1 Ethical Issues in Computer Science CSCI 328, Fall 2013 Session 9 Ethics in IT Societies III Plagiarism; Democracy

2 Plagiarism Plagiarism is the use of another's words or ideas and presenting them as one's own. The internet makes plagiarism easier. How? Does technology make a moral difference? Plagiarism existed long before the internet. Tom Lehrer--Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky Are the differences introduced by technology morally important?

3 Is Plagiarism Unethical? Utilitarian Arguments: Who are the stake-holders? Who benefits (short term/long term)? Who is hurt? Deontological Arguments: Is the act of plagiarism ethical? How are other humans treated?

4 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):

5 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)?

6 Democracy and the Internet What is democracy? Moral justification for democracy: "Individuals are sovereign over themselves." (Johnson) Therefore, they must have some say in their government. Deontological justification: Utilitarian justification:

7 Is the Internet Democratic? Is the internet inherently democratic? Does the adoption of internet technology lead to the adoption of democratic practices? Arguments for:

8 Is the internet democratic? Arguments against: 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?