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Chapter 12: Digital Society, Ethics, and Globalization. Objectives. Describe how technology is affecting the definition of community, and list some physical and mental health dangers associated with excessive computer use
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Objectives • Describe how technology is affecting the definition of community, and list some physical and mental health dangers associated with excessive computer use • Describe the negative and positive impact of technology on freedom of speech, and list forms of speech and expression that are censored on the Web
Objectives • Explain the ways in which technology is used to invade personal privacy, and provide examples of laws that protect citizens from privacy invasion • List ethical issues related to digital technology that confront individuals in personal and professional life, businesses, and governments • Explain what globalization is, what forces are behind it, and how it is affecting the United States and other nations
Chapter Content • Living Online • Freedom of Speech • Privacy Issues • Ethics and Social Responsibility • Globalization
Introduction • Digital technologies have changed our lives • Communication • Access to information • Commerce • Work environments • Leisure • These changes have benefits, but they also have costs
Living Online • Virtual space • An environment that exists in the mind rather than in physical space • People find virtual space • In a daydream • In a book • In a movie • On a cell phone • On the Internet
Computers and Community • Flash mob • Group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual, and then disperse • Participants are given precise instructions by e-mail and text messaging on where to meet, how to act, and what to say if questioned • Virtual communities and “Anywhere, anytime” communications • Spontaneous social mechanism • Courtesy and etiquette • Social Web sites
Health Issues: Keeping a Balance • Physical health concerns • Repetitive stress injury (RSI) • Injury such as tendonitis and tennis elbow, caused by a repetitive motion • “Blackberry thumb” • Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) • Aggravation of the pathway for nerves that travel through the wrist (the carpal tunnel) • Typically caused by long hours at the computer keyboard • Vision problems
Health Issues: Keeping a Balance • Internet addiction • compulsive use of the Internet that interferes with normal daily life and relationships • May exist if people are online for long periods of time • Cannot control their online usage • Jeopardize their career or family life from excessive Internet usage • Lie to family, friends, and coworkers about Internet usage • Category • E-shopping addiction • Compulsive gambling • Gambling is one of the Internet’s biggest businesses • Internet is easier than getting to the casino • social networking addictions • Information overload and stress • Working with computers can lead to fears • Job insecurity, loss of control, incompetence, demotion
Health Issues: Keeping a Balance • Avoiding Health Problems • Ergonomics • Study of designing and positioning work environment and computer equipment in a healthy manner • Designs of slope of the keyboard, keyboard height (elbow height), computer tables, display screens • Live a balanced life
Freedom of Speech • First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution • Guarantees citizens the right to free speech • Internet • Used to espouse the views and beliefs of every religious and political group • Web sites • May include points of view that many find offensive and even dangerous
Challenging the Establishment and Traditional Institutions • Bloggers • Are becoming an increasingly important component in journalism • contributed to the abrupt resignation of CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan when they created a “blogswarm” of attention over comments made at what was supposed to be a private World Economic Forum meeting. • Proliferation of digital cameras and camera phones • Has led to many amateur photographers having their photos published • Consumer-generated media (CGM) • The role of the public in capturing and reporting news • User Generated Content (UGC)
Laws and Censorship • Libel • The deliberate act of defamation of character by making false statements of fact • Censorship • Occurs when a government or authority controls speech and other forms of expression • Political freedom, pornography and issues of decency, dangerous information • Chinese Web surfers will become very familiar with cute little anime-style police officers that pop up in the Web browser every half hour warning users to stay away from illegal Internet content • China is planning to launch more than 100 satellites before 2020 in order to monitor its country and citizens • Content-filtering software • Works with Web browser to check each Web site for indecent materials • ideal for situations where one person is responsible for setting the rules and defining what is allowable and not
Privacy Issues • Being free from intrusion • The right to be left alone • Freedom from surveillance • Control over the information collected and kept about one’s self
Personal Information Privacy • Much of the information gathered about individuals is done without their knowledge • Internet • Acts as a supercharged tool for invisible information gathering • ChoicePoint collects and combines information from: • FBI agents consult information supplied by ChoicePoint when involved in criminal investigations • The three big credit bureaus • Public records of numerous local, state, and federal government agencies • Telephone records, liens, deeds, drug test records, insurance fraud information, physician backgrounds and other sources
Privacy and Government • Privacy Act of 1974 • Primary law controlling what many government agencies can and cannot do with information they hold • USA PATRIOT Act • Gave federal government certain liberties regarding access to private information and the treatment of suspected terrorists • Total Information Awareness • After the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, the U.S. Congress passed a law mandating 20 years in prison for anyone distributing bomb making information with the intent to cause violence
Surveillance Technologies • Surveillance • The close monitoring of behavior • Wiretapping • Major law-enforcement tool • Big concern for those interested in personal privacy • FBI surveillance • With cooperation from ISPs, the Carnivore system has been used to monitor e-mail correspondence. • Recently the FBI has switched to a different system, about which little is known
Surveillance Technologies • Video cameras in public places • Are assisting in capturing criminals who may otherwise escape • Chicago • Has the most advanced video surveillance system • ACLU has cautioned against video surveillance • Very few public spaces are unmonitored • High-resolution cameras attached to satellites and trained on the earth • Are providing us with amazing new mapping technologies • Individuals have been given the tools to practice surveillance • Some cell phones can be used as bugs
Surveillance Technologies • University surveillance of electronic transmissions • situations where wiretapping is required to protect the university’s rights and property • monitoring network traffic for management purposes • situations where an unauthorized person is using the network
Surveillance Technologies • GPS and RFID surveillance • Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are: • Useful, but can be used to invade privacy • Being used to track ex-cons and students • US privacy laws control who can be monitored • Lack of funding limits ability to monitor • Three scenarios: relationship of technology, privacy, and society • Full privacy • Full trust • Full transparency: all surveillance and information should be accessible to every law-abiding citizen • Through the use of cookies, Web companies can accumulate immense amounts of information about customers visiting their Web sites
Ethics and Social Responsibility • Ethics • Deals with what is generally considered right or wrong • Computer ethics • Issues that deal with computer use • important for • computer professionals • governmental computer workers • personal use • what is legal • what is best for the person in terms of mental and physical well-being • what is best for the public good
Personal Ethical Considerations • Personal computer ethics • The responsible use of computers outside of professional environments • Feeling of social responsibility • May guide a computer user to treat others online with respect • A person’s own sense of morality • May keep him/her from becoming involved with Web content that has a negative impact
Professional Ethical Considerations • Associations that have developed a code of ethical conduct • Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) • Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) • The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) • The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) • The British Computer Society (BCS)
Governmental Ethical Considerations • The digital divide • The social and economic gap between those who have access to computers and the Internet and those who do not • religious and philosophical reasons • Income, race, gender, government control of the purchase of technology • Cuba does not permit its citizens to own computers • Accessible computing for the disabled and elderly • SimPC • Socioeconomic digital divide in the United States • Has been shrinking since the turn of the millennium • Efforts to get computers into schools and libraries • Global digital divide • Provides a greater social and ethical challenge
Globalization • Changes in societies and the world economy resulting from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange • Largest contributors to globalization • Computers • A global telecommunication infrastructure • The Internet • Technology bubble of the 90s funded transcontinental fiber-optic cables to connect the world in high-speed networks
Outsourcing • Use of an outside company to take over portions of the business workload • Bangalore • Has become known as the Silicon Valley of India • Major presence • Microsoft, IBM, Texas Instruments, HP, GE, and many others
Offshoring • Business practice that relocates an entire production line to another location, typically in another country, in order to lower overhead • Beijing (China) • The global center of offshoring • China joined the World Trade Organization and agreed to follow international trade laws • Opened a floodgate for trade and innovation • Companies take advantage of the cost savings of low-cost manufacturing
Business Challenges in Globalization • Culture • Language • Time and distance • Infrastructure • Currency • State, regional, and national laws • NAFTA, CAFTA
Summary • The Internet • Provides an entire virtual world of information, people, and groups in which you can literally lose yourself • The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution • Guarantees citizens the right to free speech • Libel and direct, specific threats • Not protected under the First Amendment
Conclusion • Positive effects of technology on society • Finding cures for deadly diseases • Eroding the power of totalitarian governments and dictators • Developing alternate environmentally friendly energy sources • Widespread access to information is building a more transparent society • Empowerment • Increases in social responsibility • Overall, technology has had a more positive than negative effect
Summary • Privacy issues that concern most people • Being free from intrusion • Computer profiling • Primary service provided by private information service companies such as ChoicePoint • The field of ethics • Deals with what is generally considered right or wrong
Summary • Professional computer ethics • Involve the ethical issues faced by professionals in their use of computer systems as part of their jobs • Globalization • Changes in societies and the world economy resulting from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange
