Information Technology and Ethics
Lecturer: Kai Kimppa
Consulting hours: On demand (use email at any hour, mobile 10-18)
Notices
November 2
September 5
September 10
October 2
October 2
October 3
Dates for seminars added, also, course schedule corrected.
Note that the book “Introductory Ethics” is available also from the
lecturer. If possible, however, get it from the course library.
New link below to Blackwell’s Philosophy Compass – on Ethics. Check
it out!
Slides available. Also some of the links discussed during the class.
Note: Demonstrations to be done on the last slide of the lecture!
New link below on free will and its relevance to ethics.
Aims of the course
Information technology revolutionized the way in which we conduct many aspects of our
lives. The tremendous technological advancement in the area of computers and related
devices created unforeseen social situations that necessitate new ethical consideration.
Important issues like privacy, free speech, and ownership of the immaterial have new
meanings in the information age. Possibilities provided by ICT (Information and
Communications Technology) also offer new questions on what is ethical behaviour and
what is not. Old crimes come in new forms and new possibilities to do crimes are created
by ICT.
This course will provide the participant with understanding on what are ethical questions
raised by ICT and what are not, and cover central issues which information technology
professionals in their future work should be aware of. Information technology is used
profitably to support work, in education, at homes and in politics. However, this general
use of ICT involves risks as well. For an information technology professional it is
essential to be aware of both the opportunities and the risks. Further, professional ethics
is part of their professional competence.
Preliminary knowledge
The course is directed to IT-students at advanced and post-graduate level. It might also
benefit students from other disciplines if oriented in information technology. Bachelor
Seminar or Master’s Seminar must be done latest during this fall.
The language of the course will be Finnish unless there are participants not fluent in
Finnish, in which case the language of the course will be English.
Contents of the course
The course will start with an opening lecture during which the most prominent ethical
theories and their most obvious short-falls will be introduced. After the lecture, the
participants will write a summary (referaatti) of approximately 8 (6-12 or so) pages
(Times New Roman, 12 pt/Arial, 11 pt, line spacing 1) on selected chapters, 1-5, 7-9, 11
(see first lecture’s slides for further information) of the book: Feldman, Fred,
Introductory Ethics, which is available from the course library and for over night-loans
from the lecturer and the web page Nafsika Athanassoulis Virtue Ethics at
http://www.iep.utm.edu/v/virtue.htm. The summary will be graded and is worth 1/4th of
the course grade. Required parts of the book available for over-night loans from the
lecturer.
The middle part of the course will consist of lectures, group discussions and cases for
demonstration purposes and discussion. Completion of 50% of the demonstration cases is
mandatory for passing the course. Demonstrations returned in written form will be graded
as essays in an exam. This part of the course will be graded according to demonstrations
done and is worth 1/4th of the course grade.
Some topics that will be handled during the course include:
-
Access to information/Digital Divide
AI, Cyborgs, Robotics
Bioinformatics and Bio-IT Ethics
(IT-)Business Ethics (are there any?) and Work Ethics
Codes of Conduct/Codes of Ethics
Data Mining
Decision Making Algorithms for Ethical Questions
Design
Digital Signatures/Identification
Disability
eHealth, eEducation, eGovernment, eDemocracy, e?
Ethics online
Freedom of Speech in the Internet and elsewhere in Digitally Distributable Media
Game Ethics
Gender Issues/Discrimination/Cyber Stalking
Globalisation/Localisation
Intellectual Property Rights/Rights to the Immaterial/Piratism/Public Domain/Fair
Use
Information Technology and War
Location Based Services
Nanotechnology
Privacy and Data Protection
Responsibility and Accountability Issues
Security/Viruses/Trojans/Worms/Hostile Attacks
Digital Surveys
To conclude the course, the participants will write an article format term paper (study
some articles from the journals and/or conference proceedings you use for the term
paper) of a topic of their interest with-in the area of IT ethics of approximately 10 pages
(Times New Roman, 12 pt, line spacing 1.) based on course material and (at least) one
(but hopefully several) additional academic (or other, but then pre-approved by the
lecturer) reference(s) of their choosing. The term paper will be graded and is worth one
half of the course grade.
The term paper should explain the intent of the article(s), take a moral stance on the issue
(this can be the included stance of the article, if any), be relevant to Information
Technology Ethics and can, but need not, include own thoughts. The paper must include
one (1) page English abstract of the content to be handled in the paper. At the links
section below is a link to both Turku and Jyväskylä University Information Systems
guide (unfortunately both in Finnish, for guide’s in English, contact the lecturer via email) on how to write a paper, for the relevant parts, one of them is to be followed. Of
course any notation as long as it is clear and understandable can be used.
Course material
Lecture slides are per lecture after the first one, which was all four hours. Note that the
lecture slides almost always appear after the lectures due to some final modifications
which are of course told during the lecture.
Tämän teoksen ja alla olevien luentokalvojen käyttöoikeutta koskee Creative Commons
lisenssi.
This work and the following slides are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Even though the sign above says “some rights reserved” these pages and the content
within them is licensed under “no rights reserved, only two duties required” – the duties
being to attribute the author, not because the author feels the need, but so that the
audiences of this work would be informed and to license any works based on this work
with the same license.
1st lectures slides: ppt, pdf
2nd lectures slides: ppt, pdf
3rd lectures slides: ppt, pdf
4th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
5th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
6th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
7th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
8th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
9th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
10th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
11th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
12th lectures slides: ppt, pdf
Course Information
Lectures will start Friday, September 7th, 12:15-16:00, in B2035. This will be the opening
lecture mentioned above.
After this the lectures will continue again Friday, September 28th and will continue until I
run out of topics to handle (or more likely when I see that you need the rest of the time to
write your term papers).
After the lectures the participants are expected to write the term paper. It will be
reviewed during two days in late fall.
The lectures will be held in B2035, ICT Building 2nd floor. Further information will be
available later.
Week
W36
Date
Sep 7
W39
Sep 28
W40
W41
W42
W43
W44
W45
W46
W47
W48
Oct 5
Oct 12
No lecture
No lecture
Nov 2
Nov 9
Nov 16
Nov 23
Nov 30
W48
W50
Nov 28
Dec 12
W51
Dec 19
(English)
Dec 20
(Finnish)
Topic(s)
Opening lecture, introduction to common ethical theories and
their short-falls. Home assignment given. Practical issues
handled.
Returning of home assignments. 4 issues from the list
handled.
Demonstration cases and 3 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and 2 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and 2 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and 3 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and 3 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and 3 issues from the list handled.
Demonstration cases and a bit of this and a bit of that. Topics
for the term paper selected.
Return a topic and an outline through email to the lecturer
The term paper has to be returned for the opponent and the
lecturer for them to have time to read them.
Presentation of and discussion based on the term papers.
15+15 minutes for presentation+discussion per paper. One
day will be in English while another will be in Finnish. I shall
be doing the delegation of the day to the language once I
receive the papers.
The days will start at xx:yy and continue until appr. 10 papers
have been presented and opposed (as I expect to have appr.
20 papers all together). Should there be less English papers
than 10, then of course some of the Finnish ones will be
presented on the “English day”, but in Finnish. Participation
to the presentations of Finnish papers is not required of those
not fluent in Finnish.
Literature
Feldman, Fred. Introductory Ethics, available in course library, lecturer’s copy available
for over-night loans.
Johnson, Deborah G. Computer Ethics (3rd. edition), Prentice-Hall, 2001. One copy
available in course library, lecturer’s copy available for over-night loans.
Spinello, Richard. Ethical Aspects of Information Technology Prentice-Hall, 1995. One
copy available in course library, lecturer’s copy available for over-night loans.
Weckert, John and Douglas Adeney Computers and Information Ethics, Greenwood
Press, 1997. One copy available from the lecturer for over-night loans.
Articles to be delivered during the course.
News-flashes from Ethics front:
The Brittish identity cards have reached a new high after 9/11 (and the Brittish attacks
last year); the government in Brittain is now driving for cards which have iris- and fingerprint information for every citizen ‘to fight terrorism’ by avoiding ‘identity theft’. Lower
house voted for that everyone applying for a passport will need to get an identity card
which has this information 2 years from now. The upper house can still stop the motion
from passing, however. Note the development here. First, the government (in 2002)
wanted the digital identification cards for everyone, but at least those who use social
services. Now, after the terrorist attacks, the government in Brittain want them for all
again (and now digital identification is not enough, but also bio-identification…), but at
least to those who apply for a passport. Both seem very much like ‘the first necessary
step’ (to quote an EU directive which also digs into our privacy) for getting it to all, after
most people have grown numb to having them anyway and have not vitnessed any clear
misuses (which of course does not mean that there wouldn’t be such). The problem with
this of course is two-fold. First, everyone is assumed quilty until proven innocent (it is
very hard to see that this information, especially the finger prints would not be used in
normal crime investigations as well). Second, it is especially worrying that even if the
current government would not use this information for tracking people (which they likely
will for some, through the secret agencies), that coming governments necessarily would
not. Note, that once the information is collected, it is very difficult to make it go away,
but governments - and their practices - do change. If this goes through in Brittain, it is
hard to see that it wouldn’t go through in Finland as well at some later date. Especially
due to us being used to having to have an identification card anyway.
The data retention directive is seen by the drafting committee in EU as ‘the first
necessary step’ in collecting information on the EU-citizens and whom they discuss
things with over the telephone, over e-mail and which web sites they visit. Currently, it
does not follow VOIP services nor chats. It is very hard to see that the terrorists, whom it
is claimed to be for, would not move to these media to avoid detection (if I can come up
with the idea, they surely can). Also, it can be used to ‘solve serious crimes’. What these
‘serious crimes’ then are, is left open (on purpose?). Would that mean, for example in
Finland, any crimes for which a warrant can be given? These have typically been
considered ‘serious’ enough crimes to let our privacy be disrupted (coming into our
homes). Now, the problem is, that for example copyright violations are ‘serious crimes’
like this after the late bill, i.e. if one downloads music illegally, can their traffic
information in e-mails, phones and web then be accessed? Also, ‘the first necessary step’
is very worrying. What might be the ‘next necessary steps’ then? Undoubtedly VOIPs,
chats and USENET groups contact information. But maybe also content? Could the ISPs
and tele operators next be required to also save the content to which they have access,
say, e-mails, chat logs, SMS-message content?
The private sphere is shrinking due to these kinds of changes. We are being followed
electronically more and more all the time. Already our mobile phones can be tracked (one
third of the time, but still) and so forth. We should be worried that we do not live in a
1984 society in a while.
Biometric passport encryption has been cracked, what people can encrypt, they can
decrypt - even without the appropriate keys. What use are these encryptions, and how
does one prove that one is the real passport owner if it is this easy? Further news from (in
Finnish):
http://mikropc.net/uutiset/index.jsp?categoryId=atk&day=20060207#w20060207091706
8933
A new discussion forum for disabled faculty members at:
http://aomlists.pace.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=disabled-faculty&A=1
where you can find some of the issues discussed during the lecture about disabled people
and taking them into consideration when designing systems. Also a lot of other issues, of
course.
The pictures depicting prophet Mohammed have been published at a Finnish web
page. The freedom of information in the Web seems to work, although the publisher
seems to be an ultra-nationalistic organisation (“Suomen Sisu”). The Finnish police has
started an investigation whether the publication breaks the law which forbids insulting
religion (for the lack of a better translation; uskonrauhalaki).
Where do you give your social security number? 15.2.2006 an ‘open up the databases’
day was held. Concerned citizens are worried what information is gathered about them
and where, and what is done with that information. For example, bank card, credit card
(from both of these, purchasing information can be gathered), bus card (yes, they know
from where to where you travel), mobile phone data (they can locate you, they can tell
who you have talked with), video camera’s in public and private places (some connected
to the net; there is a certain search string which enables one to find open security
camera’s and look through them using a web browser), membership cards (they know our
habits through what we purchase), info in Web (who reads privacy statements? Who
remembers to tick the box refusing the use of ones information for marketing purposes?),
etc. Information about us is collected in worrying amounts. “I always feel like
somebody’s watching me, I have no privacy’ like Rockwell puts it in their song…
Links
Online Journals
Blackwell’s Philosophy Compass – on Ethics. Should you be interested in the
contemporary discussion of Deontology, Virtue Ethics, Utilitarianism or many other
ethical theories, a good starting point. Note that the home page offers a wide array of
different kinds of philosophical topics not limited to ethics.
http://www.blackwell-compass.com/subject/philosophy/section_home?section=phcoethics
Ethics and Information Technology journal. Available through university computers. Lot
of IT-ethics issues.
http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1388-1957/current
ACM SIGCAS Computers & Society journal also available through university
computers.
http://portal.acm.org/browse_dl.cfm?linked=1&part=newsletter&idx=J198&coll=portal&
dl=ACM&CFID=4570085&CFTOKEN=6284780
International Review on Information Ethics
http://www.i-r-i-e.net/
First Monday Journal. Available from anywhere. Lot of IT-ethics issues.
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/
Etica & Politica IT Ethics special issue:
http://www.univ.trieste.it/~etica/1999_2/homepage.html
Ethicomp Journal (based on the conferences). Available from anywhere. Requires
registration. Lot of IT-ethics issues.
http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/journal/
Author Guides
For all the guide’s below, follow on relevant parts. Referencing especially, but also using
your discretion on topic selection and actual writing. In any case, follow the articles you
use as examples on writing.
Link to Turun Yliopisto’s guide on writing term papers (unfortunately in Finnish). DO
NOT follow the ‘a chapter must start from a new page’ rule.
http://www.it.utu.fi/opetus/opinnaytteet/raporttiohje_turku_01.pdf
Link to Jyväskylä University’s guide on writing term papers (unfortunately also in
Finnish).
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~katjalii/TJTC87/Materiaali/Raportointiohjev02.PDF
Link to Turun Kauppakorkeakoulu’s guide on writing papers (in English)
http://www.tukkk.fi/opiskelu/Opinnot/Tutkielmat/PGTW.pdf
Link to some terminology often used by philosophers (unfortunately only in Finnish).
http://www.soc.utu.fi/laitokset/filosofia/opiskelu/opetusmateriaalit/sanastoa.pdf
Other Links
Links related to the material delivered during the course:
http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=3851 – To get
an understanding on why free will is relevant to the question of ethics – and what the
current understanding of the possibility of free will in the field of philosophy is – visit the
book review (or, if really interested get the book!) behind the link.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/08/ap4096034.html - Chip implants linked to
tumors on other than human animals. What about human animals? E.g. Kevin Warwick
(http://www.kevinwarwick.com/)?
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL1055133420070910 - Reuters
informs us that Commissioner Frattini of the EU considers words such as “Bomb” or
“Genoside” dangerous and that they should not be searched. See also following links on
what else would go with the bath water (the child?):
http://www.ohjelmanaiset.fi/pommi&gommi.htm
http://www.wiesenthal.com
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/16/bomb_threat_leads_police_to_raid_tor_operator
/ - TOR operator raided by police in Germany; freedom of speech and access to
information at risk.
http://www.veriryhma.org/ - web page accused of slander and hatred against a religion.
Freedom of expression is also about things you do not like, else it would not be needed.
http://academic-conferences.org/eciw/eciw2006/eciw06-call-for-papers.htm - An
international conference on Information Warfare and Security held in Finland. Topics
available at some point.
http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/200594195210.asp - Automatic robotic fighters
weren’t that far in the future after all. See also
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2324 (or do a web search with “robotic
fighter planes”).
http://www.yleradio1.fi/yhteiskunta/id4495.shtml - A debate on the new Copyright Law
in Finland and how it is seen to affect the music creators, unfortunately only in Finnish.
http://www.privacyinternational.org/comparativeterrorpowers - "Threatening the Open
Society: Comparing Anti-terror Policies and Strategies in the U.S. and Europe".
http://www.officehouse.fi/filter_stopp.jpg - an example on what the Swedish child
pornography stop page looks like.
http://koti.mbnet.fi/hynkel/dnainternetlp2vc.jpg - a link to a blog in which a DNA
employer criticises the child porn blocking as limiting freedom of speech. He got fired
for it and the blog has been removed from the original site.
http://www.piraattitehdas.fi/ - information on the new copyright law by the proponents.
http://hietanen.typepad.com/copyfraud/ - parody of the information on the previous link.
http://www.piraattitehdas.be/ - critical information on the new copyright law.
http://911review.com/articles/griffin/nyc1.html - an example of different information
available in the net compared to the main stream media offered; this on 9/11 attacks.
http://nullo.ilcannocchiale.it/?id_blogdoc=841542 - the cartoons which inflamed the
muslim world. See for yourself and consider whether they are offencive, whether there is
a reason for some of them and that there are different morals in different cultures.
http://www.kasablogi.com/arkisto/005454.html - another comic on the issue, appeared in
a culture magazine Kaltio (used to be: http://www.kaltio.fi, but is not available) and led
to the termination of the job of the editor in chief and to taking the web pages down.
http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/ political compass which tests left-right
and authority-liberal thinking.
http://politics.beasts.org/ political compass which tests left-right and pragmatic-idealist
thinking. See also the commentary on how the axes have been chosen at “Axes” link
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212720/trailers AI movie trailers.
http://trilobite.electrolux.com/ Home robots.
http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,5567,00.html Nokia Way & Values.
http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,5184,1113,00.html Nokia Code of Conduct.
http://www.tt-tori.fi/ - select Etiikka at the top of the page.
http://www1.bcs.org.uk/ - use Search with words “code of conduct” and “Match all
words”.
http://www.info.fundp.ac.be/~jbl/IFIP/cadresIFIP.html Criteria and Procedures for
Developing Codes of Ethics or of Conduct: To Promote Discussion Inside the IFIP
National Societies.
http://csweb.cs.bgsu.edu/maner/heuristics/toc.htm Various heuristic methods for
computer ethics – includes also the RESOLVEDD and Paramedic method used during
the lectures.
http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame1.html - flame warriors and from Netiquette
Nazi a link to a netiquette.
http://www.nixu.fi/~kiravuo/etiketti/ - one of the oldest Finnish netiquettes.
http://www.plagueangel.net/grotto/id1.html - Weborexia, or pro-ana, site.
http://www.sihteeriopisto.net - old (the oldest in the book?) service in a new
environment.
http://www.fsf.org or http://www.gnu.org - a link to Free Software Foundations web
pages.
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/ - a link to The Cathedral and The
Bazaar book by Erik Raymond.