CSC 480 Software Engineering

The Social Impact

Of Computers

Topics (could be) Covered

Overview: with a metaphor presenting a framework Impact on people in general Impacts on selected sectors

Business, medicine, education, government and the law Impact on human(e) conditions

Privacy & freedom of information Employment and unemployment Business and government The information society Ethics and professionalism

Is It Just Another Machine?

Inventions in human history that were prior to the rise of computer

A variety of applications Smart vehicles Scientific applications: in biology, astronomy, physics, etc HDTV Video games Social sciences The Internet

Ways to Discuss the Social Issues

Two approaches By category

Study major areas of computer applications Identify and characterize particular problems with regard to each

area By list of social concerns

List areas of social concerns or potential problems Explore each application to determine whether or not it exemplifies

one or more of these problems

A simple metaphor: view the society as a fabric Social issues are the warp Computers, technology, and applications are the woof

Application Areas: the Woof

Robotics and industrial automation Office automation Telecommunications Electronic financial transactions Personal computers Microprocessors Email and teleconferencing AI Virtual reality Internet

Social Issues: the warp

Work: impact on the employment of people Health: impact on long-term health (e.g. from VDTs) Privacy: proliferation of info (maybe incorrect) and easy

access Centralization of control: only the ones at top may have more

accurate info and hence more power Responsibility: will the use of IT fragment society? The info society: Human dignity & self-image: is there a threat to human dignity

as machines take up human work?

Social Issues: the warp (cont’d)

Ethics & professionalism: how responsible are computer professionals for their actions?

National interests: does the future economic well-being of a country depend on its

achievements in hi-tech? should governments play an active role in the market place to

ensure that technological leadership is maintained? Meritocracy: impact on the educated and untrained Freedom of expression: regulation on a global n/w Intellectual property: ownership of info in the age of

information

Social Issues and Computers

Computers & Human Imagination

Robot in fact and fiction Computers as creative medium

Music Visual arts Film Multimedia and virtual reality

AI: machines and living things compared Phylum #1: transmitting muscular forces Phylum #2: clockworks that work on stored energy Phylum #3: heat engines that operate on supplied fuels Phylum #4: machines that operate on the principle of storing and

transmitting information

Two Contradicting Views - I

Computers are just tools We as the inventors and users decide what we shall

do with them They are more complex and have greater potential

than other tools but you should never forget that ultimately that is what they are

All statements to the contrary are alarmist

Two Contradicting Views - II

A computer is not just another tool Computers can carry out activities that previously only people

could do Furthermore, by virtue of their enormous speed and capacity

they can give unpredictable results when applied in new area They already endanger privacy, employment, even freedom Although previous tools posed some of these difficulties, the

computer represents not just most of the same but an obvious quantum jump

IT in the Business World

Managing in a WIRED world: what IT facilitates Knowledge management Organizational issues: centralized vs. decentralized Workflow: automats and tracks the flow of docs and

processes through a company Groupware: collaborative computing, to help people work

together more efficiently Virtual corporation: highly adaptive and flexible Reengineering: forget how work was done in the age of

mass market and deciding how it can be best done now

The Business World: social issues

Reengineering and People Reengineering = layoffs?

Appropriate use of the Internet Who should have access to the Internet? Should any restrictions be imposed on what can access

during working hours? How management should determine if the guidelines are

being followed?

Medicine and Computers

Social Issues in Medicine

Dehumanizing patient-physician relationship On the doctor side: computers will not replace doctors in

any foreseeable future On the patient side: a patient is merely a record in larger

information systems Genetic testing

Have the ability to predict risks of future disease, but no independent test is available to confirm the prediction

Privacy of medical records HIPPA

Computers and Education

Issues and problems Impact of CAI (computer-aided instruction)

Quality of the products may be poor as the market grows and the rush to produce software proliferates

It may be difficult to obtain qualified teachers to use them Gender issues

Views about boys playing video games Electronic games contain elements of aggression and violence Electronic games encourage anti-social, “loner” behavior Boys who play such games are susceptible to neglect other areas of their

lives Women are under-presented in the hard-science, including CS

The “Technological Fix”: simply introducing computers avoids the questions why may not be motivated at school

Privacy & Freedom of Information

One definition of privacy Privacy is the claim of individuals, groups or institutions to

determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is communicated to others

Three aspects Territorial privacy Privacy of person Privacy in the information context: dealing with gathering,

compilation, and selective dissemination of information

Privacy and Information

Vital statistics Educational Financial Medical Credit City government Employment Internal revenue Customs and

immigration

Police Welfare Stores Organizations Military Motor vehicles

Issues and Problems

Caller ID New surveillance technologies

Advanced microphone Closed circuit TV cameras (CCTC) Forward looking infrared, etc

Unregulated databases The national practitioner databank Email Cookies Privacy legislation

Sample Ethical Issues

Some examples of applications that might have detrimental effects on some segment of society Introduction of computers to office may cause some employees to lose

their jobs or worsen working conditions CAI causes some teachers to feel threatened (due to lack of training) and

concern about the impact on their students Governments maintain large DB’s w/ all kinds of info about their citizens,

which may or may not be strictly controlled Hackers, computer viruses and worms Improper use of licensed software Enormous expenditures on hi-tech medicine (such as CAT, MRI) has

limited the amount of money available for preventive medicine, which has a significant impact among the poorer

Sample Ethical Issues (cont’d)

Some examples of applications that might have detrimental effects on some segment of society A company purchased a new spreadsheet program and several

employees make copies to take home so that they can do some work there. The programs are also used by their family and copies are made to share with their friends.

A group concerned about a racist Website urges an ISP to terminate its account. The provider refuses, claiming no responsibility for the content of Web pages on his system.

A worker is refused a new job for which s/he is well-qualified because the employer discovers, via a commercial DB, that s/he has been involved, in a previous job, with a group attempting to limit daily exposure to video display terminals.

Ethics & Professionalism

Professional codes of ethics The oldest is the Hippocratic oath, for the medical profession,

attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates (460?-370? B.C.) Features of such a code

A recognition of the responsibilities of individuals An attempt to create a general recognition and acceptance of

ethical behavior The establishment of readily accessible guidelines Justification for actions taken in opposition to directives by superiors Useful in lawsuits that may follow certain actions A statement to the public at large that the profession is concerned

about the actions of its members

Codes of Ethics for Computer Pros

ACM – Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, adopted by the ACM Council on Oct 16, 1992

IEEE – Code of Ethics concerning computer engineers, endorsed by IEEE Board of Directors in August, 1991

DPMA (data processing managers association) has a Code of Ethics and Standard Conduct for managers of computer systems and projects

ICCP (institute for certification of computer professionals) offers a voluntary certification program for computer professionals and has a Code of Ethics and Codes of Conduct and Good Practice for certified computer pros

CIPS (Canadian information processing society) adopted a Code of Ethics in 1975 and enhanced in 1982.

Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s computer files Thou shalt not use a computer to steal Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources w/o authorization or

proper compensation Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program that you are

writing or the system you are designing Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration and

respect for your fellow humans