Assignment #6 - Board Games and Computer Theft

1. Many games that children used to play on boards with dice, cards and plastic pieces are now available as computer games . Is this an example of unnecessary use of the new technology just because it is there? Describe some advantages and disadvantages of replacing a board game by computer version.

Technology has brought us so many advantages. It has made our work easier and faster. However, it has also brought many disadvantages in our lives, because we tend to rely on computers so much nowadays. And I would consider making board games with dice, cards and plastic pieces available as computer games. This is because I believe that the existence of these kinds of games gives children or the young people another reason not to socialize with others. I mean it in an indirect manner. Through it, we (in this case including I) tend to play these games on the computer because it is always available whenever and whereever we want to play, plus the fact that it never complains because it doesn't have any feelings. The things I may have mentioned may be classified as an advantage and as a disadvantage.

As I said, it is a disadvantage in our part because it leaves up having up with ourselves alone. With this, you are not making friends with other children in the community and miss so many other things. Disregarding other people's feelings and thought would also be learned from this. So, in my very own opinion, making these games available on the computer offers no advantages at all.

2. Suppose an employee uses computer time, services and storage on an employer's computer for the employee's own business. Can you consider such action as a theft? Why or why not?

The fact that it is not the computer that is owned by the employee and he or she used the computer time, services and storage for his or her own business without the permission of the employer, I would consider this action as theft. Theft in two counts. The fact that I (in this case, I am the employer) pay this certain employee to do my job, he or she still uses her time for his and his benefits alone. His or her own business would not, in any way, benefit me or the company, so this is just like the act of stealing something for me.

Reply to Intellectual Property

Thomas Jefferson and several modern writers used fire as an analogy for copying intellectual property. We can light many candles from one without diminishing the light or heat obtained from the first candle.Suppose a group of people go camping in the wilderness using primitive methods. One person gets fire started. Others want to start their fire from hers. Can you think of any ethical or practical reason why they should be expected to trade something, perhaps some wild fruit they found, for the use of fire?

Not to share what you have, especially knowing that others need it to live, would be considered selfishness. However, it would also be rude for one person just to use something without extending any gratitude for making something or giving him credit. This case of the fire is also true to the case of intellectual property rights.

So I would say that the best case would be for both of them to share something they have and work together to survive the wild, after all nobody would live alone. So it is just right to credit both parties for their contributions. It is always wise to give credit someone for what he has done. Only credit and nothing more.

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Rodolfo Eregia, Jr.
http://rejr-ofthefuture.blogspot.com

Assignment #5 - Give Me Credit!!!

1.) Your uncle owns a sandwich shop. He asks you to write an inventory program for him. You are glad to help him and do not charge for the program. The program works pretty well, and you discover later that your uncle has given copies to several friends who also operate small food shops. Do you believe you should be paid for copies?

I do believe that it is just right that I deserve proper credit for making that program. And that doesn't mean anything valuable like cash or a percent of his income, a simple thank you would do. Thank you to some person including me does alot of things. And saying thank you would mean everything to me and would make me feel that I have done something important.

2.) Read articles by Esther Dyson and Lance Rose from Wired. Write a short essay telling which author’s views about the future of intellectual property in "digital age" are more convincing to you and why.

Both authors for me has their own points in the idea that they present in their essays. However, I would say that Esther Dyson's idea is much more correct than that of Lance Rose. This is because I do believe that one must be proper compensated in everything that he had created, innovated or what he had written. Ofcourse, people only get to pay what interest him, so it is only right to market artists' works by giving others a taste of what they are going to get when they pay. This would also preserve the author's right since what would be posted in the Internet would be just a part of it, maybe an excerpt of a writing, low quality jpegs for paintings and artistic works and a trial version of a software.

Ofcourse, the use of the Internet would be judged as a bad thing for Intellectual Property Rights because production of authored works will be easier and faster due to the fact that connection between us all is available in any geographical location (Internet is even available for those austronauts on the outer space, :>). However, we can use this reality to benefit our side. One instance is the web can be used to promote our innovation and attract more possible users and customers that may benefit on the use of it.

As stated on the quote above by Robert Stallman, the real definition of Intellectual Property Rights is indeed confusing and it gets much more complicated when the property is integrated into the World Wide Web. Well, I guess one could atleast make it a little simpler when we learn to respect each other.

Assignment #4 - Ethical Encryption?

1. What is the important difference between public-key cryptography and secret-key cryptography?

Public-key cryptography, which is also known as asymmetric cryptography, is where a user uses both a public key and a private key, in which the former is widely distributed, used publicly and very much related and each known back to certain individual users. While on the other hand, private keys are kept secret.

On the other side, Secret-key cryptography, also known as symmetric cryptography, is where both keys for encryption and decryption are kept secret and unknown to the public.

I believe in the importance of both keys, for encryption and for decryption, to be kept secret and private is very important. Thus, I do believe that this is an edge of secret-key cryptography over public-key cryptography because the integrity and confidentiality of data and information are kept high.

2. What kind of information does ECHELON collect?

ECHELON is a name highly known for intelligence and analysis of world-wide signals and which has been reported to have a large number of sources including some powerful international organizations.

Echelon is known to collect almost all kinds of information from all kinds of communication, be it through satellite, microwave, radio, cellular, fiber-optic, e-mails or the Internet. Data, then, is analyzed and the only information valuable for the organization's objectives are used.

3. Describe atleast three different kinds of uses of encryption that have social value. Indicate why they are valuable.

One, through encryption, privacy is kept and the integrity of one's data and information is also maintained. Accurate and correct information would largely help certain organizations achieve their objectives with earlier time. The advantage makes these institutions reliable and gain more trust from the members of their programs.

Two. Personal details and information is kept secured through encryption. It is very widely known that the use of information and digital signatures is a very effective way tp be used as access to certain documents, be it for personal data, medical records, or information for private institutions. In other words, the use of encryption for security is a very effective method.

Lastly, it enables us to access useful information anywhere while at the same time, feel secured at the security which is made possible by encryption. The use of credit cards information, social security numbers and alot more other useful information, gives us the reliability that only us can use and access because only us holds the decryption key. This would also be the case even we hand-carry these sensitive information on removable storage devices such as floppy disks and flash drives.

Assignment #3 - Ethics

1.
Case 1

In view of adherents of Ethical Egoism, Roger would have given the lincensed software he bought for his Alma Mater fro the royalties of the sale of his book on computer ethics because he would gain some merits in doing so. He would not only gain credits for doing so, he would also be acknowledged for the good deed he has done. Roger would also feel self-fulfilled and satisfied for he knows that he did something good for other people.
Adherents of Ethical Altruism would suggest that Roger just made the right move by doing what is just for the good of the common people. He justified the fact that, by giving the software to his Alma Mater, ethics and morality is naturally and mainly concerned for the satisfaction and good of the society as a whole.

Case 2

In my opinion, adherents of Ethical Egoism would analyze this situation most likely that Bamba has done these because she knew that she would gain something out of it. She felt that it is wrong to violate her rights as a human being and by knowing it, she feels that it is a dismerits on her part. And having to know the disadvantages it could bring to her life, she had this urge to correct these wrongs and by doing so, she feels safe and feels more protected. And eradicationg these "bad" things out of her way, she keeps herself away from harm.
Almost all adherents of Ethical Altruism would agree that Bamba's plan of sabotaging the whole NBI system in which she believes is violation to human rights, is because of her care for most of other people. She mainly believes that by doing so, she would be able to protect many people from what could be used to harm them. By exposing NBI's violations, she feels that she had lived on the context of the morale and the ethics of the society.

Case 3

In any way we look at it, whether adherents of Ethical Egoism of Ethical Altruism, this act is purely unethical and inappropriate in the reason that is violates the rights of other people.

2.

Of all the finalist theories, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism apeals to me most because I do believe that any worth of one's actions is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility or for us to be happy in the end. This is the nature of man. We tend to do things that we know of that could help us or we could gain from it. Whether it would be in material, money or even merits. People tend to believ that these would contribute to solve certain problems or give us satisfaction. In other words, we do these actions in the belief that it would give us happiness.

3.

I do believe that John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism seems to prodominate in the world of computing. In the context, as what the definition of Utilitarianism says, human beings tend to do things that makes them happy. As it is written, people has created the world of computing because it would make them happy. People tend to surf the net because it satisfies them, programmers tend to make programs because they would gain something that would make them happy, and customers tend to use these prorams because it would make thier work easier and less tiring. In other words, we use technology because we know that using it satisfies and gives us happiness. Would you research something if you don't want to know it, would you play video games if you don't like it or you have something better to do, would you try technological innovations if your company wouldn't profit from it. You wouldn't, would you?
I tend to disagree with people who criticize Utilitarianism for implying that individuals' interests can be sacrificed for the sake of the "society" or the nation. Modern Utilitarianism suggest that peoples' interest aren't sacrificed for other members of the society. The societyare , ofcourse, just composed of members of the society, and rules and decisions are made for the good of most of individual members of the society. In Other words, the interests aren't given for others, rather, they are given back to us in a different manner. After all, the society's interests are just the sum of all the members' interests.

Relpy to Privacy and Personal Information Problem 1

A confidential file containing the names of about 4000 AIDS patients was sent from a country health department to a newspaper, presumably by a disgruntled employee. Would this have been less likely to have happened if the names were in paper files, not electronic files? Why? (note: deadline july 11)

Yes, I clearly think that it would be less likely to happen if the names of 4000 AIDS patients were in paper files and not in electronic files. This is due to the fact that electronic files are very flexible to transport as it could be e-mailed through the Internet or saved on portable storage devices that could be carried out of the country health department without giving others suspicions. Whereas, if it is in paper files, it would be harder to send the files out of the department without getting anyone's attention, and encoding it would take alot of time, enough time for other employees to notice and suspect the disgruntled one.

Positive advantage of modern computing can also be used to serve other's grudges, which could make technology very very disadvantageous.

~~~ Rodolfo Eregia, Jr. ~~~
rodolfojreregia@yahoo.com
http://rejr-ofthefuture.blogspot.com

Assignment #2 - What Privacy Really Means

One writer defines Privacy as "freedom from inappropriate judgment of others".

a.) Is this a good definition of privacy? Why or why not?

In my personal opinion, I think it is not a good definition of what privacy is. Privacy isn't just "freedom form inappropriate judgment of others", it is something rather more than that. Privacy, for me, is the right to keep personal things, ideas, thoughts, and information secret and free from the knowledge of other people. In other words, privacy is the right to prevent others to know something that may trigger them to make an inappropriate judgment, or in other words the right to be free from intrusion from others. Inappropriate judgment comes after one party has known information while privacy is preventing them to know it.

b.) Suppose you use this definition. Should people have a positive(claim-right) right for this kind of privacy? Why or why not? Should people have a negative(liberty) right for this kind of privacy? Why or why not?

In this kind of definition of privacy, people have both the positive(claim-right) and the negative(liberty) rights, in my own opinion. It is my negative right to be free from intrusion and business of the other people aonsidering that they cannot make inappropriate judgment to me and the information I possess acquire and use. My right to privacy enables me to be free from any unfair and and inappropriate treatment of others with regard to what my personal data and information. On the other hand, it is also the same with other people. It is my positive(liberty) right to require me not to intrude or give attention to thier activities and personal data because they have the right of privacy. Their right enables to control my actions not to make inappropriate judgment and intrusion to their own personal businesses. This is also the same to my side. Others, too, have their positive rights that I am able to limit their actions through my right of privacy, my right to be free from inappropriate judgment of others.

Assignment #1 - Protect Children from the Internet

Write a short essay(roughly 300 words) about some topic related to computing and/or the Internet that interest you that has social and ethical implications. Describe the background, then identify the ethical and social issues, problems, or questions that you think are important. (Don't make make your essay be just an argument for one point of view. You may express your views, if you want to, but first explain what the issues are and why there is a problem or controversy.)

Negative issues has appeared along cyberspace not long after its existence. Although the Internet has brought us countless benefits, it also served as a catalyst for illegal activities that has long existed as we, human beings, started to abuse media. One big issue about illegal and abusive use of the Internet is something that I consider far worse than that of pornography, the existence of pedophilia or child trafficking in the World Wide Web.

Pedophilia as depicted in the TV movie 'The Boys of St. Vincent'

Using children or minors for sexual arousal is considered a deed of a pedophile and is considered a criminal activity that is against the laws of almost, if not all nations. The struggle against this 'illness' is still very much on-going on our present society. However, the Internet has served to be a catalyst to conduct the activities of certain pedophiles. They use the Internet to perform acts faster and better, for example creating communication structures, distributing child pornography, and archiving their collections. The WWW pages, e-mails, FTPs, newsgroups and IRCs enables pedophiles to congregate at virtual locations change according to circumstances allowing them to avoid detection. In other words, these people has taken advantage the global nature of the Internet, changing ISPs and making mirror sites.

Whether children are victims trapped by pedophiles they meet on the Internet disguised, or their parents themselves use them, it's still the same, criminal acts. Because in anyway you look at it, it is against the right of the children to be used at such activity.

Here in The Philippines, the truth on the existence of pedophilia is real. Have you ever caught the TV add showing a little girl ordered by her mother to undress in exchange for PHP 200? Shocking, yes it is. Much more shocking is that, when I was researching with this issue on pedophilia and the Internet, I came across a certain Yahoo! newsgroup that perform activities that of pedophiles, and its in Tagalog!

Many private and government owned institutions had long been finding ways to eliminate these doing, yet have they failed. As I see on the present situation of our country, change is in need. Educated individuals, especially cyber citizens, have realized the need to protect children on the Web. This should become a basic. On the other hand, the 'emotional side'(perhaps that would be the term), many organizations have been formed to advise parents on how to teach their children to avoid the traps of Internet pedophilia. Another is that Parent/Child communication is the main key to avoid many major problems. Parent should teach well, know well and live well what their children are experiencing. Being open would avoid minors being dragged by pedophiles that they meet on the Net.

But what if their parents traffic them into the Net. How would they have protection.

I guess the World Wide Web is full of evil beings lurking and waiting for thier victims. Pure evil, that is. I guess the Net was always never safe, and never will be.

Welcome to the World of Blogging

As a requirement for our course 'Human Effects of Computing' this semester, I have decided to start blogging at blogspot.

What can I say about 'Human Effects of Computing'? I know this course touches issues about computers and internet and the excessive use of these resources. I know things about piracy and other illegal things, but I guess that is not the real question in the big picture.

I'm gonna be honest, I certainly am against these illegal and unethical issues about the internet and stuff, but I certainly cannot deny the fact that I have done these things. I still do. And maybe I still will. (Bearshare!) But if I imagine that all of us would be like this, educated or uneducated, nothing would change in the present status of the world wide web. Rather its present condition would be worse.

Us human beings give a large contribution to what the net is today. I want it to improve. We must change these few misconceptions about how ugly the net is. But it would take more than one to do this. Change must begin within ourselves first. Within myself, for me that is. (Tapuson ko lang mga gusto ko i-download).

Not that I'm new to blogging, rather I'm not new to kind of blogging. Nah! I have been posting my thoughts on the internet since a long time ago. Just that, I'm posting things that aren't worth to be read. Try visiting my old blog on my friendster account:

http://ryb-e.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/
(NOTE: my email is rodolfojeregia@yahoo.com)

I chose to write in english (OMG am writing english!) for formality and for the sake of my international readers (as if someone else has been reading my blog) (as of today, 0 persons had viewed my blog), so please bare with me coz I know my English isn't that good.

Nah! Am writing so much (this is already much considering my very low capacity in write my thoughts).