Social and Legal Issues

1
Chapter 14

• Social and Legal Issues

2
Chapter Outline

• A gift of fire
• Here, there, everywhere
• Privacy
• The Computer said so
• Computer crime
• Constitutional and civil liberties issues
• Communication issues encryption and wiretapping

3
A Gift of Fire

• Computer technology, most people agree, is the
  most significant new technology since the
  beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
• Can do many goods.
• But like fire, the power of computers has
  introduced serious problems million-dollar
  thefts, potential loss of privacy, breakdowns of
  large, complex systems such as communication
  networks and banking systems.

4
Level 6

• Examine relationships between the use of
  computers and law, work, public policy, ethics,
  responsibility, science, freedom of action, and
  quality of life.

5
Benefits

• Information services
• Consumer services
• Communications
• Education
• Entertainment
• Medical equipment and research
• Bring changes

6
Privacy

• Government databases
• Unauthorized use by insiders
• Inadvertent leakage of information through
  negligence or carelessness
• Propagation of errors and the harm caused by them
• Intentional uses that some people find
  objectionable.
• Big Brothers Files
• Fifty little brothers

7
How to Protect Privacy

• Using trusted 3rd party
• Audit trail
• Encryption
• Informed consent
• Issues
• Regulation
• Ownership of data
• Contracts

8
The Computer Said So

• Many people still think the computer is always
  right.
• Major failures do occur.
• How much should we rely on computers? Consider
  risks and benefits
• Case study on evaluating computer models
  crashing cars and global warming

9
Computer Crime

• Fraud, embezzlement, and theft
• Stealing data
• Hacking or cracking
• Viruses and worms

10
Constitutional and civil liberties issues

• Censorship versus Freedom of speech
  Communications Decency ACT (CDA), 1996
• Search and seizure and freedom of the electronic
  press
• More freedom-of-speech issues on the Internet

11
Communication Issues

• Use of encryption
• The wiretapping law