1 - What Is computer ethics? - Moor

Question 1

What is computer ethics?

Answer 1

ANALYSIS of
- NATURE and SOCIAL IMPACT of computing technologies
- FORMULATION and JUSTIFICATION of policies for its ethical use

Question 2

Why computer ethics is needed?

Answer 2

New capabilities => unimagined situations => vacuums: policy & conceptual

Question 3

Give an example of policy vacuum

Question 4

Give an example of conceptual vacuum

Question 5

When is it correct to talk of computer ethics?

Answer 5

When both computer technologies are involved && uncertainties in policies are present

Question 6

What are the main factors that make important computer technologies and consequently computer ethics?

Answer 6

1. Being revolutionary (logical malleability)
2. Having huge social impact (shift social values)
3. Not being fully understandable (invisibility factor)

Question 7

What makes computer technologies revolutionary and what not?

Answer 7

YES
Logical malleability

NO
Affordability & abundance (pencils)
Newness & engineering advance (electric toothbrush)

Question 8

What is logical malleability?

Answer 8

Ability to shape own states, operations, input and output both syntactically (# and variety) and semantically (represent anything)

Question 9

What are the main consequences of logical malleability?

Answer 9

Obtain a tool closest as possible to a universal one => extremely powerful
Assigning ONLY mathematical meaning to computer use is a misconception

Question 10

What are the stages of technological development and their effect on society?

Answer 10

1. Technology introduction: introduce, test, improve technology.
   Answers to the question “what we can do?” => creation of new capabilities
2. Technology permeation: diffused use technology and modelling of society.
   Answers to the question “what value has what we do?” => shifting of social values

Question 11

Make an example of shifting of values due to technological permeation

Question 12

What are the main invisibility factor declinations?

Answer 12

1. Invisible abuse
2. Invisible programming values
3. Invisible complex calculations

Question 13

What is the invisibility abuse? Make an example of it

Answer 13

INTENTIONAL use of invisible operations for UNETHICAL use

Question 14

What are invisible programming values? Make an example of them

Answer 14

Values embedded into a program and based on programmer’s judgement
NB: may be unintentional

Question 15

What are invisible calculations? Make an example of them

Answer 15

Calculations made by a computer which are over human comprehension and ability to reproduce

Question 16

What are possible solutions to each invisibility factor declination and what can limit them?

Answer 16

Abuse: control (difficult implementation), education (long term solution, not sure), computer surveillance (in turn abused)
Programming values: ML to highlight hidden patterns and biases (can have bias themselves)
Complex calculations: AI transparency techniques (new field of research, add other complex calculations)