Ethics  in the Information Age                     Second Paper Assignment   Due: November 5

 

General Directions:  

            Write an essay explaining and supporting your views on one of the following topics.  Write a total of 4-6 pages, typed, double-spaced.  Write as clearly and concisely as you can.  Explain any technical terms you use.  Pretend that, instead of being read by a teacher who has read all the class readings, your essay will be read by an intelligent and well-informed person who has read no such material, and who needs to have the issues explained in a way that does not assume any acquaintance with academic writing about ethics or about the social policy issues you are discussing.  Answer mainly in your own words.  Put quotations in quotation marks (and use quotes sparingly).  When you borrow a phrase or argument or idea from another writer, give them credit.  Much more detailed writing advice is available in the guides linked on the class website.

 

Specific topic options:

Freedom and culture:

  1.  Freedom of expression is an important value in our society, but not an absolute one.  What limits to freedom of expression are appropriate for the Internet?  Here are a couple of possible positions on this issue:  “Because there is no practical way to prevent underage users from accessing websites, nothing should be posted on publicly accessible websites that is unsuitable for children.”  Or: “There should be no restrictions whatsoever on what people may post on websites.”

  2. Is there anything wrong with producing pornography and distributing it online?

  3. Do producers of video games and other electronic entertainment bear any responsibility for the effects of their products on consumers or on our culture?

Privacy:

  1. Defend or criticize some account of why privacy is important and how it should be protected by law or regulation.

  2. Defend or criticize some account of the (ethical) responsibilities of companies for the protection of information they collect (or some specific kind of information). (Examples: Should the Code of Fair Information Practices apply to private businesses?  Should retail firms sell information about their customers’ purchasing habits to third parties?)

  3. What do you see as the most significant threats to privacy in the information age and what (if anything) do you think should be done about them?  (Explain and defend your answer.)

  4. Some have suggested that privacy is becoming less important as technology evolves.  The willingness of younger Americans to expose their personal lives on social networking sites like Facebook is supposed to show that they don’t much care about privacy.  Some people find this alarming; others say it’s a beneficial (or, at least, non-harmful) change in our culture.  Discuss.