Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)
Chapter 1 Introduction to the Social Issues of Computing Prepared by: Qasem Obeidat Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Social Issues Each society establishes rules and limits on acceptable behaviour These rules form a moral code Sometimes the rules conflict In general they are beliefs or conventions on good and evil, good or bad conduct, justice and injustice The rules sometimes do not cover new situations Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Examples: Employee monitoring. Downloading music using Napster software at no charge. Robert Hansen, FBI agent, convicted for providing information to Russia. DoubleClick sued for planning to reveal Web users identities. Plagiarism. Hackers defaced Web sites. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

The world is changing Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Rapid Pace of Change 1940s: The first computer is built 1956: First hard-disk drive weighed a ton and stored five megabytes 1991: Space shuttle had a one-megahertz computer 2006: Pocket devices hold a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data 2006: Automobiles can have 100-megahertz computers Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Rapid Pace of Change Have you used a computer today? So many people carry cell phones and iPods. A day without using an appliance containing a microchip is almost as rare as a day without turning on an electric light. When we speak of computers we include personal computers, mainframes, embedded chips that control machines, communication devices, and the Net or cyberspace. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computer History Mechanical machines (before 1930) During this period, several computing machines were invented that bear little resemblance to the modern concept of a computer. In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, invented Pascaline. In the late 17th century, a German mathematician called Gottfried Leibnitz invented what is known as Leibnitz’ Wheel. The first machine that used the idea of storage and programming was the Jacquard loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1823, Charles Babbage invented the Difference Engine. Later, he invented a machine called the Analytical Engine that parallels the idea of modern computers. In 1890, Herman Hollerith, working at the US Census Bureau, designed and built a programmer machine that could automatically read, tally, and sort data stored on punched cards. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computer History (Cont.)
Jacquard loom Punched card Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

The birth of electronic computers (1930–1950) Between 1930 and 1950, several computers were invented by scientists who could be considered the pioneers of the electronic computer industry. Early electronic computers The early computers of this period did not store the program in memory—all were programmed externally. Five computers were prominent during these years: Z1 (1936) ABC (1941) Mark I (1944) Colossus(1945) ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer ) Z1 ABC Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computers based on the von Neumann model The first computer based on von Neumann’s ideas was made in 1950 at the University of Pennsylvania and was called EDVAC. At the same time, a similar computer called EDSAC was built by Maurice Wilkes at Cambridge University in England. EDVAC: (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) EDSAC: (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computer History (Cont.) Computer generations (1950–present) Computers built after 1950 more or less follow the von Neumann model. They have become faster, smaller, and cheaper, but the principle is almost the same. Historians divide this period into generations, with each generation witnessing some major change in hardware or software (but not in the model). First generation The first generation (roughly 1950–1959) is characterized by the emergence of commercial computers. Second generation Second-generation computers (roughly 1959–1965) used transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Two high-level programming languages, FORTRAN and COBOL invented and made programming easier. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computer History (Cont.) Third generation The invention of the integrated circuit reduced the cost and size of computers even further. Minicomputers appeared on the market. Canned programs, popularly known as software packages, became available. This generation lasted roughly from 1965 to 1975. Fourth generation The fourth generation (approximately 1975–1985) saw the appearance of microcomputers. The first desktop calculator, the Altair 8800, became available in This generation also saw the emergence of computer networks. Fifth generation This open-ended generation started in It has witnessed the appearance of laptop and palmtop computers, improvements in secondary storage media (CD-ROM, DVD and so on), the use of multimedia, and the phenomenon of virtual reality. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Social issues Computers have created some arguments. We introduce some of these arguments here. Dependency Some people think that computers have created a kind of dependency, which makes people’s lives more difficult. 2. Social justice Social justice is another issue we often hear about. The advocates of this issue argue that using computers at home is a luxury benefit that not all people can afford. The cost of a computer, peripheral devices, and a monthly charge for Internet access is an extra burden on low-income people. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Social issues 3. Digital divide The concept of digital divide covers both the issues of dependency and social justice discussed above. The concept divides society into two groups: those who are electronically connected to the rest of society and those who are not. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Positive Impact of Technology
more than any other invention, computer technology is still evolving, which means that it continues to impact society in new ways the first electronic computers made significant contributions in the 1940’s COLOSSUS – used for code breaking in World War II ENIAC – performed calculations and simulations that led to the development of nuclear technology and Cold War science currently, we live in an "information economy", with computers central to business and innovation Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Positive Impact of Technology (Cont.)
technology has become so pervasive in daily life, it is difficult to imagine life without it e.g., monetary transactions cash is frequently being replaced with credit or debit cards computerized banking networks enable the immediate electronic transfer of funds ATM machines allow people to access their money around the clock from any location all this has discouraged traditional theft, but has inspired new forms of illegal activity Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computers in Everyday Tasks
modern life also depends on thousands of less obvious, hidden computer applications embedded processors are computer chips that are built into appliances and machinery to control their workings they account for more than 90% of all computer processors the average U.S. home contains 50 to 100 embedded processors in ovens, television remote controls, cordless phones, automatic thermostats, … automobiles employ embedded processors to control a wide variety of components Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computers in Everyday Tasks (Cont.)
society has also been affected by the availability of personal computers and easy-to-use software software can enable people to accomplish tasks previously reserved for highly trained professionals, e.g., word processing and desktop publishing software video editing software tax preparation software Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Problems accompany the new computer technology
With PCs and floppy disks came computer viruses and the beginnings of a huge challenge to the concept of copyright. With came spam. Online commerce brought identity theft and a variety of scams. Cell phones increase risk of accidents. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments and Dramatic Impacts
People communicated by letters and telephone before . People socialized in pubs and churches before the arrival of social-networking sites. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 1- Amateur Creative work
Blogs and video sharing are two of the many new forms of creativity that flourish because digital and Web technology make them so easy and inexpensive. They began as outlets for amateurs who wanted to express their ideas or creativity. They are extremely popular, and they have a tremendous impact on how people get news and entertainment. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments (Blogs)
Blogs a word made up from Web log began as online journals with frequent, comments on a few topics of interest to the blogger. Now used as alternatives to mainstream news and for business public relations Popular blogs have 100,000 to 500,000 readers per day and can peak at several million views per day Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments (Video Sharing)
With increased bandwidth, digital cameras, tools for manipulating videos, and space on social-networking sites and video sites, came an explosion of short amateur videos often humorous, sometimes quite serious. Boom of websites like Youtube and Myspace Many videos on the web can infringe copyrights owned by entertainment companies Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 2- Connections
, the web, and empowerment Internet telephony brought down the cost of telephoning across the world. arrives at the recipient’s computer or cell phone as quickly as a phone call. The Web gives us access to information and audiences almost unimaginable a generation ago. The web empowers ordinary people to make better decisions about everything. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Cell Phones: Cell phones became a common tool conversations, messaging, taking pictures, downloading music, checking playing games, banking, accessing the Web, tracking friends, watching videos, projecting slide shows, and sending test answer to friends in class during a test. A phone for Muslims indicates the direction of Mecca and reminds the owner when it is time for prayers. Some states have passed laws prohibiting use of hand-held devices. Recent studies show hands-free devices, while freeing up the hands, do not reduce distractions, particularly among young adult and teenage drivers who often text message while driving. Cameras in cell phones threaten privacy. Where is the line between capturing news events and evidence of crimes, and voyeurism? Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Cell Phones: Talking on a phone while driving a car increases the risk of an accident. Cell phones interfere with solitude, quite, and concentration,, some people use them in inappropriate places, disturbing others. Cameras in cell phones affects our privacy in public and nonpublic places. More than a million people watched the execution of Saddam Hussein, captured covertly on a cell phone and posted on the internet. Some states have passed laws prohibiting use of hand-held devices. Recent studies show hands-free devices, while freeing up the hands, do not reduce distractions, particularly among young adult and teenage drivers who often text message while driving. Cameras in cell phones threaten privacy. Where is the line between capturing news events and evidence of crimes, and voyeurism? Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Social Networking: Facebook, one of the first of the social-networking sites, started at Harvad as an online version of hardcopy student directories available at many colleges. On the Web, we can include pictures, video, and huge amounts of information. we can connect to other people by linking to their profiles and via and chat. People like to connect with other people, to chat, argue, or play games. Sites like Second Life ( combine many of the features of social networking sites with the 3-D aspects of video games. What new problems/benefits arise when a person can take on a physical persona (an avatar) that may be completely different from who they are in real life? Some people with physical disabilities can interact with others without revealing their handicap. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Social Networking: Advertisers request to be added to members’ contact lists and then may spam their friends. Fake celebrity profiles are common. Stalking is a more serious problem. How do social-networking sites affect people and relationships? Sites like Second Life ( combine many of the features of social networking sites with the 3-D aspects of video games. What new problems/benefits arise when a person can take on a physical persona (an avatar) that may be completely different from who they are in real life? Some people with physical disabilities can interact with others without revealing their handicap. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

More connections: Telemedicine: or long-distance medicine, refers to remote performance of medical exams, analysis, and procedures using specialized equipment and computer networks. Surgeons in New York used video, robotic devices, and high-speed communication links to remotely remove a gall bladder from a patient in France. Sites like Second Life ( combine many of the features of social networking sites with the 3-D aspects of video games. What new problems/benefits arise when a person can take on a physical persona (an avatar) that may be completely different from who they are in real life? Some people with physical disabilities can interact with others without revealing their handicap. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

More connections: Distance Learning: Many specialized high school courses and some complete college programs are offered entirely on the web. Sites like Second Life ( combine many of the features of social networking sites with the 3-D aspects of video games. What new problems/benefits arise when a person can take on a physical persona (an avatar) that may be completely different from who they are in real life? Some people with physical disabilities can interact with others without revealing their handicap. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 3- Collaborative Efforts
Collaboration: Wikipedia, the free, online, collaborative encyclopedia, is an excellent example of collaborative projects among large numbers of strangers worldwide that produce extremely valuable product for public. Thousands of volunteers, not carefully selected scholars, write and continually edit and update Wikipedia. Anyone Who choose to participate can do so. Wikipedia’s reliability was brought into question when a major contributor was found to be a 14 year-old boy instead of a scientist with a PhD and years of experience. He got most of his information from other Web sources. Web Watch-dog sites are controversial. A web site where a woman can publish the names and pictures of men who other women should watch out for has made the news recently. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Collaboration: We expect encyclopedias to be accurate and objective. Wikipedia is one of the Internet’s most used reference sites. Some articles have errors, some are poorly written and some are clearly biased. Wikipedia’s reliability was brought into question when a major contributor was found to be a 14 year-old boy instead of a scientist with a PhD and years of experience. He got most of his information from other Web sources. Web Watch-dog sites are controversial. A web site where a woman can publish the names and pictures of men who other women should watch out for has made the news recently. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Collaboration: The Open Directory Project (ODP): the directory of the web organized by topic areas, is another valuable project created by thousands of volunteers around the world. Many popular search engines use the ODP to provide their directory services. Wikipedia’s reliability was brought into question when a major contributor was found to be a 14 year-old boy instead of a scientist with a PhD and years of experience. He got most of his information from other Web sources. Web Watch-dog sites are controversial. A web site where a woman can publish the names and pictures of men who other women should watch out for has made the news recently. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Collaboration: Some collaborative projects could have dangerous results. Anti-Abortion activities created a web site containing the names and home addresses of doctors who perform abortions; some of the doctors were killed. Wikipedia’s reliability was brought into question when a major contributor was found to be a 14 year-old boy instead of a scientist with a PhD and years of experience. He got most of his information from other Web sources. Web Watch-dog sites are controversial. A web site where a woman can publish the names and pictures of men who other women should watch out for has made the news recently. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 4- E-Commerce and Free Stuff
In the 1990s the idea of commercial Web sites horrified Web users. founded in 1994, started selling books on the Web and became one of the most popular, reliable, and user-friendly commercial sites. Ten years after it “opened” for business, its annual sales reached almost $8.5 billion. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Many Web-based businesses followed Amazon, creating new business models-such as eBay with its online auctions. Traditional businesses established Web sites. Online sales in the U.S increased more than tenfold from 1999 to Now, people buy and sell $20 billion of merchandise on eBay each year. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

We can consider more products and sellers. Auction sites gave people access to customers they could not have found efficiently before. People were reluctant to give their credit card numbers on Web to companies they had not dealt with or even heard of before. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Enter PayPal, a company built on the idea of having a trusted intermediary handle payment. Encryption and secure servers also made payments safer. confirmations of orders, consumer-friendly return policies, and easy packaging for returns all contributed to consumer comfort and more online sales. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Libraries provided free access to books, newspapers, and journals for generations. Free programs and accounts, browsers, filters, firewalls, encryption software, to manipulate photos, software for viewing documents and videos, antivirus software, antispyware software. We can find free game-playing programs for old games like chess and bridge and new computer games. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Phone service via Skype is free. There are free dating services.. Major(expensive) universities such as Stanford, Yale, and MIT provide video of lectures, lectures notes, and exams for thousands of their courses on the Web for anyone for free. Myspace, facebook, and youtube are free, Google and Yahoo! Are free. Wikipedia and hundreds of others reference are free. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 5- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that develops theories and techniques for making computers perform tasks that we normally (or used to) think of as requiring human intelligence. Playing chess, language translation, diagnosing diseases, making decisions based on large amounts of data and understanding speech. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Computer vision, pattern recognition (recognizing similarities among different things) and machine learning. Handwriting, fingerprints and face recognition. In 1997 IBM s chess computer, Deep Blue, beat World Champion Garry Kasparov in a tournament. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

An underwater surveillance system, search engine, antilock braking system (ABS), parallel parking, speech recognition, and air traffic controllers. People continue to debate the philosophical and social implication of AI. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

How will we react when we can go into a hospital for surgery performed entirely by 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 no longer be human? Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Robots are mechanical devices that perform tasks traditionally done by humans or tasks that we think of as human-like activities. Robotic arms have been assembling products in factories for decades. A robotic milking machine milks cows at dairy farms. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Robotic devices now, are generally controlled by computer software and include aspects of AI. Most robotic devices are special-purpose devices with a relatively limited set of operations. McDonald’s installed robotic food preparation systems to reduce costs and speed service. Robot vacuum cleaners. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Robots work in environments that are hazardous to people; inspect undersea structures, explore volcanoes and other planets, process nuclear wastes, . Sony sold a robot pet dog, Aibo. Honda’s Asimo walks up and down stairs. A Goal is to develop robots that can act intelligently and perform a variety of operations to assist people. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 6- Tools for Disabled People
One of the most heartwarming applications of computer technology is the restoration of abilities, productivity, and independence to people with physical disabilities. Computer-based devices assist disabled people in using ordinary computer application. Enable disabled people to control household and workplace appliances that operate by hand. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Some wheelchairs climb stairs. Sensors and microprocessors control artificial limps. For blind people speech synthesizers read aloud what on the screen and more information like description of images. Portable, hand-held versions can read menus, bills, and receipts in restaurants, as well as magazines and mail at home. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

A person whose leg was amputated above the knee can walk, sit and climb stairs with a new smart knee. Disabled people who formerly could not work now can. Many disabled people have formed and run their own businesses. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 7- What’s Next
A Microsoft researcher developed a system with which a user manipulates 3-D images with hand movements, without touching a screen or any controls. Hewlett-Packard developed a chip smaller than a grain of rice that stores four megabits of data and can be read wirelessly. What will be the impact of wear ware-wearable computers, displays in eye glasses or contact lenses, smart sensors in clothing? Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

New Developments: 7- What’s Next
What will be the impact of tiny flying sensors/computers that communicate wirelessly and which the military can deploy to monitor movement of equipment and people? Already we attach microprocessor-controlled devices in or on human bodies: heart pacemakers, artificial knees. Later implanted chips might enhance mental performance. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Discussion Question What changes and new developments do you expect in the next 50 years? How will life be different than it is today? Some ideas to add to the discussion: Wearable computers Enhanced intelligence (via instant communications and/or direct computer interface) Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Analyzing and evaluating the impact of new technology can be difficult. Even when benefits are obvious, their costs and side effects might not be. We use the Automated Teller Machine ATM, and a web application, online banking, to introduce some issues. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Issues 1- Unemployment Automation of the most common teller function led to a decline in employment for bank tellers. Within a ten year period when ATMs became widespread ( ). The number of people working as bank tellers dropped from 480,000 to 301,000 online banking services eliminated more teller jobs. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Issues 2- Customer service
Automation of teller function removes the human contact between the customer and a live teller. Instead of talking to a smiling person, we confront a screen. The ATM or bank Web site might be confusing to use, we could forget our password. We might have a question it cannot answer. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Issues 3- Crime People are robbed after withdrawing cash at ATMs. Thieves steal millions of dollars with stolen ATM cards. Thieves who obtain our account number and other personal information can access our accounts online. A human teller would notice if the same person made numerous withdrawals, or might know the real customer by sight, or might be able to identify a suspect after theft is discovered. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Issues 4- Loss of privacy
Because transactions at ATMs are recorded in a database at the bank, the record of persons’ transactions at various ATMs can provide information about the person’s whereabouts and activities. Online account information is at risk from hackers. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Issues 5- Errors An error in the computer program that operated the ATMs for a large New York bank caused accounts to be debited twice the amount of actual withdrawal. In less than one day, more than 150,000 transactions, totaling approximately $15 million, were incorrectly recorded. Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

Societal Issues in Computing (COMP466)

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