PowerPoint Presentation

Networked CommunicationsPart 1

Far More People Have Access to Cell Phones than Electricity or Clean Water1-2

Charles Sturge/Alamy

Communication Through the Ages

New technologies sometimes cause new social situations to emergeCalculators feminization of bookkeepingTelephones blurred work/home boundariesPHONES AND APPSSpam an example of this phenomenonEmail messages practically freeProfits increase with number of messages sentStrong motivation to send more messagesInternet design allows unfair, one-way communications

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The World Wide Web

Question: What was the internet like 30 years ago? 20? 10?Question: How do you use the internet?

WWW : networked hypertext systemStimulated tremendous growth in popularity of InternetTwo important attributesIt is decentralizedEvery Web object has a unique address

ShoppingSocializing (e.g., Facebook)Contributing content (e.g., wikis)BloggingCrowdsourcingLearningExploring our rootsEntering virtual worldsControlling the Internet of ThingsPaying taxesGamblingTaking humanitarian actionLots more!

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The Spam EpidemicSpam: Unsolicited, bulk emailSpam is profitableMore than 100 times cheaper than junk mailProfitable even if only 1 in 100,000 buys productHow firms get email addressesWeb sites, chat-room conversations, newsgroupsComputer viruses harvest addresses from PC address booksDictionary attacksContestsMost spam sent out by bot herders who control huge networks of computersSpam filters block most spam before it reaches users inboxes

Question: Are you a target of spam? What type? How do you get targeted? Is that fair? Is that ethical?5

Case Study: Ann the Acme AccountantAnn: Accountant at Acme CorporationShe distributes paychecks to all 50 employeesAnn sends email advertising Girl Scout cookie sale9 recipients order cookies; average 4 boxes eachOther 40 recipients unhappy to get email; half complain to a co-workerDid Ann do anything wrong?1-6

KantianismWe should always respect autonomy of others, treating them as ends in themselves and never only as the means to an end (2nd formulation of Categorical Imperative)Ann didnt misrepresent what she was doingShe didnt force anyone to read the entire emailSome who read her email chose to order cookiesTherefore, she didnt use others, and her action was not strictly wrongHowever, an opt in approach would have been better

Act UtilitarianismBenefit to Girls Scouts = $108$3 profit per box of cookies36 boxes soldHarm to company: time wastedOrders taken during breaksLost productivity from complaining: $7020 employees 2 5 minutes/employee = 200 minutes3.5 hours $20/hour = $70Benefits exceed harms, so action goodCompany may create policy against future fundraisers

Rule UtilitarianismQ: What would be consequences of everyone in company used email to solicit donations?A: Plenty of employee grumbling and lower moraleIf all doing it, unlikely any one cause would do wellHarms greater than benefits, so Anns action was wrong

Social Contract TheoryAcme Corporation has no prohibition against using its email system this wayAnn was exercising her right to express herselfSome people didnt appreciate message, but she didnt act like a spammerShe didnt conceal her identityShe wasnt selling a fraudulent productAnn did nothing wrong

Virtue EthicsAs employee, relevant virtues: honesty, fairness, respectAnn was honest: her email didnt mislead anyoneShe wasnt fair or respectful, and she exercised poor judgment (as evidenced by larger amount of complaining by co-workers)In her role as parent, she did all work herself and didnt find a role for her daughter to playAnn should have found a way for her daughter to help, and she should have found another way to advertise that respected co-workers

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SummaryAnalyses reached different conclusions, but Ann could have taken a less controversial courseShe could have posted a sign-up sheet to identify those interested in cookie saleThat way, she would have sent email only to those interested, avoiding the problems of grumbling and lost productivityShe could have found a way to get her daughter more engaged

CensorshipCensorship is the attempt to suppress or regulate public access to material considered offensive or harmful.Types of censorshipDirect CensorshipGovernmentLicensingSelf CensorshipQuestion: What are some reasons that organizations censor themselves when it is not mandated?Group decides for itself not to publishReasonsAvoid subsequent persecutionMaintain good relations with government officials (sources of information)Ratings systems created to advise potential audienceMovies, TVs, CDs, video gamesNot the Web

Limited number of frequencies on the spectrum for radio and tv but not on the internet one to many

Question: What are censoring issues with the internet?

We ran out of IPv4 addresses and now created a new system of IPv6

Many-to-many communicationsDynamic connectionsHuge numbers of Web sitesExtends beyond national borders, lawsHard to distinguish between minors and adults

Cuba, North Korea: Internet virtually inaccessibleSaudi Arabia: centralized control centerPeoples Republic of China:Blocks Internet access at times of social unrestHas one of most sophisticated filtering systems in the worldGermany: Forbids access to neo-Nazi sitesUnited States: Have been repeated efforts to limit access of minors to pornographyEgypt and North Korea turn the internet off

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Ethical Perspectives on CensorshipKantianism opposes censorshipEnlightenment thinkerHave courage to use your own reasonUtilitarianism opposes censorshipNo one is infallibleAny opinion may contain a kernel of truthTruth revealed in class of ideasIdeas resulting from discourse are more influentialMills Principle of Harm

The only ground on which interventionis justified is to prevent harm to others;the individuals own good is not asufficient condition.

Question: At what point should someone intervene? Suicide?

7 Words You Cant Say on TV

Question: What type of censorship would this constitute?

Freedom of Expression

Freedom of Expression is Not an Absolute Right

Right to freedom of expression must be balanced against the public goodVarious restrictions on freedom of expression exist for the greater public good

Question: Is this ethical to restrict our rights?

Question: Is sending spam ethical and legal?

Question: Was George Carlins Bit ethical? Legal?George Carlin records Filthy WordsWBAI in New York airs Filthy Words (1973)FCC issues declaratory order to PacificaPacifica suesU.S. Supreme Court ruled FCC did not violate 1st Amendment (5-4 decision)Broadcast media uniquely pervasiveBroadcasting uniquely accessible to children

Case Study: Kates BlogKate: Maintains a popular life on campus blogJerry: Another student; active in Whig PartyAt private birthday party, someone gives Jerry a Tory Party T-shirt as a gag, and Jerry puts it onKate uses cell phone to take picture of Jerry when he isnt looking, posts it on her blogStory read by many people on and off campusJerry confronts Kate and demands she remove photo; she complies, and they remain friendsKates blog and Jerry both become more popular

KantianKate uploaded Jerrys photo to her blog without asking his permissionShe treated him as a means to her end of increasing the readership of her Web siteHer action was wrong

Social Contract TheoryBirthday party held in apartment of one of Jerrys friendsJerry had a reasonable expectation of privacyKate violated Jerrys right to privacyKates action was wrong

Act Utilitarianism

BenefitsPopularity of Kates blog increased (definitely)Jerry become more popular on campus (definitely)HarmsJerrys anger at Kate (only temporary)Photo could discredit Jerry at some point in future (unlikely)Benefits greater than harms, so Kate did a good thing

Rule UtilitarianismWhat if everyone were constantly taking photos of people they encountered and posting them?Positive consequencesPeople would have more opportunities to keep up with what their friends are doingPeople might be more reluctant to engage in illegal activitiesNegative consequencesPeople would become more self-consciousSome relationships would be harmedNegative consequences more weighty than positive consequences, so Kates action was bad

Virtue EthicsTrue friends trust each other and seek each others goodReciprocity and equality are fundamental elements of friendshipLack of reciprocity: Kate took something from Jerry without giving him anything in returnLack of equality: She put her own interest above that of JerryKates actions did not seem to be characteristic of a good friend

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SummaryFour out of five analyses: Wrong for Kate to post the photo without asking Jerrys permissionKate figured it would be better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission, but she cut Jerry out of a decision that affected both of them, and thats no way to treat a friendKate should have tried to get Jerrys consent