Ethics Online

Tom Kelliher, CS 200

Feb. 17, 2004

Administrivia

Announcements

Assignment

Read Chapter 5.

Bring in one online article relating to Chapter 5 for discussion.

From Last Time

Professional ethics.

Coming Up

Privacy.

Chapter Summary

1. Three key characteristics of the Internet:
   1. Global, many-to-many scope.

   2. Anonymity. Various notions:
      1. Can information about us be linked to other information?

      2. Can we see those with whom we interact?

      3. Can we create alternate personas?

      4. In many ways, users are less anonymous. How? What about the computer/user gap?

   3. Reproducibility.
      1. Copying is effortless and causes no ``damage.'' True?

      2. Logging.

      3. Enhances scope and anonymity.

      What is the ethical significance here?

2. Hacking:
   1. It's illegal. Why talk about it?

   2. Before policy vacuums were filled: Sharing of knowledge, information should be ``free.''

   3. ``Defenses'' of hacking:
      1. Information should be free.

      2. Illustrates weaknesses of systems.

      3. No problem if a hacker does no harm, in fact, may learn something.

      4. Keep Big Brother at bay.

3. Policy approaches. Educate:
   1. CS students.

   2. Players within the political and judicial systems.

Discussion Questions

1. See beginning-of-chapter scenarios.

2. MCP ``experimentation.''