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lect10b
ethics
After any questions about hw08 solutions,
we will spend time discussing ethical which come up in computer science.
RU account policy
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RU
account policies
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Can you use your account to download The Anarchists Cookbook?
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Can you try to guess your friend's password,
to print out one of their papers for them?
Can they tell you their password?
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Run a webserver for a side-business you're trying to start?
How about for a non-profit organization?
(Note: I am not a lawyer!)
Copying digital media
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Copying music from a friend's CD? From their iPod?
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Downloading music via bittorrent/Limewire/kazaa?
How about for a song you already own?
How about for a song on a CD which was stolen from you? Which you dropped?
(Old-timers: How about for a song on a cassette/vinyl which you wore out?)
For a song your parents own, but you didn't copy before .
For a live version of a song you own?
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From a band's myspace page where they include streaming audio
(but no download), using a program to download it?
What if they specifically ask you not to do this?
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Subscribing to a music-streaming service for one week,
and using a program to download/save the music to your hard drive?
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Pirating software which doesn't have any protections?
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Pirating software which does have protections which you
have to modify (or download a patch) to use?
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Giving freeware to a friend?
What a beta version which had been free,
although now the program is in production and ?
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Downloading shareware for the trial period, then deleting and
re-downloading?
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What about using an ad-blocker plugin
to view sites which are trying to support themselves by advertising?
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How does the business model of making money
through advertising vs. through selling copies of the software
change the picture?
(For example: a website where you can stream any song you want for free,
but it displays ads on the side.)
Does this change how you value the product?
Hacking
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Brute force password attacks:
If you can write a program to attempt to log into your friend's
WoW account (perhaps by trying every word in the dictionary),
does that mean it's fair game to try?
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How about trying a few passwords by hand -- is this any different?
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How about trying your friend's doorknob, to see if it's unlocked?
A friend-of-a-friend? A random house on the street?
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Downloading a patch to your cable box, getting you access to free
premium channels?
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Hacking into somebody's web server, to demonstrate that they
have a security hole?
What about breaking into somebody's house, to leave a note on their table?
Privacy issues
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Can RU system administrators read your email?
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Can RU faculty/staff read your email?
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Having a provocative background image
on your own computer, which you use in class?
On a lab computer?
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ISPs giving out information about one specific customer,
to somebody who calls up claiming to be that person's wife/parent/self?
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ISPs giving out information about one specific customer,
to law enforcement with a warrant?
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ISPs giving out information about hundres of thousands of customers
to law enforcement without a warrant?
Monopolies
- Microsoft integrating Windows w/ Explorer?
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topics without clear answers
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