1. Introduction Edited by: Dr Muhammad Murtaza Khan Assistant Professor, Faculty of Computing & Information Technology, University of Jeddah CPIS428 Professional Computing Issues Slides prepared by: Cyndi Chi & Sarah Frye for A Gift of Fire by Sara Baase

2. “A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing Technology”, 4 th Edition, Sara Baase “Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age”, 4th Edition, Joseph Migga Kizza

3. What is the Course About Are fee email services a good tool / facility ? YES It provides quick and free communication to users NO Email service providers can access the content of user emails Spam email flood user email accounts and may cause a user to miss important email Sending spam is not illegal Small companies (startups) may use email for sharing their products with user by spamming

4. Marks Distribution Quizzes (Best 4 out of 6) 15% Assignments10% First Exam15% Second Exam15% Final Exam45%

5. Course Learning Objectives Introduction to Ethics Intellectual property rights The Internet and content regulation Privacy Equal access and computer technologies Computers in the workplace AI and expert systems Success or Failure of IT projects

6. Outline of this Lecture 1.1Introduction 1.2The Pace of Change 1.3Changes and Unexpected Developments 1.4Adapting New Technology 1.5Ethics 1.6IT Issues

7. 1.1Introduction  Information Age Last 2 decades have given unprecedented access to information Catalysts/Reasons? Low-cost, smaller yet powerful computers High-speed communication networks

8. Reasons for Improved Information Access Embedded computers (digital electronics) Cell phones Digital photography Email World Wide Web Social Networking Cloud Computing Internet of Things

9. Issues related to Technology Technology’s Influence People adopt technology and technology changes society Using technology can change people Physical changes (Laptop usage can cause back, neck, shoulder pain) Mental changes (Dopamine increases desire for more information) Psychological changes (Having a cell phone makes feel safer) Technologies solve problems, but may create new problems Automobile (Traffic Jams) Refrigerator (Leakage of Freon gas cause damage to Ozone layer) Low-cost international communication (Outsourcing of jobs)

10. Issues related to Technology Control over New Technologies Examples of control over adoption Nuclear power moratorium in United States for 25 years Nuclear power advances in rest of world Examples of control over rate at which technologies are developed Intellectual property laws Tax structure This may give rise to an issue: Is it ethical that a life saving drug is patented and hence expensive while it can be made less expensive and readily available ?

11. Technology is continuously changing and so the issues arising with technology change quickly as well. Brief overview of how fast technology is changing is presented on the next few slides

12. 1.2 The Pace of Change 1940s: First computer was built.

13. 1.2 The Pace of Change 1940s: First computer was built. 1956: First hard-drive disk weighed a ton and stored five megabytes.

14. 1.2 The Pace of Change 1940s: First computer was built. 1956: First hard-drive disk weighed a ton and stored five megabytes. 1991: Space shuttle had a 1MHz computer. Now some automobiles have gigahertz computers. Hubble Space Station has a 80486 processor.

15. 1.2 The Pace of Change Discussion Question What devices are now computerized that were not originally? Think back 10, 20, 50 years ago.

16. Technology has brought good and bad changes in our daily lives! These technological advancements are presented in the next few slides.

17. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments 1.3.1 Cell Phones - Advantages Relatively few in 1990s. Approximately five billion in 2011. Used for conversations and messaging, but also for: taking and sharing pictures downloading music and watching videos checking email and playing games banking and managing investments finding maps act as electronic wallets and identification cards Smartphone apps for many tasks, including: monitoring diabetes locating water in remote areas location tracking, life-saving medical apps, surveillance video

18. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments Cell Phones – Dis-advantages Location tracking raises privacy concerns. Cameras in cell phones affect privacy in public and non-public places. Talking on cell phones while driving is dangerous. Other unanticipated negative applications: rioters organizing looting parties.

19. Do you know what a Kill switch is ? Allow a remote entity to delete personal files if phone is stolen. In operating systems for smartphones, tablets and some computers. Used mainly for security, but raise concerns about user autonomy. Kills switches could remove content that infringes copyrights. Could also be used to remove content that a company or government deems offensive. What if malicious hackers found a way to operate the skill switches on our devices? 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

20. 1.3.2 Social Networking (Sn): First online Sn site was www.classmates.com in 1995 Founded in 2003, Myspace had roughly 100 million member profiles by 2006 Facebook was started at Harvard as an online version of student directories Advantages Staying in touch with friends. Businesses connect with customers. Groups organize volunteers. Organizations seek donations. Individuals pool resources through “crowd funding”. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

21. Social Networking – Dis-advantages Stalkers and bullies stalk and bully. Your information is available to the service provider. (Privacy issue) Sharing of secret or non-public information. Jurors tweet about court cases during trials. Socialbots simulate humans. They can trick you in revealing personal information that may be used by companies. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

22. 1.3.3 Artificial intelligence A branch of computer science that makes computers perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. Researchers realized that narrow, specialized skills were easier for computers than what a five-year-old does: recognize people, carry on a conversation, respond intelligently to the environment. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

23. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments Artificial intelligence (cont.) What does it mean for a computer system to be intelligent and who has devised the test for this differentiation? Alan Turing, who developed fundamental concepts underlying computer science before there were computers, proposed a test, now called the Turing Test, for human-level intelligence. Let a person converse (over a network) with the system on any topics the person chooses. If the computer convinces the human subject that the computer is human, the computer is said to “pass”.

24. Artificial intelligence (cont.) Many AI applications involve pattern recognition. Speech recognition is now a common tool. Image Classification: to help visually impaired people (blind) CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) are used to defend against Denial of Service Attacks 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

25. 1.3.4 Communication and the Web Blogs (“Web log”) began as outlets for amateurs wanting to express ideas, but they have become significant source of news and entertainment. Information in blogs may be biased and incorrect. Inexpensive video cameras and video-manipulation tools have resulted in a burst of amateur videos. Many videos on the Web can infringe copyrights owned by entertainment companies. 1.3.5 Telemedicine Remote performance of medical exams and procedures, including surgery. 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

26. Discussion Questions How will we react when we can go into a hospital for surgery performed entirely by a machine? Will it be scarier than riding in the first automatic elevators or airplanes? How will we react when we can have a conversation and not know if we are conversing with a human or a machine? How will we react when chips implanted in our brains enhance our memory with gigabytes of data and a search engine? Will we still be human? 1.3Change & Unexpected Developments

27. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments 1.3.6 Collaboration and Technology Wikipedia: The online, collaborative encyclopedia written by volunteers. (Increases knowledge and access to information) Informal communities of programmers create and maintain free software. (Easy Access to useful tools like Open Office instead of Microsoft Office) Watch-dogs on the Web: Informal, decentralized groups of people help investigate crimes. (Crime Fighting/Stopping)

28. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments 1.3.7 E-commerce Amazon.com started in 1994 selling books on the Web. It has grown to be one of the most popular, reliable, and user-friendly commercial sites. eBay.com facilitates online auctions. Traditional brick-and-mortar business have established Web sites. Online sales in the United States now total hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Sellers can sell directly to buyers, resulting in a peer-to-peer economy. Customers can save time and money which researching. Ease of comparison. Small businesses and artists can sell directly to buyers, avoiding fees to middlemen and distributors.

29. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments E-commerce and trust concerns People were reluctant to provide credit card information to make online purchases, so PayPal.com grew out of need for trusted intermediary to handle payments. Solutions Encryption and secure servers made payments safer (SSL – Secure Socket Layer). The Better Business Bureau established a Web site to help consumers see if others have complained about a business. Sites have implemented rating systems.

30. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments 1.3.8 Free stuff available because of Technology Email programs and email accounts, browsers, filters, firewalls, encryption software, word processors, spreadsheets, software for viewing documents, software to manipulate photos and video, and much more Phone services using VOIP such as Skype Craigslist classified ad site University lectures

31. How is technology use made Free? Advertising pays for many free sites and services, but not all. Wikipedia funded through donations. Businesses provide some services for good public relations and as a marketing tool. Generosity and public service flourish on the Web. Many people share their expertise just because they want to. Free stuff related Danger In order for companies to earn ad revenue to fund multimillion-dollar services, many free sites collect information about our online activities and sell it to advertisers. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments

32. 1.3.9 Smart sensors, motion, and control Motion sensing devices are used to give machines/robots the ability to walk, trigger airbags in a car accident Sensors can detect leaks, acceleration, position, temperature, and moisture. Examples of Areas of Use Sensors in agricultural fields report on moisture, acidity, and so on, helping farmers to avoid waste and to use no more fertilizer than needed. Sensors in food products monitor temperature, humidity, and other factors to detect potential health problems while the food is in transit to stores 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments

33. Tools for special people Assistive technology devices help restore independence to people with disabilities (whom are challenged). Researchers are experimenting with micro-chips that convert brain signals to control leg and arm muscles. A blind person can use handheld devices that combine optical- character-recognition with a speech synthesizer to read menus and receipts. Flexible, responsive prosthetic devices can now be digitally controlled, enabling amputees to walk, climb stairs, even participate in sports and fly airplanes. People can dictate documents to a word processor and give commands to a computer to control household appliances. 1.3Change and Unexpected Developments

34. 1.4Adapting New Technology Changes in technology require adaptive changes in laws, social institutions, business policies, personal skills, attitudes, and behaviour. There are compromises and trade-offs Trade-offs Example: If we decrease privacy and increase security it would results in reduced convenience to users. Protecting privacy makes law enforcement more difficult. How to filter information on internet: Unpleasant, offensive, or inaccurate information is available along with useful information

35. 1.4Adapting New Technology US federal regulation requiring medical x-rays on film, rather than digital formats, was still in effect in 2011. During Japanese election campaigns in 2005, candidates were afraid to use email and blogs and to update their websites to communicate with voters, because a 1955 law that specifies the legal means of communicating with voters does not, of course, include these methods. It allows postcards and pamphlets. The cycle of problems and solutions, more problems and more solutions, is a natural part of change and of life in general. Improved lighting near ATMs to reduce robberies. Authentication technology helps reduce identity theft. Market mechanisms, such as competition and consumer demand, generate many improvements.

36. Problem with Policy Making for New Technology The criteria for making policies for individuals, businesses, organizations and for writing laws are fundamentally different. Personal choice: We make according to our individual values and situations e.g. which social networks to join, what apps to put on our phones, or what eBooks to buy? Business bases its policies on many factors the manager’s perception of consumer preferences what competitors are doing responsibilities to stockholders the ethics of the business owners or managers, and relevant laws.

37. Problem with Policy Making for New Technology The criteria for making policies for individuals, businesses, organizations and for writing laws are fundamentally different. Laws are fundamentally different from personal choices and organizational policies because they impose decisions by force on people who did not make them. Arguments for passing a law should be qualitatively different from reasons for adopting a personal or organizational policy

38. 1.5Ethics What is Ethics? Study of what it means to “do the right thing”. Ethical theories assumes people are rational (they reason) and make free choices. Ethical rules are rules to follow in our interactions and our actions that affect others. Goal of Ethical Theories: Enhance Human dignity, peace, happiness and well-being. Example: Should you download movies from unauthorized websites? Should you warn potential customers that the smartphone app you have made will copy their contact list? Should you fire an employee who is criticizing your business in social media? What information should you allow advertisers and other trackers to collect from visitors to the website you run?

39. 1.5Ethics Although there is agreement about general ethical rules, there are many different theories about how to establish a firm justification for the rules and how to decide what is ethical in specific cases. A variety of ethical views: Deontological theories Utilitarianism Natural rights

40. Deontological theories: Deontologists emphasize duty and absolute rules Rules should be followed whether they lead to good or bad results in particular cases. One example is: Do not lie. An act is ethical if it complies with ethical rules and you chose it for that reason. Important ideas of deontological theory (Kant - philosopher): We should follow rules of behaviour that we can universally apply to everyone Logic or reason determines rules of ethical behaviour, i.e. actions are intrinsically good because they follow from logic. Rational = Good, Irrational = Evil. One must never treat people as merely means to ends, but rather as ends in themselves 1.5Ethics

41. Deontological theories: Example: Rule: One should never tell a lie. Now consider this scenario: A person is looking for someone he intends to hurt, and he asks you where the intended victim is, it is wrong for you to lie to protect the victim. Problem: Most people would agree that there are cases in which even very good, universal rules should be broken— because of the consequences. 1.5Ethics

42. Utilitarianism theory wants us to maximizes utility, i.e. maximizing happiness and reducing suffering A person’s utility is what satisfies the person’s needs and values. An action might decrease utility for some people and increase it for others. We should consider the consequences - the benefits and damages to all affected people—and “calculate” the change in aggregate utility. An act is right if it tends to increase aggregate utility and wrong if it tends to decrease it. A more fundamental (and ethical) objection to act utilitarianism is that it does not recognize or respect individual rights 1.5Ethics

43. Utilitarianism theory will agree that generally telling the truth (not telling a lie) helps people (increases utility) and hence should be done. Problem: How to determine if our decision will make others happy? (The person who will get hurt will not be happy, whom else will be unhappy and who will be happy?) Should some peoples happiness carry more weight? How to measure the utility of freedom? What if taking away a persons money and property and distributing it to people maximizes utility? Utilitarianism would support it and would not consider the amount of hard work and effort that the person has done to obtain the money and property. 1.5Ethics

44. Natural rights: views ethical behavior as acting in such a way that respects a set of fundamental rights of others, including the rights to life, liberty, and property. Negative rights (liberties) - The right to act without interference E.g.: The right to life, the right to be free from assault, the right to use your property, the right to use your labour, skills, and mind to create goods and services and to trade with other people Positive rights (claim-rights) - An obligation of some people to provide certain things for others A positive right to a job means that someone must hire you regardless of whether they voluntarily choose to, or that it is right, or obligatory, for the government to set up job programs for people who are out of work. A positive right to life means that some people are obligated to pay for food or medical care for others who cannot pay for them. 1.5Ethics

45. Golden rules Treat others as you would want them to treat you. Contributing to society Doing one’s work honestly, responsibly, ethically, creatively, and well is virtuous. Social contracts and a theory of political justice People willingly submit to a common law in order to live in a civil society. 1.5Ethics

46. Some important distinctions: Right, wrong, and okay Distinguishing wrong and harm Separating goals from ethical constraints Personal preference and ethics Law and ethics Discussion Question Can you think of examples of liberties (negative rights) and claim-rights (positive rights) that are at opposition to each other? 1.5Ethics

47. 1.6Information Technology Issues Definition: Devices used in creation, storage, manipulation, dissemination of data, sound, and/or images Examples: Computers, telephones, video cameras, MP3 players People making greater use of IT Costs keep falling Capabilities keep rising

48. 1.6Information Technology Issues Email Easy way to keep in touch Spam has become a real problem Web Free access to huge amounts of information Harmful consequences of some sites CDs, MP3s Free or cheap copies readily available May be unfair to musicians

49. 1.6Information Technology Issues Credit cards Convenience over cash and checks Increases possibility of identity theft Who owns information about transactions? Telecommuting Saves time, allows more flexible work hours Can lead to longer work hours May result in fewer chances for promotion Improved global communication network Allow companies to sell to entire world Allow companies to move jobs out of U.S.