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Ethical Issues in Computer Science

CSCI 328, Fall 2013Session 11

Democracy and the InternetPrivacy

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Turnitin.com

Turnitin.com and similar sites allow teachers to check for possible plagiarism in papers turned in by their students.

Should teachers use Turnitin.com?

Arguments for (discussion):

Arguments against (discussion):

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Plagiarism Detection

On balance, is the use of plagiarism detectors ethical?

Utilitarian argument: (Are the overall consequences better than not using it)?

Deontological argument: (Are people treated as ends in themselves)?

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Democracy and the Internet

What is democracy?Political power is in the hands of the citizens.Government is accountable to the citizens.

Moral justification for democracy:"Individuals are sovereign over themselves." (Johnson)Therefore, they must have some say in their government.

Deontological justification:

Utilitarian justification:

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Is the Internet Democratic?

Is the internet inherently democratic?•Does the adoption of internet technology lead to the adoption of democratic practices?

Arguments for:• Individuals produce and distribute information• Internet provides many forums for discussion• Internet provides access to more sources of information• Internet facilitates associations independent of geography.

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Is the internet democratic?Arguments against:

•Too much information is available--filtering is required.•"Net neutrality" is not a given•Surveillance capabilities•Global Scope

Moor's argument:The architecture of the internet constrains people's behavior.Why is this problematic?

ACLU:Filtering software can greatly limit which sites are accessed.What are their arguments?

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Privacy in IT societiesWhat's new?

What's different about information flow in IT societies from previous societies?

Previous modes of information flow:

Characteristics of IT information flow:

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What Else is New?

Tools for Data Mining and Managing Databases.• Did not emerge in a vacuum (technological determinism)• Emerged in response to government and corporate

interests.

New Kinds of information.• Transaction generated information (TGI)

Examples: Credit cardClickstream

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Merging and Mining Data

When different types of information is merged and then mined for patterns, this can produce new types of information.

Examples:Clickstream profileAmazon.com recommendationsFacebook friends--gaydar

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Other Issues

•Distribution of information is broader and more extensive than before.

Example: Credit rating.

•Once on a server, information can be bought, sold, given away or stolen.

•Information endures.

Example: Images on Facebook.

•Errors are very hard to correct.

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IT Societies are Surveillance Societies

IT allows people to be easily tracked and monitored.Examples?

Data can be used to create profiles of individuals.The data can be "mined" for patterns of behavior.

Questions raised:What is the value of privacy?

How does surveillance affect us and our society?