Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age

This engaging and thought-provoking textbook examines the ethical, social, and policy challenges arising from our rapidly and continuously evolving computing technology, ranging from the Internet to the ubiquitous portable devices we use to access it. The text emphasizes the need for a strong ethical framework for all applications of computer science and engineering in our professional and personal life. This thoroughly revised and updated sixth edition features two new chapters covering online harassment and cyberbullying, and the complex issues introduced by the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT). Topics and features: establishes a philosophical framework and analytical tools for discussing moral theories and problems in ethical relativism; offers pertinent discussions on privacy, surveillance, employee monitoring, biometrics, civil liberties, harassment, the digital divide, and discrimination; examines the ethical, cultural and economic realities of mobile telecommunications, computer social network ecosystems, and virtualization technology; reviews issues of property rights, responsibility and accountability relating to information technology and software; explores the evolution of electronic crime, network security, and computer forensics; introduces the new frontiers of ethics: virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet; discusses the security quagmire of the IoT, and the growing threat of bullying facilitated by electronic technology (NEW); provides exercises, objectives, and issues for discussion with every chapter. This extensive textbook/reference addresses the latest curricula requirements for understanding the cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues in computer science and related fields, and offers invaluable advice for industry professionals wishing to put such principles into practice.