Comments on Tech Forum

Well, it's been a week since the fellows from Stanford shared their thoughts about online copyright and privacy issues. If anyone wants to hear the imperfect mp3 of the event, you can find the link on the www1.york.org index page.

I wish (as do both Dave and Tim) that there had been more time to discuss a wider range of topics. I've heard some faculty complain that the men weren't loud enough. Two faculty also expressed some disappointment about the format, wishing the forum had been less Q & A and more a directed lecture. One student said he was frustrated that the presentation was mostly about legal matters rather than actual ethics. That covers the negative reviews.

Generally, the students I talked to after the event seemed pretty positive. Certainly they seemed engaged during the event, as was evident while I was editing the mp3. Lots of students asked questions and seemed genuinely shocked when they learned that many of the things they seem to think are perfectly normal (sharing cds, dj-ing at parties, even playing music at a York dance) might not technically be legal (and thereby ethical, if any of us use the law as a guide in these kinds of matters). Even faculty learned a few things, particularly about "fair use," Google caching and other ways information is being stored online. So, in that regard I thought it was a success.

Still, I wonder if there are questions people didn't get a chance to ask or thought of later. Both Dave and Tim are willing to continue the dialogue, so post follow-up comments and questions or email them to ctorg. They promise to answer them as best they can.

They'd also like feedback on the presentation itself, so feel free to comment on that too. (Could you hear? Did you like the Q & A format? Are faculty generally crazy?) They're interested in hearing both sides...what worked and what could be improved.

And have a great vacation... we've all earned it!!

Still Looking for Questions

Tech-Ethics questions aren't pouring in yet, but the two presenters plan to meet next week to discuss what they'll cover. Anyone else want to jump in on topics? So far all I've passed along is your interest in hearing a little more about the downloading issue.

Here's a question? What does it take to steal someone's identity? What does that even mean? I'll give you a hint: it's more than just grabbing that person's visa number from an online transaction and buying stuff illegally.

Each of you plans on going to college. Think about the amount of information stored on college campus servers. What kinds of protections would you want on university information relating to you?? We're talking about more than just grades, here, by the way.

How about the fact that text messages, phone calls, emails and web searches are routinely stored on large servers, and that the government and other agencies are pushing for permission to access info from these sources? What limits would you hope to see placed on their rights to cull through these records?

On another note: Anyone willing to comment on this article from The Washington Post about the rise and fall of sites like MySpace? Are you still spending hours on it or are you completely "over it" at this point?

Speaking of which... what would you do if your least favorite acquaintance posted a terribly unflattering (or even doctored) photo of you on their MySpace? What if that person slandered you, claiming you'd been arrested or gotten pregnant? What if the info got passed along to Mrs. Aronowitz? your parents? Yale's College Admission Office?

Ahhh. If only honesty, respect and responsibility were universals.

Next Question: Tech Ethics?

About a month from now York will be hosting a forum on Tech Ethics. Ok, I'll admit it, I'm coordinating this event. A couple of guys from Stanford (one of whom you can call Mr. Torg) are willing to come down and talk a little about the kinds of tricky and sticky areas consumers and, particularly, undergraduate students should know more info about... like identity theft, password encryption, harassment, downloading and hidden archiving. If you don't know much about these topics or the difference between hacking and cracking, you may learn something.

In order to give these two fellows some sense of what they might cover, I've collected a few faculty queries about tech's ethical quagmires and passed on the kinds of questions I've heard students ask in the past. The good news is, these presenters are hoping to tailor their talk to those areas you're most curious about. So though they'll probably touch on most of the topics I've mentioned above, they invite you to submit more specific questions in advance. If there's something you've ever wondered about that's at all relevant, send it to me (ctorg) or post it here as a comment (always including your name) and I'll forward it to them a few days in advance of the forum.

These guys know a lot, too much to cover in 50 minutes. If you can get me your questions in advance, they'll be much more likely to address the things that you really want to know. Hey, how often do you get a say in the content of these forums? Steer away! Be informed! In this case there are definitely no stupid questions.