CS 404 - Ethics and Computers in Society

Computer Science Requires Integrity

2010-04-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Being a computer scientist requires integrity. Most professionals do not have much inside information and access to company resources, but as a programmer, almost everything is accessible. This means that programmers could potentially destroy valuable information, steal secrets, abuse privacy regulations, and cause a slew of other problems. Since the company needs to give this access to the programmers in order for them to do their jobs, integrity is crucial. However, it is not as complicated as it might seem. Since we all have a conscience of what is wrong and what is right, simply following those instincts keeps programmers from trouble. If we can just treat the virtual world of information as we do the physical world, then we won't run into problems that we haven't faced before. We must watch ourselves constantly since the temptation is always so prevalent.

A Great and Marvelous Work

2010-03-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Technology Brings about Progress

2010-03-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

When technology is used carefully and effectively, progress is greatly increased. Even though through addictions of various kinds like online gaming, pornography, and social networking technology destroys lives, when it is used correctly it helps us. Without it how would students efficiently gather useful information for their studies? How would the complex global economy interact without technology? How would I be able to get this blog post to the world? When technology is used properly it creates such a boost in productivity that it outweighs its disadvantages. The key is to increase the effectiveness of people's use of the Internet. We can do this by advocating its good uses and warning others about its bad uses. If we want the world to progress in the right direction, we need to start today to help those around us see the potential increase in progress available through technology.

It is just the beginning

2010-03-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

The explosion in smartphone use is just beginning. It was only a few years ago that the iPhone did not exist, but now every wireless phone manufacturer has their own iPhone equivalent. The increase in smartphone use has created an explosion in the market for app developers. Now that more people are using smartphones, there is a need for programmers to create useful and enjoyable applications for those phones. The great news for developers is that this is just the tip of the iceberg; it is estimated that the app industry's worth will jump from $4 billion at the end of 2009 to $17.5 billion in 2012. For more information, visit http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20000626-266.html.

The Land of Opportunity

2010-03-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

The world is becoming the land of opportunity. Internet access, which is largely responsible for bringing the world opportunity, is spreading from the richest parts of society to even the poorest of nations. As a result, almost anyone can gain instant access to a wealth of knowledge and opportunity. Just as America was the land of opportunity a hundred years ago, the world is becoming the land where anyone can become anything they want to become. People no longer need to move from their homes to better opportunity because with the ever declining price of technology, people can have that opportunity in their homes.

The software industry is a prime example. Anyone can use a computer and program something useful to the world. Because of the need for such software, they can even make money doing it. The tools to do so are cheap if not free to use. That means that the poorest kid could find a computer and make something without having rich parents to give him the opportunity. The education required to make software is so widely available through the Internet that it is questionable whether an aspiring software engineer even needs a college education to be successful anymore. As a result, any self-motivated person in the world can become successful without being in the United States.

Because of increased opportunity, competition drives quality to higher standards. The talent in the world of yesteryear was untapped. Those who had the opportunity set the standard for what quality was. However, now that everyone can participate in the cutting-edge of technology, the quality of what is being produced is higher. As a computer programmer, I’m now competing with programmers all over the world, whereas fifty years ago, I would have only been competing with those near me. It may be intimidating, but it helps the world produce better quality. Because of this, we must all constantly strive to do more, and to become the best even with this new standard of judgment.

It's getting better

2010-03-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

Though the system for monitoring the distribution of music on the Internet is not flawless, it is improving. Just a few years ago in order to be completely legal about listening to new music, I pretty much had to buy the album. This was annoying because it was hard to actually get to know new music. This also caused problems for artists since the laws restricted fans from advertising for them. Today, with websites like Pandora, Grooveshark, and other similar music websites, I can legally listen to any music that I want to for free. I may not be getting a copy of the music, but it does allow me to try new things. This is progress in the right direction. Fans can listen to what they want without having to completely commit by buying the music, and artists are advertised better which brings about sales for them. If we as the listeners can refrain from exploiting the system, we will continue to have more freedom in listening to music on the Internet.

The Future of Microsoft

2010-03-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

There are many who make the comparison of Microsoft and General Motors. General Motors was the giant, seemingly flawless leader of the automotive industry as is Microsoft in the computer industry today. However, even though Microsoft has seen some decline in its recent history, they have remarkably made up the difference with innovation. When Vista was a failure, Windows 7 made up the difference; when Apple created the iPhone that dominated the smartphone market, Microsoft now responded with the Windows Smart Phone 7. Microsoft's future currently looks secure, and if there are unforeseen problems, Microsoft will continue to be innovative and stay at the cutting-edge of technology. For more information on the comparison of Microsoft and General Motors visit http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/11/06/will-microsoft-become-the-general-motors-of-software/.

Smart phones under attack

2010-02-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

With the increasing popularity of smart phones, hackers have found an opportunity to attack our perhaps most regularly used device. I use my smart phone all day, every day to some extent. A breach in my phone's security would cause a wide range of issues from misunderstandings with my friends to missing responses to job applications. Since smart phones are essentially just a smaller version of desktop and laptop computers, it is obvious that they deal with the same security issues. We need to realize that our phones could be subject to hackers. This is an opportunity for us as students of computer science to find ways to prevent such problems. For more information visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100222121624.htm.

The Internet is Real

2010-02-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Internet is a real part of life and it needs to be treated as such. Many people lower their values on the Internet because it can seem like a virtual world where the rules do not apply. However, as can be seen in Cliff Stoll’s The Cuckoo’s Egg, malicious behavior does cause problems somewhere down the line. This does not only apply to the case of hackers, but to the mainstream society that downloads files illegally, that makes ridiculously rude comments to others, that views pornography, and that participates in a variety of other immoral activities on the Internet. The Internet is full of real people and there are real consequences to every action that we take while using it.

Using the Internet is a test of our integrity. Most people do not walk into a supermarket and begin stealing anything that is not secure, but many people are invigorated when they find a normally expensive file on the Internet free to download illegally. Because the likelihood of someone that we directly know will ever find out about, or even care about what we have done secretly on the Internet, our moral sense of what is right is dulled and we behave differently while using it. We need to awaken to the reality of the Internet; bad behavior on the Internet is just as bad it is off the Internet.

If we want to change the behavior of Internet users across the world, we must start by taking action ourselves. Cliff in The Cuckoo’s Egg gives a good example of taking action. He not only spent many hours every day trying to stop a hacker, but perhaps more importantly, getting the world to wake up to the problem. We need to do the same. First we have to make sure that we correct our own use of the Internet, and then we can begin helping others use the Internet in the way that they normally behave when not using the Internet. Let’s start today by letting people know that the Internet is a real place, and that all of our values do apply when using it.

The LDS Church's family history efforts show faith

2010-02-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Extensive genealogical research done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is evidence of the strength of the testimonies of its members. Spending millions of dollars and countless hours uncovering information about dead ancestors would seem ridiculous to someone without the faith of a Latter-day Saint. We as Latter-day Saints really believe in what we preach; we don't just profess to believe in the salvation of the dead, we demonstrate that we have real faith by actively researching genealogy. As we continue with this work we invite everyone to join and find out what all the fuss is about.

Apple iPad looks to hook new users

2010-01-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

With the announcement of the new iPad, Apple looks to expand its fan base. As I've seen over the years, Apple seems to be able to release a new innovative product, get a group of new fans, and then make them loyal defenders of Apple even if they were PC users the day before. Because of the ongoing war between PC and Mac users, people wishing to buy an Apple product must then become loyal fans to Apple because of the criticism they receive from PC users. This is the way Apple hooks its users. With the surprisingly low price of the iPad, it looks like Apple will once again gain a great following of new loyal fans.

Women in Computer Science

2010-01-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

We, the men of computer science, need to help women consider this field more seriously. Whether the reason for the low percentage of women in computer science is due to their desire to focus on being mothers, their desire to be in a field with more women, or even because of the nerdy nature of the computer science world, we have to be the ones to change it. Because of the high number of women studying mathematics, we know that women do have an interest in such a field. By simply explaining what computer science is, we could make significant progress. In my experience, the women in general here at BYU think that computer science is more about taking computers apart and rebuilding them than developing problem solving applications that are heavily based on mathematical theory and artistic design. If women knew what computer science is actually about, there would be more women studying it.

Scamming Made Easy Through the Internet

2010-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

Making a quick buck by scamming has been made easy through the Internet. People wanting to donate to the cause in Haiti after the recent earthquake need to be cautious about where their money is going. Searching on the Internet yields endless lists of charitable organizations supposedly helping in Haiti, but not all of these are legitimate. Anyone at his or her own computer can attempt to rob charitable people by giving false information over the Internet. The Internet brings speed and efficiency both to the man who professes the truth and to the scoundrel that would do anything to get gain. We need to be careful how we filter what we find on the Internet. For the full story, visit http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10434237-36.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Technology Properly Used is Benificial

2010-01-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

The advances in technology, brought about by God, are designed to bring truth to His children. A quick verification on a Web site like GoogleFight shows that the world wants to know more about Joseph Smith. In fact, querying Joseph Smith on Google gives more results than querying Socrates, Bill Clinton, Gandhi, Buddha, Martin Luther, and countless others. Sure, there are two sides to this coin, but the fact is that people can access truth through the Internet. This tells us as Latter-day Saints going into the cutting edge of technology to make a difference; we can be a good influence on not only the way society perceives technology, but in the way they use it as well. We know that this is God's purpose in bringing about this new efficiency, and as a result we are called to work for His cause as computer scientists.

Welcome to My CS 404 Blog

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am Sean. I am setting up this blog to post my thoughts and ideas about ethics and computers in society. Stay tuned for regular updates!