Transcript Teaching Whistleblowing

Teaching Whistleblowing
And Other Controversial Ethical Topics
Karla Carter
College of Science and Technology
Bellevue University
"Your scientists were so pre-occupied with
whether or not they could they didn't stop
to think if they should." - Jurassic Park, 1993
(Dr. Ian Malcolm) http://youtu.be/4PLvdmifDSk
Controversial Ethical Topics
• Whistleblowing (whistle-blowing, whistle
blowing…)
• Sex (includes pr0n and sex with robots)
• Gender and Age
• ???
Whistleblowing
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Tattling versus whistleblowing
Edward Snowden – traitor or whistleblower?
Wikileaks
SecureDrop (developed by the late Aaron Swartz)
“SecureDrop is a Python application that accepts messages and documents from the Web and
encrypts them for secure storage. Each source who uses the platform is assigned a unique
codename that lets the source establish a relationship with the news organization without
having to reveal her real identity or resort to e-mail.”
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) protection and recent Supreme Court ruling for private contractors
Whistleblowing question in disguise
You work in IT services for a large company. Employees routinely bring their company-issued laptop
computers in for maintenance and troubleshooting. One attractive single female employee has
brought in her company-owned laptop because she suspects there might malware on it. Upon
examining the computer, you find explicit photo and video files of her, engaging in adult-oriented
activities, both alone and with other men and women. None of the photos or videos depict illegal
activities. You recognize one of the men in the images as being the CIO – your boss' boss, essentially
(although, given the sadomasochistic facial apparatus he's wearing in some of the photos, you can
only be 95% sure). The CIO is married (and not to any of the women in the photos and videos) and
considered a strong supporter of traditional "family values"; a pillar of the community and his
religious organization. The content on the laptop violates the policies of your company. Right before
the laptop was brought in you heard that IT services was being reduced by 20%, by order of the CIO.
You do not know whether you will retain your job after the cutbacks.
Prepare ethical arguments for and against showing the photos and videos to your coworkers, your
manager, and the CIO. Please include the references you used to come to your conclusions, including
personal experience or interviews.
Pr0n
(in the context of Freedom of Expression versus
Censorship)
• The British government has mandated that Internet service providers in Britain must filter
pornography out by default. If a user wishes to see the content that household will have to opt in.
The policy has supporters and critics. Argue for and against the policy. Compare this to how in the
US various organizations and members of Congress suggest requiring Web sites that contain
material "harmful to minors" to move to a new Web domain ".xxx". Give some reasons for and
against such a requirement.
• How has the Internet changed the notion of community standards for determing if material is
legally obscene? Do you think the community-standards criterion can be preserved on the
Internet? If so, explain how. If not, explain why.
Robot Sex Week Readings
“We are required to inform you that the following articles contain sensitive material related to adult content that may
not be suitable for all students. You are not obligated to read these articles.” – required disclaimer
"I (Robot) Thee Wed" for Slate, May 2012
(http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/05/robot_sex_and_marriage_will_society_accept_it_.html)
"Sex and marriage with robots? It could happen" for NBC, October 2007
(http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21271545/#.URhJrKjrz_c)
Project Aiko - a robotic woman with "companion" features http://www.projectaiko.com/
Ian Yeoman, Michelle Mars, Robots, men and sex tourism, Futures, Volume 44, Issue 4, May 2012, Pages 365-371, ISSN 00163287, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2011.11.004.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328711002850) |
https://www.dropbox.com/s/85xi826xke5pkra/Academic%20Journal%20Article%20about%20Robot%20Sex%20Tourism.pdf
"My Robot, My Love" by David Levy (https://www.dropbox.com/s/gct2vm7dbqwhn41/My%20Robot%2C%20My%20Love.pdf)
Robot Sex Week Question
What are the ethical considerations involved in romantic relationships with robots? Does it matter if
the person is single or already involved in another romantic relationship? (e.g. is it cheating/infidelity?)
Make sure you define what a robot is and at what point humans with non-human cyber parts would
be more robot than human.
Gender Issues
• Adria Richards PyCon2013 (see http://www.technollama.co.uk/of-tweets-sexism-vigilantes-anddongles for coverage and opinions, including a comment I made)
• Goldman Sachs Nail Files and Mirrors (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/02/goldmansachs-handed-out-nail-files-to-recruit.html?mid=twitter_nymag)
• Petticoat 5 computer humor skit (http://youtu.be/2dEmWvVfEts)
Gender Issues Conversation
A recent conversation in an online class with a DDA (Designated Devil’s Advocate) student about the Goldman
Sachs incident in the Corner Pub area of the classroom:
Student: "I don't see the issue here, it was a WOMEN’S coding event, meaning you would focus your marketing
campaign towards you audience. Now if they had been handing out pocket knifes it may be
newsworthy. Personally, people make news out of bulls@#t these days."
Me: "Pocket knives are at least gender-neutral ;-)"
Student: "It still doesn't negate the fact that it was a Women’s coding conference. Honestly, do you want to be
handed a gender neutral item when a gender specific item would make more marketing sense? Companies are
around to make money, focusing your message or gifts to their audience only makes financial sense."
Me: "I can see both sides of this, but the side that is pulling me more is that many women want to be valued for
something other than their looks. Beauty items handed out tend to send a message of 'yeah, you're doing this
coding thing, but, really, your value is in your looks. Here, have a mirror and a nail file.' The only person I want to
notice my looks is my boyfriend (as long as he respects my mind, as well, which he seems to do ;-)"
Age Issues
There are some articles relating to age in the Visit section: “Are You Too Old to Code?”, “Is there
coding life after 40?”, “45 and Too Old to Work?”, and “Old Techies Never Die”. What were your initial
reactions to reading these? Do you think there's an age limit on when someone has to move from
coding into management? Related, does everyone do well at management? Are there any ways that
people under 30 are better qualified to be coders? Are their benefits to having folks over 45 write
code? If you were in a hiring position and two applicants with equal talents applied for a coding
position, but one of them was 25 and one was 48, which one would you hire? Why? Are there other
professions (other than professional sports, where your late 30s is "old") where one is somewhat
forced to move into management?
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Are You Too Old to Code? Can you make a Career of it? (http://weblogs.asp.net/dreilly/archive/2005/02/17/375785.aspx)
Is there coding life after 40? (https://www.simple-talk.com/content/article.aspx?article=174)
45 and Too Old to Work?
(http://web.archive.org/web/20051227035055/http://www.thechannelinsider.com/article2/0,1759,1816495,00.asp)
Old Techies Never Die; They Just Can't Get Hired as an Industry Moves On (https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/us/bayarea-technology-professionals-cant-get-hired-as-industry-moves-on.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
Your turn!
What assignment(s) can you think of?