Chapter 3: Part 1 Freedom of Speech

Name Chris Wyant
Class time: 12PM
KEEP THIS TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (EXCLUDING REFERENCE PAGE)

Author: Baase
Date of Publication: 2008
Book: A Gift of Fire
Sections read: 3.1-3.3

1. (Knowledge)Tell three interesting elements of this chapter:
a. The court case Miller v. California established what is not legal under the 1st Amendment because it is defined as obscene.
b. The CAN-SPAM Act put limitations and restrictions on email spam which was supported as much as it was opposed. In addition to this, California passed a law banning spam to cell phones and pagers and now most states ban it. (http://www.theinternetpatrol.com/how-to-stop-sms-text-spam-and-how-to-report-sms-txt-msg-spam/)
c. In 2002, China banned the use of Google online, also then banning Wikipedia websites which only lasted around a year.

2. (Comprehension) Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?
One of the main objectives of the government has been to create a lawful set of rules and limitations to protect children on the internet. Children are now more at risk than before with all of the inappropriate materials on there. The Communications Decency Act (CDA) was deemed unconstitutional, so the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was passed to protect children online. There has been a battle of censorship for many years. The biggest question when the topic of censorship is brought up is what is and is not violating the 1st Amendment. Spam has also become a major issue with the advancement of technology. Limitations have also been placed on spamming.

3. (Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution for this type of problem/similar situation in society or that you have experienced – BE SPECIFIC AND EXPLAIN?
In high school I experienced a similar situation involving a violation of internet usage and inappropriate materials on the internet. I had a hall monitor in middle school that was fired and arrested for looking at child porn and other obscene materials on the computer. This is in correlation with the fact that people have access to way too much online. Even with the limitations and restrictions with what can be posted online, there are ways around it and not everything can be censored. I think that something that may help this problem is much swifter and harsher punishments to violating the obscene materials law.



4. (Analysis)Address ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy in 2 full sentences.

The issue of spam mail is very similar with the problem society has with “junk mail” or “bulk mail”. The United States Postal Service (USPS) sends out 177 billion letters a year, 47% of which is considered unwanted. (http://blog.sendblaster.com/tag/statistics/) Almost one in two letters is spam. The main reason for this is because the USPS does not want to stop this. This is because the USPS is making money on the sending of spam mail. (http://blog.sendblaster.com/tag/statistics/) Understand this, it seems as if society cannot stop the receiving of spam mail whether it’s online or not. There are higher powers preventing society from being “spam free”.


5. (Synthesis) Address all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article (Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this material?
I do agree with that is being said, but to an extent. I think that the censorship laws and restrictions are necessary and need to be enacted. The censorship laws in my opinion should be strict, but the punishments that follow need to be stricter and harsher as well. There will always be ways around the laws and filters, but if society is too afraid to find these loop-holes there would be fewer instances. I now see how hard it is to govern something like this. I see how it has been a trial and error and that the government has proposed different agencies and laws that have been overturned and deemed as unconstitutional.


6. (Evaluation) Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading this chapter?
I think that this topic becomes more and more relevant every time a new advancement in technology takes place. I think this because with more power comes more responsibility. Just because we can do something does not mean we should. We can post suggestive and inappropriate things online for others to view, but that doesn’t mean we should. Children should not have access to things online that they would not have access to or allowed to view or go to if it weren’t for the internet. I think that after reading this, it has become more clear the issues with the internet and children and the power of the 1st Amendment. It is extremely difficult to lawfully limit the power of the people. 


References

Baase, Sara. A Gift Of Fire, Social, Legal, And Ethical Issues For Computing And The Internet. 3rd. Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

"Infographic: Email vs Snail Mail." Statistics. 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .

"Junk Mail and the U.S. Post Office - EcoFuture Resources on How to Get Rid of Junk Mail, Spam, and Telemarketers." EcoFuture (TM) Environmental Resources. Frew Ebel, 2 Oct. 2004. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .

Mitchell, Anne P. "How to Stop SMS Text Spam and How to Report SMS Txt Msg Spam  by Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. - 25 Comments, Last Updated02/26/2012 - 50,958 Views since Last Count." How to Stop SMS Text Spam and How to Report SMS Txt Msg Spam. The Internet Patrol, 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .

Chapter 2: Part 2

Name Chris Wyant
Class time: 12PM
KEEP THIS TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (EXCLUDING REFERENCE PAGE)

Author: Sara Baase
Date of Publication: 2008
Book: A Gift of Fire
Sections read: 2.3-3

1. (Knowledge)Tell three interesting elements of this chapter:
a. Pretexting is the process of gathering information
by pretending to be someone else that would have a justified right to that
information. Most pretexters pretend to be the person they are trying to obtain
the information about.
b. A new national ID system has been proposed
several times in the last few years.
c. Until the late 19th-century there
was no recognition of an independent right to privacy. The crucial article “The
Right to Privacy” by Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis sparked the revolution
for change of privacy rights.

2. (Comprehension) Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?
It is true with the growth of technology; there has been an increase in privacy violations. Generally though, society gives away much of the information without even realizing it. As technology has changed, so has a need for restrictions and limitations on what websites and companies can do with information obtained through technology. Sometimes the information received can be for a good cause such as better search results or more person specific advertisements. Radio
frequency identification tags (RFID tags) can track location of people or objects. The applications of these RFID tags are controversial and can violate the privacy of individuals. Many people, especially younger generations are willing to give our privacy for information on others. A national identification would in a way replace Social Security Numbers (SSN) because since they were invented, SSN have many uses other than just for the Social Security Program. Generally, there is only a violation of privacy when there is also a violation of property. With new sources of communication, new crimes are available, new ways of identity theft, and new regulations are out there as well. An example of this is the National Security Agency which collects and analyzes foreign intelligence information that is related to our national security.

3. (Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution for this type of problem/similar situation in society or that you have experienced – be specific and explain?
I personally once had a couple thousand dollars spent in my name. I had my social security number taken and with that information they were able to make online purchases with credit cards in my name. Before I had even realized what happened, I was in debt and my bank accounts were drained. This was all because of identity fraud due to new technology. It took almost a year to retrieve all of my money back after fighting with lawyers and my bank.

4. (Analysis)Address ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy in
2 full sentences.
Based off the reading, the impacts of how we communicate and technology have made significant impacts on society. These impacts however, are both positive and negative. We generally give up our privacy and rights for information on others or, because of a general disregard for our on privacy. Unfortunately, we the advances in technology, we sometimes have no choice but to give up some information. The new national ID system could help regulate some uses of private information, but could also be used in situations such as the Nazis in Germany. Our privacy always has and always will come at a cost.

5. (Synthesis)Address all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article (Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this material?
I do agree with what is being said because with the advances of technology, new laws and crimes have become possible. Being a younger adult myself and owning a Facebook, I agree that people tend to disregard the need to keep things private. We as a society are way to open with our private information, especially on social networking websites like Facebook. Often society gives out public information without even realizing it. These websites collect our data without our knowledge without any problems from the government.


6. (Evaluation) Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading this chapter?
I especially agree that this topic is relevant in today’s society. This is very specific to my generation because of the popularity of Facebook in teenagers and young adults. The question of ethics comes into play with this topic because, is it really ethical to give away this much private information? Is it ethical for companies and businesses to take all of this information without the knowledge of the people? I think it is wrong for us to willingly give away as much information as we do.


References

Baase, Sara. A Gift Of Fire, Social, Legal, And Ethical Issues For Computing And The Internet. 3rd. Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.