Ethical Dilemma- Chapter 9

A couple years ago Patricia returned to the UK to take up an academic position at a British University. She had been out in UK for over 20 years working for universities at number of countries, and had a good professional employment record. She decided to open a bank account with one of the large banks that had branch on the campus.

She met the bank manager, was given the necessary forms, duly completed them. A few days later she returned to the bank to open her account. Much to her surprise, she was told that she could only have cash account, i.e., she not be given any bank cards, cheque book, or the like, nor could she have any overdraft facility.

Patricia again met with the bank manager as she naturally felt there must have been some misunderstanding. Key points here are that she already had a bank account in the UK since her student days (although this had been largely unused during her years away), she owed no money on credit cards or the like, was UK citizen, and had a good track record with bank overseas. In addition, her salary from the university was to be paid into her account each month.

Despite her explaining these points, the bank manager was adamant that she could only have cash accounts. When asked to explain this decision, the bank manager indicated that it was not in fact her decision, but a decision made by an expert system. The bank always used this computer technology when making decisions about opening accounts for new clients, and in fact the bank manager could not overrule the restrictions that the expert systems imposed. In short, the expert system was empowered in the decision-making process to such an extent that it actually replaced the human decision-making process. The bank manager went on to explain that the problem was that the expert system had not previously encountered a person with Patricia’s particular background. And the key point to the computer was the extensive years of residency outside the UK.

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To   what extent do you think it is appropriate to replace the human decision-making process wit hthe computer technologies such as expert systems?

If the company is too large and an employees or the staff's can't handle troubles that is almost the same decision-making at one time everyday, the company must replace the human-decision making process with the computer technologies such as expert system.

During the conversation Patricia asked the bank manager whether she felt that it was appropriate for the expert system to be empowered in this way. The response she obtained was that it was a great idea because computers do not make mistakes. What do you think about this comment? Do computers make mistakes? Is any computerised system free from mistakes? Should we be educating people to believe that computers are infallible are computers infallible? What do you think are the ramifications of believing in infallible computerised systems?

Yes, it is true that computer doesn't make any mistake but they only have limited and exact data given to them. In short if the input is wrong, the output is wrong and when the input is right the out output is right. In my opinion, we should educate people in believing that the computers are reliable. Knowing what is right or wrong in using a computer is one of the many implications in relying a computerize system

Ethical Dilemma- Chapter 8

Consider Alice, who is a staff member in a computer science department in New Zealand. She applies for a job at a university in the UK and is invited to travel to the UK for three-hour interview. Thus, Alice will have to fly some ten thousand miles each way in order to be present for three hours at the interview. Let us suppose that you are heading the interview committee in the UK, and are therefore Alice's primary point of contact, Alice send you an e-mail asking whether it would be possible for her to be interviewed using video conferencing facilities. She points out that this will not only save her a huge amount of flying time (at least 20 hours each way), buy also who will alleviate stress and furthermore - as she mentions - avoiding long-haul journey that are not absolutely necessary has a positive impact on the environment. in this respect she points out the significant amount of fuel that will be burnt in transporting her from New Zealand to the UK and on her return journey. She has access to high-quality video conferencing facilities and so does your university in the UK.

You bring this situation to the attention of other members of the interview committee, your head of department, and the like -- but find that nobody is particularly willing to make use of video conferencing facilities. This surprises you, especially as after all you are working in a computer science /IT department and therefore had supposed that staff would have been quite willing to embrace new technologies. You mention that costs will be saved in not having to pay Alice's airfare, and also stress that this is an opportunity to make use of computer technologies to avoid negative impact on the environment(in actual fact it is surprising how much fuel is consumed in supporting Alice's round-trip-the world trip).

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What are your views on the situation?

            If I were one of the interview committees, I will embrace that unique kind of job interview. I am highly in favor to that video conferencing as another way of interviewing the applicants but only applicable to preliminary interviews. Since both parties can access to it, why not? The interview still made possible. But as soon that she passed the video conferencing interview that would be the time that she has to leave her country to UK for formal interview.

Do you feel that this highlights (even in a small way) the opportunity to reduce environmental damage by using technologies to support communication and therefore avoid unnecessary travel?

Yes, that would be a great help to our environment.  Say for an instance, she left her country to UK for her first job interview and unfortunately, she failed. We can say that it is a waste of money and at the same time contributes pollution. Whereas if she passed the preliminary interview by using the video conferencing, she knows that greater opportunity is waiting for her. With that, leaving her place is of great purpose.

Do you believe that people should be willing to adapt to the use of such videoconferencing technologies -- is this ethical issue?

            I believe that people can adapt it easily. Businesses nowadays are always thinking for technological advancement that would create an edge among the others. With that, time will come that those people will willingly embrace the beauty of computer technologies. Of course, it will be held ethical in the eyes of human if it will not be used for some malicious and immoral acts.

Ethical Dilemma 7

Ethical Dilemma 7

So far in this chapter we have not paid any particular attention to the impact of ICT on older people – people who have previously lived in a fairly stable environment. Today the momentum of change (in which computer - based technologies play a pivotal role) is ever increasing. Consequently, older people are becoming ever more concerned and bewildered by the constant alterations that are occurring in practically every aspect of their daily lives. Stability is being replaced by instability. As younger people embrace e-mail, cellular phones, text messaging and the like, the older generations see their post offices closing, no longer is there any personal contact at the bank, and who knows for how much longer they will able to use a chequebook?

1.      How do you perceive the ramifications of computer-based technologies and the current pace of change impacting on older people?

Answer:  Technology nowadays is very rampant and faced a big consequence of the traditional approach on how people lived their lives especially those our elderly grandparents or even our parents. Computer-based technologies are widely used nowadays since technology plays a great role in the society. It makes all works easier but the older ones had great impact on this advancement because they are not used to this kind of technologies.

2.      To what extent are they becoming increasingly isolated?

Answer:  Not really as isolated because we are now in the technology age in which though some of older people cannot jive with it there are some oldies that can go with the flow, as what a telephone and internet provider advertise there is a techie grandmother who really loves using technology especially the internet. Though we cannot deny that these technologies are new to them but somehow they become aware of how technology runs during these days.

3.      Is direct personal contact being gradually eroded?

Answer:  Yes

4.      Perhaps discuss these issues with an older person that you know, such as a family member. Identify the issues.

Answer: There are really some issues regarding with the technology with the older people but it is not necessary that they are being isolated by the others. In their views they just don’t like what the teens are doing now with the technology. Some of the teens or younger ones are becoming so sluggish because of the technological advancements so they perceive technology as a bad factor for the youth, but somehow they are not against with it they just didn’t get easily or used easily with it.

5.      Have these people gained as a consequence of the proliferation of and reliance we place upon computer- based technologies and the pace of change that has ensued?

Answer:  Yes. 

Ethical Dilemma- Chapter 6

Consider the scenario in which a group of your fellow students approach you to see whether you are interested in participating in a project that is intended to be a commercial venture. The group has come up with a novel approach to obtaining large number of e-mail addresses. This requires the development of some software, and once this is used, it will be possible to develop a very extensive e-mail address list.

Subsequently, this information is to be sold to companies involved in spam advertising. You voice some initial reservations based upon your concern that this may not be entirely legal/ethical. However, you are assured that the software will only be used to obtain e-mail addresses for people who are normally based overseas – specifically in third world countries. Since the team is to be based in the UK and the software is going to be used to locate e-mail addresses that are normally based outside the UK, you are assured that you will be breaking no UK law.

How would you proceed? Do you consider that this is a legal/ethical undertaking? In that case that you are not entirely happy with the possible ethical aspects of this venture (but you are satisfied that you will not be breaking UK law), would you still be willing to participate if the level of remuneration is sufficient? At what point would personal remuneration override any ethical reservations that you may have?

Let us suppose that you do become involved in this undertaking but that you subsequently find that the software that you helped to develop is not only being used to locate e-mail addresses that are normally based outside the UK, but in addition e-mail addresses within the UK, and these are being sold on to companies who specialize in spam advertising? Does this compromise your legal position?

 Reaction:

Though I know that I will not break any law in UK, I will never engage myself developing such a kind of software. It is simply because it is beyond my conscience and personal legal position. What if the software we developed will be used for illegal matters and operations? If we have to consider and foresee some possible things may happen like using the software in UK as well, covertly, I'm pretty sure that I will never find myself guilty if predicament and disorder arises. 

Ethical Dilemma- Chapter 5

Let us suppose that you are employed by a company that develops websites for clients. One day your boss presents you with a new project. In brief, your company has obtained a contract from a law enforcement agency to develop several websites. These are to act in line with the 'honeypot' scenario mentioned in the previous chapter. The project being undertaken by the law enforcement agency is to gather information in relation to individuals who may be 'interested' in extreme forms of violence. By developing this website you will be assisting the law enforcement agencies who will gather material in relation to people who peruse the site.


What is your ethical position? Do you think this is an appropriate agenda in terms of invisibly policing the internet? Since your boss has presented you with this brief, in the case that you do not agree with the ramifications of policing the internet in this way, do you have any political alternative but to undertake the work? (Here we assume that your boss is insitent that the work should be carried out by you.) What - if any - real objections do you have? DO you feel this is encroaching upon the liberty of the individual? Are your views be any different if the website related directly to terrorism or other forms of political extremism? To what extent do you think that the internet is currently being policed - not only in terms of monitoring those who enter particular websites or who enter contentious chat room areas or the like?

If you are employed to a certain company and you are task to do for example a certain website, you are forced to do it even without your free will. There will be two circumstances if you will neglect the task assign to you, either your boss will agree and find someone who will do the work for you or he/she insisted you to do the task. Since you are engaged you must follow instructions and follow your boss though you don’t have your privacy and will this time. There is really an encroaching upon the liberty of the individual (employee) if the boss will really insist. On the other hand if the website was related to terrorism or other forms of political extremism we would surely do the website. If the website will be useful to track the terrorism of a country or a nation it will certainly help the economy and the site will be for the good cause of the people so why not do the website.

As we all know internet has no boundaries, though there are countries like United Kingdom who strictly provide law for using the internet there is lots of country especially the Philippines who doesn’t have a secure law being practiced. We don’t have enough law and regulations when we talked about internet here in the Philippines that’s why there is a rampant crimes involving the use of internet.

Ethical Dilemma- Chapter 4

Is Alice guilty for plagiarism? Why?

Yes, because Alice only makes a few alterations for it which is she only changes the places of diagram. Alice also reproduce this without obtaining any permission.

As stated Copyright is the right to make and distribute copies to perform or display the work in public, and to produce derivative works, such as translations into other languages  there are factors that need to be considered in deciding whether an organization or the company involve  has a fair use of the copyright material. The following factors are:

•  Purpose of the use (whether it is educational or commercial)

• Nature of the work being copied (whether it is fictional, or factual news)

•  Amount of material being copied (whether the whole articles have been copied or portions of those articles, and whether students are able to make multiple copies)

• The effect the copying will have on the market for journal sales. Will it infringe the market for the journals from which these articles are taken

• permission must been sought from the authors or publishers of the articles. Permission must be granted for the use of any copyright material. 

this factors are also  applicable in copyrighting software.