Computer Ethics, Spring 2022

Week 9, Mar 22

Class 9 Readings

Read chapter 3 on speech.


TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller-ID data empire in India

Should this be possible? Much of their data is obtained by asking users for permission to access their contacts. But I can no longer answer my phone when the number isn't in my contacts, because the majority of such calls are spam.

Should the feature that allows access to contacts be called "advanced search"? And should TrueCaller have access to your SMS messages?

restofworld.org/2022/how-truecaller-built-a-billion-dollar-id-data-empire-in-india.

'Kill more': Facebook fails to detect hate speech against Rohingya

The group Global Witness succeeded in placing eight ads on Facebook advocating for violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar. (The ads were then immediately retracted.) There were eight ad applications in all; that is, all ads were accepted by Facebook. Facebook's ad-vetting process, in other words, is not working.

apnews.com/article/technology-business-bangladesh-myanmar-united-nations-f7d89e38c54f7bae464762fa23bd96b2.


Paper 2

Debates

Free Speech

Revenge sites and then Backpage

Some supporters of Fosta-Sesta don't believe sex work should be allowed at all (or believe all sex work is intrinsically coercive). For a contrary position, see www.economist.com/united-states/2021/10/30/how-to-bring-sex-work-out-of-the-shadows.

230 summary

First-person libel

Threat speech

Hate speech

LICRA v Yahoo

Right to be forgotten

Employee speech

Source code as speech