Transcript Document 7244772

Web 2.0, the Global Village,
and the Code of Fair
Information Practices
Michael J. Quinn
Seattle University
Topics
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What are biggest threats to privacy?
Privacy implications of Web 2.0
Code of Fair Information Practices
Posting photos
Case-based analysis
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher
“ Your new tax
plan’s gonna tax me
more, isn’t it?”
“Joe the Plumber”
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No plumbing license
Didn’t complete
apprenticeship in 2003
Earned $40,000
in 2006
Owed $1,182 in back
taxes
“Joe the Plumber”
“I’m just a private citizen
… That scares me just
for the simple fact that
other people might
hesitate on questioning
our elected officials
and that worries me
greatly for America.”
Ocrober 28-30,
October
November
15,2,Hannity
16:
16,
Katie
Press
Good
Your
McCain
Couric
Morning
conference
World
& Colmes
campaign
interview
with
America
Neil rallies
Cavuto
“Star Wars Kid”
Privacy
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“Zone of inaccessibility” (Edmund Byrne)
Privacy = control over zone
Physical
Mental
Informational
Code of Fair Information Practices
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No secret record-keeping systems
Right to know
what information held
 how used
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No information re-use
Correction of erroneous information
Reliability and prevention of misuse
Private Corporations
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Data collection
Data sharing
Data mining
Direct mail
Public Information
Web 2.0
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Users contribute content
Blogs
Wikis
Social networks
People are contributors
People are subjects
Global Village
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Marshall McLuhan, The Gutenberg Galaxy
(1962)
Electronic mass media collapse
communication barriers
Global-scale human interactions
Television: Funeral of John Paul II
Web: “Bus Uncle”
www.gawker.com/stalker
Code of Fair Information Practices
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No secret record-keeping systems
Right to know
what information held
 how used
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No information re-use
Correction of erroneous information
Reliability and prevention of misuse
In the absence of legal restrictions,
how should we behave?
Rule-based Decision-making
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
…
Rn
Rule-based Decision-making
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
…
Rn
Contemplated action x
Rule-based Decision-making
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
…
Rn
Contemplated action x
Rule-based Decision-making
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
…
Rn
Contemplated action x
R5(x) 
or
Problems with Rule-based
Methodologies
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Conflicting rules
Strips away details
Binary result (right or wrong)
Utilitarian Decision-making
Contemplated action x
Utilitarian Decision-making
Contemplated action x
Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
…
Consequence
1
2
3
4
Value
Value
Value
Value
1
2
3
4
n
Value 5
Utilitarian Decision-making
Contemplated action x
Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
Consequence
…
Consequence
1
2
3
4
Value
Value
Value
Value
n
Value 5

1
2
3
4
Problems with Utilitarianism
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Single scale for all consequences
Ignores unjust distribution of good
consequences
Doesn’t give principles their due
Case-based Reasoning
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“Bottom-up” approach
Allows consideration of rights, duties,
consequences
Based on +, - paradigm cases
Identify negative paradigm case
Identify features that make it negative
Alter features to create positive case
Compare test case against paradigm cases
Warm-up Case
Ann is an accountant at Acme Corporation, a
medium-sized firm with about 50 employees. All of
the employees work in the same building, and
everyone knows everyone else on a first-name
basis. Ann’s daughter is a Girl Scout. During the
annual Girl Scout cookie sale, Ann sends an email
to all of the other Acme employees, inviting them
to stop by her desk and order some cookies.
Did Ann do anything wrong?
Evaluation of Warm-up Case
Case #1
Benjamin attends a birthday party for his good friend
Chris, a member of the Orange Party. Someone
gives Chris a Yellow Party T-shirt as a gag gift, and
Chris puts it on. Benjamin takes a picture of Chris
wearing the T-shirt and posts it on his blog,
identifying Chris and explaining the context of the
photo. When Chris runs for governor, organizations
supporting his opponent in the Orange Party primary
post the photo out of context, along with stories
questioning his party loyalty.
Was Benjamin wrong to post the photo?
Evaluation of Case #1
Case #2
A group of citizens opposes the opening of a strip
club in their neighborhood. The group creates a
Web site to build support for its cause. After the City
Council votes to approve the club and the club
opens, the citizens try to reduce the club’s business
by posting to their Web site photos of people
entering the club.
Are the citizens wrong to post the photos?
Evaluation of Case #2
“You have zero privacy anyway.
Get over it.”
 Scott McNealy
control over your zone of inaccessibility
“You have zero privacy anyway.
Get over it.”
 Scott McNealy
Sources
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ABC News, Obama talks with ‘Joe the Plumber,’ October 15, 2008.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6031110
John Seewer, Is ‘Joe the Plumber’ a plumber? That’s debatable. Associated Press, October 16,
2008.
Bridget Tharp and Mark Zaborney, “`Joe the Plumber’ is focus of presidential debate’s first few
minutes.” Toledo Blade. October 16, 2008.
3 Searches of ‘Joe’s’ BMV files probed. The Columbus Dispatch, October 25, 2008.
Star Wars Kid is top viral video. BBC News, November 27, 2006.
Tu Thanh Ha, ‘Star Wars Kid’ cuts a deal with his tormentors. Globe and Mail, April 7. 2006.
Edmund F. Byrne, Privacy. In Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, Academic Press, 1998.
Michael J. Quinn, Ethics for the Information Age, 3rd edition, Addison Wesley, 2009.
Original “Bus Uncle” video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H20dhY01Xjk
Hong Kong’s “Bus Uncle” beaten up by three men, Channel NewsAsia, June 8, 2006.
Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet  and How to Stop It, Yale University Press, 2008.
C. E. Harris, Jr., M. S. Pritchard, and M. J. Rabins. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 3rd
Edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 2004.
Michael J. Quinn, “Case-based analysis: a practical tool for teaching computer ethics,”
Proceedings of SIGCSE ’06, March 2006.