Transcript Networking
Ethics for the Information Age
Chapter 3 - Networking William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Topics
Ethical Evaluations of Spamming
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Topics (cont.)
Proposed Solutions to the Spam Epidemic
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Topics (cont.)
Ethical Perspectives on Pornography
Breaking Trust on the Internet
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Introduction
The value of a PC increases dramatically once it is networked The value of the net is tremendous due to the connectivity Distributed computing (SETI project) harnesses many lost CPU cycles The greatest net impact is communication William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Introduction
Two required conditions – Network must support usage – Users must act responsibly How do we define ‘act responsibly’?
Can we apply ethical theories to technology?
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Email & Spam
Email is broken into packets Transmission is usually indirect Top 10 most common subject lines in 2002 1. Protect your computer against viruses for $9.95
2. Verification Department William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Email & Spam
– Top 10 most common subject lines in 2002 3. Refinancing? Get a FREE quote on any mortgage loan program 4. Printer Cartridges – Save up to 80% - Free Shipping Offer 5. Miniature Remote Control Car. Great Gift!
6. $100 FREE, Please Play Now William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Email & Spam
Top 10 most common subject lines in 2002 7. Online Auction Marketing Secrets!
8. Important news Kuira 9. URGENT & CONFIDENTIAL.
10.GET A FREE PASS TO THOUSANDS OF XXX SITES!
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
The Spam Epidemic
– – – – About 40% of all email in 2003 Cost to business is in the billions per year Low cost – about $500 - $2,000 per email vs. almost $250,000 for postal mail, not including the mailer Opt-in lists William H. Bowers – [email protected]
The Spam Epidemic
– – – – – Dictionary attacks, check for unbounced email Net crawlers Spoofing AOL blocks over 1 billion messages per day Hard to control as spammers change ID easily and frequently William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Spamming
– Kantian Evaluation – Assume that I have a great idea for a product or service – I send unsolicited email to a large list – Some recipients must pay by the message – I am treating recipients as a means to the end of selling my product William H. Bowers – [email protected]
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Ethical Evaluations of Spamming
Act Utilitarian Evaluation – I send the email to 100 million people – 1 in 100,000 may buy my product – Assume that 90% of customers are happy, 10% unhappy – We have 99,990,000 unhappy people – 9,000 happy customers – 1 happy me William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Spamming
– Rule Utilitarian Evaluation – Use the same scenario as before – If everyone were interested, I could not fulfill the orders – People may be inclined to drop or change email to prevent spam – Usefulness of email decreases William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Spamming
Social Contract Theory Evaluation – We each have the right to free speech – That right does not include the requirement that the rest of us have to listen – If email is an invitation to correspond, the sender must identify subject and author William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Making Direct Email Moral
Evaluating spam from four perspectives each concludes it is unethical Can it be made ethical?
Use real address and subject Send only to those who opt in William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Fighting Spam
Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) http://www.mail-abuse.com/ Uses a Realtime Blackhole List (RBL) List of IP addresses that generate or forward spam Use their own guidelines to determine who should be black listed http://www.mail abuse.com/support/pdf/WP_MAPS_RBL_060 104.pdf
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Fighting Spam
Proper email guidelines – Recipients must have asked to receive email – Must provide recipients with simple way to be removed from the list (including at least one non-email communication method) – Must remove invalid addresses in a timely manner William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Fighting Spam
Proper email guidelines – Must disclose how recipient addresses will be used, including frequency and subject of future mailings When a violation is suspected – MAPS contacts marketer (or ISP) – Warns of potential blacklisting William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Fighting Spam
When a violation is suspected – Evaluates response – Makes decision Those who have been Blockholed may apply for removal William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Fighting Spam
Arguments against MAPS – It prevents free speech – If an entire ISP is blocked, innocent individuals may be blocked William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of MAPS
Social Contract Theory – MAPS presumes email should be of “direct and equal benefit to the sender and the recipient” – Negates the argument of having a right to have a message delivered – Use of MAPS is by request (and payment) only William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of MAPS
Utilitarian Evaluation – ISP’s benefit - decrease in spam = less network traffic and improved performance – ISP’s lose - useful email may be blocked which reduces the value of the net – Innocent senders may be harmed – Must compare net benefit of senders to net benefit of receivers William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of MAPS
Kantian Evaluation – Goal of RBL is to improve ISP’s behavior – Customer’s inconvenience may lead to complaints to ISP and suppression of spammers – MAPS is treating customers as a means to an end – This violates the Categorical Imperative William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Proposed Solutions to the Spam Epidemic
Require explicit subscriber opt in – Increases recipient response rate – Decreases total email volume – Mandated by European Union Require labeling of spam Add a cost to every email sent Ban unsolicited email William H. Bowers – [email protected]
CAN SPAM Act of 2003
Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN SPAM) http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&do cid=f:s877enr.txt.pdf
Divides business email into three categories – Transactional or relational Message header, sender, organization and transmission information must be correct Must not disguise ID of the sending computer William H. Bowers – [email protected]
CAN SPAM Act of 2003
Divides business email into three categories – Consensual commercial email Must inform recipient of option to be removed from list Must provide internet based removal functional for at least 30 days after the message was sent Must contain postal address of sender – Unsolicited email William H. Bowers – [email protected]
CAN SPAM Act of 2003
Divides business email into three categories – Unsolicited email Must contain “clear and conspicuous” notice that it is an advertisement If sexually explicit, must contain notice in subject line Prohibits dictionary attacks William H. Bowers – [email protected]
CAN SPAM Act of 2003
Penalties for violations – $250 per message, $2 million max – $6 million max for repeat offenders – Criminal penalties and jail time up to five years if used to further felonies or repeat offenders – Forfeiture of property or equipment used in commission of crime William H. Bowers – [email protected]
CAN SPAM Act of 2003
Critics call it the “You CAN SPAM Act” Defines and permits unsolicited email Does not prevent spam at all Opt out not feasible as it confirms the email address and address can be sold to other spammers Weaker than some existing state laws Enforceable only in the US William H. Bowers – [email protected]
World Wide Web Attributes
Decentralized, no control over content URL’s are unique Based on the Internet, therefore accessible to all OS’s William H. Bowers – [email protected]
World Wide Web Uses
Shopping, e-commerce Formal education Genealogy Online gaming Paying taxes Gambling Blogging William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Control of the World Wide Web
No access in North Korea or Burma (as of 2003) Saudi Arabia controls all access in country – Blocks pornography, gambling, non-Islamic religious organizations – Women’s health and sexuality, gay rights, Middle Eastern politics, ways to circumvent filtering William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Control of the World Wide Web
People’s Republic of China – Allows many ISP’s – Each must agree to voluntarily block politically or morally objectionable web pages – Also blocks BBC news, CNN, sites related to Taiwan and Tibet – Can affect Hong Kong which routes through PRC William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Control of the World Wide Web
Germany – Forbids neo-Nazi or anti-Semitic US – Two attempts at legal restriction struck down by US Supreme Court William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Control of the World Wide Web
US – Children’s Internet Protection Act upheld – Argument transcript http://www.supremecourtus.gov/oral_arg uments/argument_transcripts/02-361.pdf
– Opinion http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions /02pdf/02-361.pdf
William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Perspectives on Pornography
US government mandates filtering in public libraries that receive federal funding Should the government restrict access?
Pornography is hard to define Book’s definition for this discussion William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Analyses Concluding Pornography is Immoral
Kantianism – Model(s) are used as means to an end – Used as objects, not persons – Violates Categorical Imperative William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Analyses Concluding Pornography is Immoral
Utilitarianism – Reduces the dignity of human life – Portraying sexual abuse helps create an environment in which true victims are less likely to be dealt with sympathetically – Imitators may be incited to rape, etc.
– Pornography is offensive to most people – Diverts resources from more redeeming activities William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Analyses Concluding Pornography is Moral
Presumes viewers and models are consenting adults Three benefits – Individuals involved are making money – Consumers derive pleasure – Provides consumer with harmless outlet for exploring sexual fantasies William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Commentary
Harms and benefits can be contradictory – Viewing pornography incites crime – Provides harmless outlet Benefits or harms are difficult to ascertain or quantify Should government aid parents in protecting children?
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Censorship
Attempts to suppress or regulate public access to offensive or harmful material Usually exercised by government or religious institutions Printing press allowed wider dissemination of material Made more difficult by divergence of church and state William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Direct Censorship
Three forms – Government monopolization State controls all media No private radio, TV or newspapers Made more difficult by computers and internet William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Direct Censorship
Three forms – Prepublication review Essential to keep secrets Generally accepted for national security Used by totalitarian governments to suppress dissent – Licensing and registration Used to apportion limited bandwidth Radio, TV frequencies, channels Allows de facto censorship William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Self-Censorship
May be used to maintain good relationships with government Reporters do not wish to alienate sources Voluntary rating systems Agreement to not show mature material during prime time William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Challenges Posed by the Internet
Many to many communications The Internet is dynamic, always changing Size of the Internet The Internet is global Identities are hard to verify William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Perspectives on Censorship
Kantian View – People must think for themselves – Must not rely on others to tell them what is permissible William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Perspectives on Censorship
John Stuart Mill – Four reasons for freedom of expression None of us is infallible – mistakes may silence the truth Majority opinion is not the whole truth, other opinions must be heard A clash of ideas is necessary to determine the truth Opinions must be tested to be verified William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Perspectives on Censorship
John Stuart Mill – Principle of Harm – “The only ground on which intervention is justified is to prevent harm to others, the individual’s own good is not a sufficient condition.” William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Freedom of Expression
First Amendment history
– 1275 English law prohibiting speech
that could weaken loyalty to the king
– Later encompassed seditions words
and words against many government officials
– Late 1700’s – no prior restraint William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Freedom of Expression
First Amendment history
– Libel originally considered if
material was harmful, truth was not a defense
– Guarantees freedom of speech – Freedom of the press William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Freedom of Expression not Absolute
First Amendment’s primary purpose is to protect political speech Speech is interpreted to be more than mere words, all expression is protected Libel, slander, lies, perjury, false advertising, personal abuse not allowed
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FCC vs. Pacifica Foundation, et al.
1973 – George Carlin’s 7 dirty words 2 PM, 30 October 1973, after warning listeners, aired by WBAI, New York FCC received complaint Issued order against station operator
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FCC vs. Pacifica Foundation, et al.
Pacifica sued FCC for First Amendment violation 1978 US Supreme Court ruled 5 – 4, no violation
– Can be received unintentionally – Can be received by children William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Children and the Web
Web filters
– Installed on PC or ISP – Checks URL against blacklist – Or checks for key words William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Child Internet Protection Act
Requires libraries receiving federal funds to install Internet filters About 14 million people use public Internet access Adults can ask librarians to remove filters Government argued it is an extension of existing standards William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Child Internet Protection Act
American Library Association and ACLU argued filters may block acceptable material Asking for filter removal may be embarrassing and disruptive Act upheld by US Supreme Court William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of CIPA
Kantianism evaluation – Individual reason should lead to enlightenment of society – Web filters may not be accurate – Web sites do not consent to being blocked – Treats non-offensive, blocked pages as means to an end William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of CIPA
Act Utilitarianism – Not all children access Internet in libraries, not all bad sites will be blocked – Probable that CIPA will result in fewer children being exposed to pornography – May block legitimate sites, resulting in less useful research – a harmful consequence William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of CIPA
Act Utilitarianism – Adults may be embarrassed to ask for access – Some blocked sites may be associated with minority political views, the blocking of which would be harmful William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of CIPA
– Social Contract Theory Freedom of thought and expression is valued Private viewing of pornography is individual and therefore outside of the social contract Blocking may inhibit free expression of ideas Does not treat adults who depend on library access as free and equal citizens William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Breaking Trust on the Internet
Identity theft – Phony emails asking to update information – According to FBI, 2/3 of all cases of identity theft begin with email solicitation – 2002 – about 75,000 complaints – About $40 million in fraud William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Chat Room Predators
Participation varies by country Easy to impersonate young children William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Police Sting Operations
Is it right to trap pedophiles?
Direct effect of catching and convicting – Perpetrator is deprived of freedom – Public is safer – Therefore, net benefit William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Police Sting Operations
Indirect effects – Deterrence of others – Makes chat room participants aware that not everyone is genuine Kantian Evaluation – Police need to lie to trap suspect – Therefore, sting operation is wrong William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Ethical Evaluations of Police Sting Operations
Social Contract Theory – People should be honest in chat rooms – Pedophiles violate this rule – Police may entrap otherwise honest person – Both involve lying and wrongdoing – Therefore, it is wrong William H. Bowers – [email protected]
False Information
Web pages and not necessarily correct or honest No review for correctness No pre-publication review William H. Bowers – [email protected]
Questions & Discussion
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