Computer Ethics, Fall 2021

Class 9 Readings

Today (Nov 8) is the birthday (in 1986) of Aaron Swartz

Facebook shuts down facial-recognition system

This is the system that identifies faces in photos you upload, so as to make it easier for you to tag those people. The idea, as usual, was to promote engagement by making photo uploads simpler.

Facebook is now dismantling this system, though they will keep the underlying technology, and they will discard the facial data they have gleaned from all those photos.

See www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/technology/facebook-facial-recognition.html.

AMP Has Irreparably Damaged Publishers’ Trust in Google-led Initiatives

Yes it has!

wptavern.com/amp-has-irreparably-damaged-publishers-trust-in-google-led-initiatives

iPhone Apps Can Tell Many Things About You Through the Accelerometer

Some of them are a stretch, but on the other hand I think there may be others as well. And Android is no different. But location data is still the worst!

www.mysk.blog/2021/10/24/accelerometer-ios

Supreme Court Declines to Hear First Amendment Challenge to Secrecy of U.S. Surveillance Court

These are the FISA courts (FISC).

I'm not sure why this is a first-amendment issue; I would have thought due process.

knightcolumbia.org/content/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-first-amendment-challenge-to-secrecy-of-us-surveillance-court

Paper 2

Debates

Employee speech

Source code as speech

Patents: just what is the issue?