About the Book
Ethics for the Information Age offers
students a timely, balanced, and impartial treatment of computer ethics.
By including an introduction to ethical theories and material on the history
of computing, the text addresses all the topics of the “Social and Professional
Issues” in the 2001 Model Curricula for Computing developed by the ACM
and IEEE Computer Society. By introducing ethical theories early and using
them throughout the book to evaluate moral problems related to information
technology, the book helps students develop the ability to reach conclusions
and defend them in front of an audience. Every issue is studied from the
point of view of multiple ethical theories in order to provide a balanced
analysis of relevant issues.
Earlier chapters focus on issues concerned
with the individual computer user including email, spam, intellectual property,
open source movement, and free speech and Web censorship. Later chapters
focus on issues with greater impact on society as a whole such as privacy,
computer and network security, and computer error. The final chapter discusses
professionalism and the Software Engineering Code of Ethics. It invites
students to contemplate the ethical dimensions of decisions computer professionals
must frequently make.
Features
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Provides the most modern coverage of moral
issues related to information technology.
-
Studies each problem through multiple ethical
theories to provide a balanced view of relevant issues.
-
Contains a chapter on “work and wealth” that
discusses automation and umemployment, globalization, changes in the workplace
brought on by information technology, and the digital divide.
-
Covers many “hot” topics featured in the news
that relate to information technology and the Web.
-
Complies with the "Social and Professional
Issues" course, satisfying the requirements outlined by the Computing Accreditation
Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Related
Books
Computer Fluency, Literacy & Introduction
to Computer Science (Computer
Science)
Table of Contents
Preface
1 Catalysts for Change
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Milestones in Computing
1.3 Milestones in Networking
1.4 Milestones in Information Storage
and Retrieval
1.5 Information Technology Issues
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2 Introduction to Ethics
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Subjective Relativism
2.3 Cultural Relativism
2.4 Divine Command Theory
2.5 Kantianism 62
2.6 Act Utilitarianism
2.7 Rule Utilitarianism
2.8 Social Contract Theory
2.9 Comparing Workable Ethical Theories
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
3 Networking
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Email and Spam
3.3 Fighting Spam
3.4 The World Wide Web
3.5 Ethical Perspectives on Pornography
3.6 Censorship
3.7 Freedom of Expression
3.8 Children and the Web
3.9 Breaking Trust on the Internet
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
4 Intellectual Property
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Intellectual Property Rights
4.3 Protecting Intellectual Property
4.4 Fair Use
4.5 New Restrictions on Use
4.6 Peer-to-Peer Networks
4.7 Protections for Software
4.8 Open-Source Software
4.9 Morality of Intellectual Property
Protection for Software
4.10 Morality of Copying Proprietary
Software
4.11 Creative Commons
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
5 Privacy
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Perspectives on Privacy
5.3 Disclosing Information
5.4 Public Information
5.5 U.S. Legislation
5.6 Public Records
5.7 Covert Government Surveillance
5.8 U.S. Legislation Authorizing Wiretapping
5.9 Data Mining
5.10 Identity Theft
5.11 Encryption
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
6 Computer and Network Security
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses
6.3 Phreaks and Hackers
6.4 Denial-of-Service Attacks
6.5 Online Voting
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
7 Computer Reliability
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Data-Entry or Data-Retrieval Errors
7.3 Software and Billing Errors
7.4 Notable Software System Failures
7.5 Therac-25
7.6 Computer Simulations
7.7 Software Engineering
7.8 Software Warranties
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
8 Work and Wealth
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Automation and Unemployment
8.3 Workplace Changes
8.4 Globalization
8.5 The Digital Divide
8.6 The "Winner-Take-All Society"
8.7 Access to Public Colleges
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
9 Professional Ethics
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Is Software Engineering a Profession?
9.3 Software Engineering Code of Ethics
9.4 Analysis of the Code
9.5 Case Studies
9.6 Whistleblowing
SUMMARY
REVIEW QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
FURTHER READING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Image Credits
Index |
