Choose one of the following questions - clearly state which questions you are answering. For each question, apply only 4 of the 5 ethical theories (Kantianism, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, Virtue Ethics, Social Contract Theory).

For example, if you choose #1, your post should look like (note that it's missing Social Contract Theory):

Question #6
Was the US government’s $2 million settlement with Brandon Mayfield reasonable and just?

Kantianism: YES
Kantianism says yes because... (explain why here)

Act Utilitarianism: NO
Act Utilitarianism says no because... (explain why here)

Rule Utilitarianism: YES or NO

Explain...

Virtue Ethics: YES or NO

Explain..

 

Thoroughly explain your stance and please remember that each post must be a minimum of 250 words. Note that repeating/paraphrasing the question (ex. "Kantianism says no,mobile apps should not be allowed to collect information about your location and transmit this information to data brokers" -- just say "Kantianism says no") or summarizing/explaining the theory does not count towards the sentence requirement. It is safe to assume that everyone in the class has read Ch 2 and is already familiar with the theory, so don't explain the theory all over again. Please review the textbook material for examples of using the theories to support an argument.
 

1. The following is a summary of an argument presented by Canadian author Robert Sawyer in a promotion for one of his science fiction novels. (The argument includes a disclaimer that it is not necessarily Sawyer’s personal view.)
   
   Who needs privacy? With no privacy there would be far less crime and much less terrorism, and everyone would be safer. The only reason we desire privacy is that society has passed “silly laws” that in the past have made people feel ashamed for being nude or engaging in “natural human activities.” Perhaps Victorians had a reason for hiding certain activities, but “who really cares today if someone is gay, smokes pot, or watches porno films?. . . The message of history, most spectacularly driven home on September 11, 2001, is that preserving society as a whole is much more important than preserving an illusory personal freedom.” It’s unrealistic to pretend we can still have privacy in the modern world. Instead, we should demand the repeal of those obsolete laws trying to prohibit harmless conduct.
   
   Which theories agree with this and which theories don't? Why or why not?
    
2. The US Department of Homeland Security is developing the Biometric Optical Surveillance System (BOSS). The purpose of the system, which consists of video cameras, computers, and a database of photographs, is to scan crowds and identify persons of interest with an accuracy of 80 to 90 percent. The BOSS research began as a way of helping American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq identify potential suicide bombers, but in 2010 the project was taken over by the Department of Homeland Security, which plans to make the system available to police departments once it is reliable. In 2013 the system was tested at a sports arena in Kennewick, Washington, and found not yet ready for use. Research and development continue. Should the development and implementation of BOSS as a crowd surveillance tool for police departments be supported?
    
3. Florida, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma have passed laws that require lifetime monitoring of some convicted sex offenders after they have been released from prison. The offenders must wear electronic ankle bracelets and stay close to small GPS transmitters, which can be carried on a belt or in a purse. Computers monitor the GPS signals and alert law enforcement officials if the offenders venture too close to a school or other off-limits area. Police interested in the whereabouts of a monitored person can see his location, traveling direction, and speed plotted on a map. Do these laws represent an unacceptable weakening of personal privacy, or are they sensible public safety measures? Should they be repealed? Should people convicted of other crimes also be monitored for life? Would there be less crime if everyone in society were monitored?
    
4. Discuss these four different responses to the revelation that telecommunications companies provided domestic phone call records to the National Security Agency.
   
   President George Bush: “Al-Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans.”
   
   Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont: “Are you telling me tens of millions of Americans are involved with al-Qaeda?”
   
   Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona: “We are in a war, and we have got to collect intelligence on the enemy.”
   
   Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa: “Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers? They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn’t some suspicion that we’re a terrorist or a criminal or something.”
    
5. When asked about Google releasing personal information to law enforcement agencies, Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt told CNBC: “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place”. Which theories agree and which theories disagree with this perspective?
    
6. Was the US government’s $2 million settlement with Brandon Mayfield reasonable and just?
    
7. In order to combat the counterfeiting of currency, the US Secret Service convinced several color laser printer manufacturers to add a secret code to every printed page. The code is invisible to the human eye but can be seen under a microscope. When decrypted, it reveals the serial number of the printer and the time and date the page was printed. By agreeing to secretly insert the codes, did the printer manufacturers violate the privacy rights of their customers?
    
8. What special responsibilities do computer professionals have with respect to understanding and protecting the privacy rights of their fellow citizens?
    
9. A database containing the DNA information of every citizen of a country could be a valuable resource to medical researchers. It could also help police solve crimes. Would it be in the best interests of society if the government constructed a DNA database of every resident and made the database available to medical researchers and law enforcement agencies?
    
10. Research which countries require their residents to carry a national identification card. What are the pros and cons of a national ID card? Should every adult resident of the United States be required to carry a national identification card?
     
11. Read up on the Threat and Local Observation Notices (TALON) database and briefly describe it in 2-3 sentences. By enabling citizens to report on each other’s activities via TALON, did the US government effectively reduce individuals' freedom of speech?