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Section 3: Facing the Future

In the United States of America, Internet access is taken for granted but in reality it is unlike any in the world.  One case in point is the active role of the Chinese government in Internet filtering, and the compliance of large American companies that desire to do business in China. The interesting result is that the Chinese are developing ways to circumvent this filtering.

The OpenNet Initiative website and blog offer case studies and reports on state-based Internet filtering around the globe. ONI Partner, The Hacktivist, provides links to articles about constructive, politically-motivated hacking and software development.

Moving closer to home, the USA PATRIOT Act was revised and reauthorized. The reauthorization made 14 of the 16 provisions that were scheduled to expire March 10, 2006 permanent. What does this have to do with ethics and why should students care? The international organization Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, whose tagline is Technology is driving the future...it's up to us to do the steering, offers links to resources related to privacy, civil liberties and many other topics of current and future concern for students' consideration.

Two additional sources of food for thought are Computer Ethics: Future Directions and A Very Short History of Computer Ethics.