Information Ethics A View from the Trenches Philosophy Club – Kutztown University March 1, 2012 Oskars J. Rieksts

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Go Ogle – A Parable The Saga of Ed Dougward

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward Ed was in a pique that morning on his way to work having just confronted and canned his trusty butler. He had never been in favor of hiring a butler in the first place, but at his wife’s insistence he had relented.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward “Ed, what else are you going to do with all that money?” his wife had insisted. “And all our neighbors have butlers!” Ever since the Silicon Valley startup had taken off dollars flowed like a Pennsylvania creek following a rainstorm.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward As vice president he had certain “entertainment obligations” which fell on his wife, Patty. And so began their storybook life – Ed and Candy and Scooby Doo in Palo Alto, CA.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward And then along came Jake and Mandy and vacations in Big Sur and skiing at Big Bear. Until they began to get calls from telemarketers – touting exotic homeopathic remedies and New Age spiritual retreats.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward “Ed, do you think someone knows Jake is HIV-positive and Mandy has mood swings following her abortions?” Patty finally asked. “How could they? We’ve never even told our best friends. And besides, that is protected information.”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward These conversations went on for weeks, until one day Patty blurted out, “The butler! He is privy to all our family secrets.” “Edwards?!” Ed exclaimed. “Never! He is always so reliable and helpful and ‘British proper.’”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward “I can’t believe he would be anything but discreet. He knows what great pains we take to keep our private information private.”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward But Patty was like a dog with a bone. Once the idea found root in her mind she was not to be dissuaded. And at every opportunity she brought up the subject. Until finally Ed confronted him.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward Edwards was horrified that they would consider such a thing. And bringing himself up to the most proper aristocratic bearing he soon had Ed ashamed for even thinking it.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward But Patty, in her uncanny way, espied the telling micro hints and went after him with guns blazing. Until finally he broke down and confessed. He’d been in debt and the offers to sell information had been so lucrative.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward And, besides, who would be hurt? Ed felt sorry for him and was about to forgive. But Patty was like a mama bear protecting her cubs. And soon Edwards was history!

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward And so, as he pulled into the parking lot at work, as he saw the blinking sign he was struck by the irony of the timing. The 1 st letter “o” was flickering on and off, so the sign seemed to be saying, “Go ogle” over and over again.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward Yes, “go ogle” indeed. He felt violated by his butler, by his betrayal of the trust they had put in him. How many now knew his family secrets? And who were they? And where would the information wind up?

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward Later that evening, he was confronted by the irony again, reading his favorite snarky blogger. The posting was about the blinking sign. After various musings and ramblings..

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward.. the blogger pointed out that, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the 2 nd definition of ogle is: “to look at especially with greedy or interested attention.”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Saga of Ed Dougward How appropriate, Ed thought. All this time, though they had trusted him implicitly, their butler had been ogling his family for personal gain!

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Ethics The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.  James Fieser, Martin  Internet Enc. of Philosophy

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Ethics {Fieser} Metaethics  investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. Normative ethics  arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Ethics {Fieser} Applied ethics  involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or nuclear war.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Computer and Information Ethics  Terrell Bynum, S. Connecticut State University  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ICT  Information and communication technology

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} “Computer and information ethics”, in the broadest sense of this phrase, can be understood as that branch of applied ethics which studies and analyzes such social and ethical impacts of ICT.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Founder Norbert Weiner  Cybernetics  The Human Use of Human Beings  God and Golem

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Weiner Great principles of justice The Principle of Freedom  Liberty of each human being to develop in his freedom the full measure of the human possibilities embodied in him.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Weiner The Principle of Equality  The equality by which what is just for A and B remains just when the positions of A and B are interchanged.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Weiner The Principle of Benevolence  a good will between man and man that knows no limits short of those of humanity itself.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Weiner The Principle of Minimum Infringement of Freedom  What compulsion the very existence of the community and the state may demand must be exercised in such a way as to produce no unnecessary infringement of freedom

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Walter ODU  Medical ethics course  addition of computers generated wholly new ethics problems  concluded that there should be a new branch of applied ethics  “computer ethics”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Deborah Johnson Rensselaer  Book – Computer Ethics  new versions of standard moral problems and dilemmas

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Johnson computers pose new versions of standard moral problems and moral dilemmas, exacerbating the old problems, and forcing us to apply ordinary moral norms in uncharted realms. old ethical problems “given a new twist” by computer technology.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} James Moor  why computing technology raises so many ethical questions compared to other kinds of technology.  revolutionary power of computer technology was that computers are “logically malleable”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor  Logically malleable  Can be shaped and molded to do any activity that can be characterized in terms.. connecting logical operations  Logic applies everywhere  Potential applications of computer technology limitless

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor  Possible for people to do a vast number of things that they were not able to do before.  Since no one could do them before, the question never arose as to whether one ought to do them.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor No laws or standards of good practice or specific ethical rules were established to govern them. policy vacuums conceptual muddles conceptual vacuum.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Enter Google The success of Google, to a great extent, was their ability to do things no one had done before.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Scott Cleland Search & Destroy: Why You Can’t Trust Google Inc.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor Although a problem in computer ethics may seem clear initially, a little reflection reveals a conceptual muddle. What is needed in such cases is an analysis that provides a coherent conceptual framework within which to formulate a policy for action.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor (1) Identify a policy vacuum generated by computing technology. (2) Eliminate any conceptual muddles.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor (3) Use the core values and the ethical resources of just consequentialism to revise existing – but inadequate – policies, or else to create new policies that justly eliminate the vacuum and resolve the original ethical issue.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor If the blindfold of justice is applied to computing policies, some regarded as  unjust by all rational, impartial people  just by all rational, impartial people,  some will be in dispute.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Moor We first require that all computing policies pass the impartiality test. Clearly, our computing policies should not be among those that every rational, impartial person would regard as unjust.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Donald Gotterbarn  computer ethics should be seen as a professional ethics devoted to the development and advancement of standards of good practice and codes of conduct for computing professionals.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Gotterbarn Professional ethics  values that guide the day-to-day activities of computing professionals.  anyone involved in the design and development of computer artifacts.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Gotterbarn The ethical decisions made during the development of these artifacts have a direct relationship to many of the issues discussed under the broader concept of computer ethics.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University C & I Ethics {Bynum} Luciano Floridi  Information ethics  treats everything that exists as “informational” objects or processes”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Information Ethics Yes – need broader than  computer  Communication Need consider  Information in all its forms  What is & what is not an ethical use of information

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Information Ethics Already have bits & pieces Concepts of  Protected information  Privileged communication  Sealed records  Disposal of records

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Information Ethics MIA Over-arching principles

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Schmidt Dichotomy What happens when you have  Conceptual vacuums  Conceptual muddles  A policy vacuum

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Schmidt Dichotomy Abu Dubai – 3/11/10  Q: All this information that you have about us: where does it go? Who has access to that?  A: Google servers and Google employees, under careful rules  Q: Does that scare everyone in this room? {applause}

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Schmidt Dichotomy Abu Dubai – 3/11/10  A: Would you prefer someone else? {laughter; even greater applause}  A: Is there a government that you would prefer to be in charge of this?”  eric-schmidts-talk-in-abu-dhabi/ eric-schmidts-talk-in-abu-dhabi/

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Schmidt Dichotomy Classic disjunctive syllogism  p  q   p   q Or classic false dichotomy?

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Targeted Father’s angry interchange with Target  “My daughter got this in the mail!” he said. “She’s still in high school, and you’re sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Targeted  Target manager calls to apologize  Father: I had a talk with my daughter. She is due in August.  habits.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp habits.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp  target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Privacy Lawrence Snyder’s definition The right of people to choose freely under what circumstances and to what extent they will reveal themselves to others.

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Snyder’s Definition Right Choose  Freely  Circumstances  Extent Reveal  Self

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Fair Information Practices 1980 – OECD Adopted by EU US – hodgepodge of various laws

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Limited Collection Principle  Limits  Fair & lawful means Quality Principle  Relevant  Accurate & complete  Up to date

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Purpose Principle  Purpose stated  Use limited to purpose Use Limitation Principle  Not disclosed  No other purpose

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Security Principle  reasonable security measures by data controller Openness Principle  Public knowledge of  existence  kind & purpose  identify of data controller

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Participation Principle  Individual  Knows Whether information What information  Can challenge Denial of access Information itself

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University FIP Principles Accountability Principle  data controller to be accountable for complying with FIP Principles

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Google vs. EU 872e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1njZ4p0Tuhttp:// 872e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1njZ4p0Tu a855da9e6c393c07dda475a &show _article=1http:// a855da9e6c393c07dda475a &show _article=1

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Philosophy of Information New & uncharted territory  Claude Shannon  Not for public consumption

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University What Is Information Seat of the pants definition: That of which one can say “I know”

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University What Is Information Information Disinformation Misinformation

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Value of Information Corporate secrets Sale of information  Sale of personal information Ownership  Personal information  Intellectual property

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Ethical Dilemmas When is it wrong?  To disclose  To not disclose Examples  Warning of disasters  E.g., tsunami  Unabomber’s brother

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Ownership & Sale Pilfering  When cents rounded off – place lost value into own account When bits & pieces are collected  Who owns?  Compensation?

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University Information Life Cycle Creation Maintenance  Protection  Integrity Dissolution Disposal

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University The Policy Vacuum What is and what is not an ethical use of information?

March 1, 2012 Kutztown University END