC Corporation v. XYZ, Inc.	p. 241
Scenario: Sam's Multiple CD Loader/Reader	p. 242
Case Illustration: Using a Beatle's Song in a Television Commercial for Nike	p. 243
Scenario: Angela's B++ Programming Tool	p. 243
The Free Software and the Open Source Movements	p. 244
The "Common Good" Approach: An Alternative Framework for Analyzing the Intellectual Property Debate	p. 247
Information Wants to be Shared versus Information Wants to be Free	p. 248
Chapter Summary	p. 255
Review Questions	p. 255
Discussion Questions	p. 256
References	p. 257
Further Readings	p. 258
Regulating Commerce and Speech in Cyberspace	p. 259
Background Issues and Some Preliminary Distinctions	p. 260
Four Modes of Regulation: The Lessig Model	p. 263
Regulation by Code, Digital Rights Management (DRM), and the Privatization of Information Policy	p. 264
Case Illustration: Sony BMG Extended Copy Protection Scheme	p. 265
Internet Domain Names, (HTML) Metatags, and Hyperlinking on the Web	p. 266
Case Illustration: Amazon Bookstore Cooperative v. Amazon.com	p. 269
Scenario: A Misuse of Metatags	p. 270
Case Illustration: Bihari v. Gross	p. 271
Case Illustration: Ticketmaster v. Microsoft Corporation	p. 272
Spam	p. 272
Case Illustration: eBay v. Bidder's Edge	p. 275
Free Speech Versus Censorship and Content Control in Cyberspace	p. 276
Case Illustration: Mainstream Loudon v. Board of Trustees	p. 285
Defamation in Cyberspace and the Role of ISPs	p. 286
Chapter Summary	p. 291
Review Questions	p. 291
Discussion Questions	p. 292
References	p. 293
Further Readings	p. 294
Social Inclusion, the Digital Divide, and the Transformation of Work: The Impact for Class, Race, and Gender	p. 295
The Digital Divide	p. 296
Cybertechnology and the Disabled	p. 301
Race and Cybertechnology	p. 302
Case Illustration: The Development of the United States Highway System and Its Impact on African-Americans	p. 304
Gender and Cybertechnology	p. 305
Case Illustration: Designing Educational Software	p. 307
The Transformation of Work in the Era of Cybertechnology	p. 309
Scenario: Designing an Expert Administrator	p. 311
The Quality of Work Life	p. 314
Responding to Employee Surveillance Controversies: Two Proposals	p. 316
Employee E-mail Policies	p. 319
Chapter Summary	p. 319
Review Questions	p. 320
Discussion Questions	p. 320
References	p. 321
Further Readings	p. 323
Community and Identity in Cyberspace: Ethical Aspects of Virtual-Reality and Artificial-Intelligence Technologies	p. 325
Community in Cyberspace	p. 326
Case Illustration: A "Rape" in Cyberspace	p. 328
Democracy and the Internet	p. 328
Case Illustration: Viewing News Programs from Multiple Ideological Perspectives	p. 331
Virtual Environments	p. 334
Personal Identity and Cybertechnology	p. 338
Our Sense of Self in the Cyberera	p. 340
Scenario: Artificial Children	p. 346
Chapter Summary	p. 346
Review Questions	p. 347
Discussion Questions	p. 348
References	p. 348
Further Readings	p. 349
Pervasive Computing and Converging Technologies: Ethical Aspects of Ambient Intelligence, Bioinformatics, and Nanocomputing	p. 351
Introduction and Overview	p. 352
Ambient Intelligence	p. 355
Hypothetical Scenario: A Day in the Life of a "Smart Home"	p. 355
Scenario: Becoming too Dependent on Machines	p. 359
Case Illustration: The Panopticon	p. 360
Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics	p. 361
Case Illustration: Making Genetic Data Available Over the Internet	p. 362
Case Illustration: deCODE Genetics, Inc.	p. 363
Nanotechnology and Nanocomputing	p. 367
Chapter Summary	p. 376
Review Questions	p. 377
Discussion Questions	p. 378
References	p. 378
Further Readings	p. 380
Glossary	p. 381
Index	p. 389
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