Click here to order Ethics for the Information Age.
This page supplements Ethics for the Information Age by providing links to interesting Web material that can be incorporated into lectures or classroom activities.
Chapter 1: Catalysts for Change
“Half of teens think they’re addicted to their smartphones,” Kelly Wallace, CNN, May 3, 2016.
The Computer History Museum has a variety of online exhibits.
The Internet Society has the history of the Internet written by the Internet's creators.
Chapter 2: Introduction to Ethics
In this well written, accessible essay, Ephrat Livni argues that "practically everything we do in life has ethical repercussions" and concludes, "The best way to live an ethical life isn’t to find all the answers, but to be willing to wrestle with difficult questions."
You might wish to have a critical discussion of the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics, first formulated by Ramon C. Barquin. Do the students agree with all of the commandments? Are they complete? Are they too restrictive?
Chapter 3: Networking
The Social Dilemma, a compelling and information-rich docu-drama produced by Netflix, explores the dark side of social media. It caused a sensation when it was released in 2020. You and your students should watch it. At the very least, you can use the trailer to stimulate a classroom discussion. You can find a trailer of The Social Dilemma here.
In "How Better Tech Could Protect Us from Distraction," Tristan Harris describes how social networking apps force users to choose between spending too much time on them or missing something important. He proposes a different way to measure the success of these apps: net positive contribution to human life.
Does Facebook have an ethical responsibility to screen out advertisements based on pseudoscience? Here's an essay from someone who posted about her breast cancer and began receiving advertisements for "alternative cancer care" in her Facebook feed.
The Federal Trade Commission's Web site OnGuardOnline.gov provides educational videos about online scams, malware, and more.
Chapter 4: Intellectual Property
An interesting copyright infringement case involves George Harrison's unconscious appropriation of the melody from The Chiffon's "He's So Fine" into his song "My Sweet Lord." Giving your class the opportunity to listen to both songs can lead to an interesting discussion. Do they think the melodies are the same? They can listen to them on The Beatles Minute by Aaron Krerowicz.
Many people have posted "mash ups" of copyrighted material on YouTube. They range from the innocent (a music video mashing Disney's Beauty and the Beast with "It Is You (I Have Loved)", sung by Dana Glover, from the DreamWorks movie Shrek) to the playfully devious (a fake trailer for The Shining) to the twisted (a mash up of Toy Story with Requiem for a Dream). Should "mash ups" be considered a legitimate way for people to create new works of art, or do they violate intellectual property rights?
Creative Commons has built a nice Web page that contains more information about its alternative to the traditional copyright. The short video "A Shared Culture" extolls the virtues of people sharing their creative work and explains how Creative Commons licenses remove the legal impediments to such sharing.
Magnatune is a record label that distributes MP3 files under Creative Commons licenses.
Many contributors to the photo database Flickr are using Creative Commons licenses to protect their intellectual property.
Chapter 5: Information Privacy
The New York Times produced a provocative 12-minute video that can be a great discussion starter: "You Should Be Freaking Out about Privacy."
Bloomberg Law has a web page summarizing actions taken by US states to enact consumer data privacy laws.
Chapter 6: Privacy and the Government
The ACLU has created a short video, What's NSA Surveillance Got To Do With Me?, addressing the revelation that the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting telephone meta-data on millions of Americans.
A cartoon in The New York Times illustrates that when it comes to privacy, our actions do not always match our rhetoric.
Airlines in the United States have begun using facial recognition as passengers check bags and board flights. Is this an example of unconstitutional surveillance of US citizens?
Chapter 7: Computer and Network Security
An important source of up-to-date information related to Internet security is the site run by CERT. Note that the information on the CERT Web site is more technical than the stories on the governmentsecurity.org Web site.
Chapter 8: Computer Reliability
PBS has produced an excellent 11-minute introduction to the topic of algorithmic bias.
The NASA Web site has good information about the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission.
Chapter 9: Professional Ethics
In addition to the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice reprinted in the text, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has adopted the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Bill Sourour has written a powerful, personal essay sharing his regret about developing a particular marketing app: "The Code I'm Still Ashamed Of."
The Government Accountability Project runs a Web site designed to provide support to whistleblowers and those who desire greater accountability from government and corporations. The site contains current news stories related to whistleblowing.
Chapter 10: Automation and Globalization
Digital monitoring of the performance of blue-collar workers has been happening at large US employers for a long time. Some employers are now beginning to monitor the performance of white-collar workers, who can lose pay or even their jobs due to idle time, as reported in The New York Times.
The World Bank plays an important role in globalization.
Munich-based YouTube channel Kurzgesagt has produced a nice, 10-minute-long video introduction to universal basic income, which includes arguments for and against its implementation.
Last modification: 1 March 2024
This page supplements Ethics for the Information Age by providing links to interesting Web material that can be incorporated into lectures or classroom activities.
Chapter 1: Catalysts for Change
“Half of teens think they’re addicted to their smartphones,” Kelly Wallace, CNN, May 3, 2016.
The Computer History Museum has a variety of online exhibits.
The Internet Society has the history of the Internet written by the Internet's creators.
Chapter 2: Introduction to Ethics
In this well written, accessible essay, Ephrat Livni argues that "practically everything we do in life has ethical repercussions" and concludes, "The best way to live an ethical life isn’t to find all the answers, but to be willing to wrestle with difficult questions."
You might wish to have a critical discussion of the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics, first formulated by Ramon C. Barquin. Do the students agree with all of the commandments? Are they complete? Are they too restrictive?
Chapter 3: Networking
The Social Dilemma, a compelling and information-rich docu-drama produced by Netflix, explores the dark side of social media. It caused a sensation when it was released in 2020. You and your students should watch it. At the very least, you can use the trailer to stimulate a classroom discussion. You can find a trailer of The Social Dilemma here.
In "How Better Tech Could Protect Us from Distraction," Tristan Harris describes how social networking apps force users to choose between spending too much time on them or missing something important. He proposes a different way to measure the success of these apps: net positive contribution to human life.
Does Facebook have an ethical responsibility to screen out advertisements based on pseudoscience? Here's an essay from someone who posted about her breast cancer and began receiving advertisements for "alternative cancer care" in her Facebook feed.
The Federal Trade Commission's Web site OnGuardOnline.gov provides educational videos about online scams, malware, and more.
Chapter 4: Intellectual Property
An interesting copyright infringement case involves George Harrison's unconscious appropriation of the melody from The Chiffon's "He's So Fine" into his song "My Sweet Lord." Giving your class the opportunity to listen to both songs can lead to an interesting discussion. Do they think the melodies are the same? They can listen to them on The Beatles Minute by Aaron Krerowicz.
Many people have posted "mash ups" of copyrighted material on YouTube. They range from the innocent (a music video mashing Disney's Beauty and the Beast with "It Is You (I Have Loved)", sung by Dana Glover, from the DreamWorks movie Shrek) to the playfully devious (a fake trailer for The Shining) to the twisted (a mash up of Toy Story with Requiem for a Dream). Should "mash ups" be considered a legitimate way for people to create new works of art, or do they violate intellectual property rights?
Creative Commons has built a nice Web page that contains more information about its alternative to the traditional copyright. The short video "A Shared Culture" extolls the virtues of people sharing their creative work and explains how Creative Commons licenses remove the legal impediments to such sharing.
Magnatune is a record label that distributes MP3 files under Creative Commons licenses.
Many contributors to the photo database Flickr are using Creative Commons licenses to protect their intellectual property.
Chapter 5: Information Privacy
The New York Times produced a provocative 12-minute video that can be a great discussion starter: "You Should Be Freaking Out about Privacy."
Bloomberg Law has a web page summarizing actions taken by US states to enact consumer data privacy laws.
Chapter 6: Privacy and the Government
The ACLU has created a short video, What's NSA Surveillance Got To Do With Me?, addressing the revelation that the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting telephone meta-data on millions of Americans.
A cartoon in The New York Times illustrates that when it comes to privacy, our actions do not always match our rhetoric.
Airlines in the United States have begun using facial recognition as passengers check bags and board flights. Is this an example of unconstitutional surveillance of US citizens?
Chapter 7: Computer and Network Security
An important source of up-to-date information related to Internet security is the site run by CERT. Note that the information on the CERT Web site is more technical than the stories on the governmentsecurity.org Web site.
Chapter 8: Computer Reliability
PBS has produced an excellent 11-minute introduction to the topic of algorithmic bias.
The NASA Web site has good information about the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission.
Chapter 9: Professional Ethics
In addition to the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice reprinted in the text, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has adopted the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Bill Sourour has written a powerful, personal essay sharing his regret about developing a particular marketing app: "The Code I'm Still Ashamed Of."
The Government Accountability Project runs a Web site designed to provide support to whistleblowers and those who desire greater accountability from government and corporations. The site contains current news stories related to whistleblowing.
Chapter 10: Automation and Globalization
Digital monitoring of the performance of blue-collar workers has been happening at large US employers for a long time. Some employers are now beginning to monitor the performance of white-collar workers, who can lose pay or even their jobs due to idle time, as reported in The New York Times.
The World Bank plays an important role in globalization.
Munich-based YouTube channel Kurzgesagt has produced a nice, 10-minute-long video introduction to universal basic income, which includes arguments for and against its implementation.
Last modification: 1 March 2024
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