The Secret to Meaningful Discussions in Computer Ethics Classes

1. The Secret toMeaningful Discussionsin Computer Ethics Classes Michael J. QuinnSeattle University

2. Cameras are everywhere, and posting to the Web is easy.How much privacy should we expect?

9. What’s the point?

10. Goals • Keep students focused • Air differences • Sharpen arguments • Encourage creativity and imagination • Increase participation • Enliven discussions • Produce a tangible result • Demonstrate value • Rebut skeptics who say: “What’s the point?”

11. Solution: Case-based Analysis • “Bottom-up” approach • Start with a particular test case • Determine what’s the issue • Construct negative paradigm case, brainstorming morally relevant features • Construct positive paradigm case • For each feature, compare test case against paradigm cases

12. Example Ann is the bookkeeper at Acme Corporation, a medium-sized firm with about 50 employees. All of the employees work in the same building, and Ann distributes the paychecks every month. Ann’s daughter is a Girl Scout. During the annual Girl Scout cookie sale, Ann sends an email to all of the other Acme employees, inviting them to stop by her desk and order some cookies. Some of the employees order cookies, but many employees find the email annoying. Did Ann do anything wrong?

13. What’s the issue?

14. What’s the issue? Unsolicited bulk email; i.e., spam

15. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients

16. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients unsolicited

17. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients unsolicited pornography

18. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients unsolicited pornography fraudulent product

19. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients unsolicited pornography fraudulent product sender unknown

20. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited pornography fraudulent product sender unknown

21. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited solicited pornography fraudulent product sender unknown

22. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited solicited pornography benign content fraudulent product sender unknown

23. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited solicited pornography benign content fraudulent product desired product sender unknown

24. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited solicited pornography benign content fraudulent product desired product sender unknown sender known

25. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient unsolicited solicited pornography benign content fraudulent product desired product sender unknown sender known

26. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited pornography benign content fraudulent product desired product sender unknown sender known

27. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content fraudulent product desired product sender unknown sender known

28. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product sender unknown sender known

29. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

30. Clearly Wrong Which features are most important? Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

31. Clearly Wrong Which features are most important? Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

32. Clearly Wrong Was the action wrong? Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

33. Clearly Wrong What could Ann have done differently? Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

34. Ann could have asked people if they were interested in being on a Girls Scout cookie mailing list.

35. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right X 100 million recipients 1 recipient X unsolicited solicited X pornography benign content X fraudulent product desired product X sender unknown sender known

36. Photos on the Web

37. “Star Wars Kid”

38. Privacy • “Zone of inaccessibility” (Edmund Byrne) • Privacy = control over zone • Physical • Mental • Informational

39. www.netcharles.com/orwell

40. www.gawker.com/stalker

41. Global Village • Marshall McLuhan, The Gutenberg Galaxy (1962) • Electronic media  collective identity • World takes on village-like mindset

42. Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales

43. But Wait! Web 2.0 • Web not simply a distribution medium • Applications allow users to contribute content • Blogs • Wikis • Social networks

44. Web: “Bus Uncle”

45. Case Benjamin attends a private birthday party for his good friend Chris, a member of the Orange Party. Someone gives Chris a Yellow Party T-shirt as a gag gift, and Chris puts it on. Benjamin takes a picture of Chris wearing the T-shirt and posts it on his blog, identifying Chris and explaining the context of the photo. When Chris runs for governor, organizations supporting his opponent in the Orange Party primary post the photo out of context, along with stories claiming he used to belong to the Yellow Party. In the end, Chris wins the primary and is elected governor. Was Benjamin wrong to post the photo?

46. The issue: Posting photos without permission

47. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right bathroom

48. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right bathroom posted w/o permission

49. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right bathroom posted w/o permission photo secretly taken

50. Clearly Wrong Clearly Right bathroom posted w/o permission photo secretly taken illegal activity