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COMPUTER ETHICS
PHI/CIS 3270
SPRING 2023 3 UNITS
TUES/THUS 5:50 PM—7:05 PM VERT-13-145

INSTRUCTOR: David Neely

EMAIL: david.neely@baruch.cuny.edu or neelydj@gmail.com
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY: VERT-5-295
OFFICE LOCATION: VERT-5-272
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment

INTRODUCTION:
This course will provide an introduction to the primary philosophical frameworks for reasoning
about global problems of applied ethics in information, communication, and computer technology
use – these will include security, privacy, intellectual property, cybercrime, cyberwar, the digital
divide, demographics in the tech industry, data mining, machine bias and many more. In short,
students will see how the invention and spread of digital technology has given rise to ethical issues
that we have never before faced as a species.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will…
• become familiar with several historically important ethical theories.
• become familiar with some of the particular ethical issues that arise within the context of
computers and information technology.
• see how traditional ethical theories and practices can—and cannot—be applied to
problems that are unique to the digital age.
• become familiar with some of the structural issues surrounding information technology as
a discipline and think critically about how these issues might be resolved.
• hone their critical thinking skills by engaging with the complex moral issue that tie in with
digital technology.
• practice their argumentative writing by constructing papers requiring engagement with
certain key ideas from the course.
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GENERAL CLASS INFORMATION AND POLICIES:

• Class, will be in person this semester.
• Do your best to arrive on time. I will be starting class on time each week, so it will can be
distracting to other students if you show up late.
• I have no issue with students taking notes on laptops, tablets, or cell phones. Just please silence
your phones and do your best to refrain from texting.
• Please sign all your emails with your full name and class section. I teach multiple classes
so I need to know who an email is from.
• I will be taking attendance each class. You are expected to attend each class and attendance
will be factored into your grade. (see more below)
• Buddy Policy: Choose two (2) classmates as your buddies for the semester. Buddies should
exchange contact information (email, phone #, etc). Your buddy is there to do the following:
if you miss class, ask your buddy what you missed so they are to provide you with notes; if you
misplace your syllabus, ask your buddy to email you a copy; if you have a simple question (like
do we have class this week or is it a holiday) ask your buddy. This allows me to focus on emails
that can’t be answered by anyone else. (Alternatively, you can all set up a class group chat)
• If you have questions/comments/issues that your classmates can’t answer, feel free to email!

EMERGENCY ZOOM INFO:

It seems like at least once a semester something comes up and we have to meet on ZOOM
temporarily. I have, therefore set up a preemptive Zoom Link in case we have to switch online.
This link will ONLY be used in the case of emergencies—as of now we will be holding
ALL classes in person.
Here is a link and the details for this emergency zoom:
https://baruch.zoom.us/j/86896829885?pwd=NTJQTnNTai9ISTlZengwUXIybDNiQT09
Meeting ID: 868 9682 9885
Passcode: CPU
This information can also be found on the class Blackboard.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:

Your final grade will be a mix of three papers, participation in weekly classroom activities
(group work, in-class writing, etc.) and participation. Final grades will be calculated along the
following lines:
o Paper 1: 25%
o Paper 2: 25%
o Paper 3: 25%
o Discussion Posts: 15%
o Attendance and Individual Participation: 10%
I do not offer extra credit assignments.
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Papers:
• Papers should be typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font. They should aim to be 3-5 pages
(though if you are a bit under or over, I will not take off points)
• Papers should be turned in on Blackboard by the end of the day (11:59pm),
on the date that they are due.
• Make sure to include your name in the document title so that I can easily identify,
grade, and return your paper. I HATE RENAMING DOCUMENTS.
• Every day a paper is late without a prearranged extension, it will lose 1/3 of a grade (i.e.
A- is the highest grade a paper can get if it is one day late, B+ if it is 2 days late, etc.).
• I do not offer rewrites on papers. I will happily look over drafts prior to the due date once
the paper is turned in, no rewrites.

Discussion Posts:
• Most weeks, there will be a discussion question posted to the class Blackboard.
• Discussion questions at the time and date listed on the schedule.
• The question will be related to the readings for that week and will be designed to
ensure that you do the readings before class on Friday.
• Answers will be graded pass/fail—as long as you engage with the question and make
an honest attempt at answering it, you will pass.
• There will be eleven (11) total discussion board questions. You will only be graded on
ten (10). Therefore, you are free to skip one (1) without any penalty. You will not receive
extra credit for completing all eleven.

Attendance and Participation:

• Ten percent of your grade will be based on attendance and participation in discussions and
group activities.
• You will be allowed two unexcused absences without it affecting your participation grade.
• If you need to miss class for a reason, just let me know and I will give you an excused
absence (though, again, you will still need to do the corresponding discussion question
assignment.)
• Included in participation is your ability to arrive, on time, to class. I understand that you
will occasionally run into issues with commuting (Thanks MTA!) so I will not punish you
for being late on occasion. But if you are an hour late, every single week, that WILL have
a negative effect on your grade.

Additional Notes
• If something comes up and you need an extension on an assignment let me know and we
will find an extension that fits your situation.
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SCHEDULE AND READINGS:

• You will not need to purchase any texts for this class. All readings will be provided by email
and/or posted on blackboard.
• A reading on the schedule is due the day listed next to that reading.

WEEK 1:
JAN 26TH (THUR): COURSE OVERVIEW
• No Readings
WEEK 2:
JAN 31ST (TUES): WHY DOES A COMPUTER ETHICS COURSE EXIST?
• No Readings
FEB 2ND (THUR): UTILITARIANISM
• Mill—Utilitarianism (Selections)
• Discussion Post 1 Due (by End of day)
WEEK 3:
FEB 7TH (TUES): DEONTOLOGY
• Kant—Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals (Selections)
• O’Neill—“Kant’s Ethics”
FEB 9TH (THUR): UTILITARIANISM/DEONTOLOGY OBJECTIONS
• Pojman—“Assessing Utilitarianism”
• Discussion Post 2 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 4:
FEB 14ND (TUES): PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN I.T.—LIMITATIONS
• Tavani—Chapter 4 Professional Ethics
o §4.1-4.3
FEB 16TH (THUR): THE PROBLEM OF MANY HANDS
• Nissenbaum—“Computing and Accountability”
• Discussion Post 3 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 5:
FEB 21ST (TUES): NO CLASS!!!
• Monday Schedule!!!
FEB 23RD (THUR): PAPER 1 POSTED!!!
PAPER WRITING
• Pryor—“Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper”
• Discussion Post 4 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 6:
FEB 28TH (TUES): WHY IS CYBER SECURITY SO HARD?
• Tavani—Chapter 6: Security in Cyberspace
o §6.0-6.2 (Pages: 151-157)
• Daniel—"Why Cyber Security is Hard”
• Denning & Denning—"Cyber and Bridges”
• Discussion Post 5 Due (by Noon)
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MAR 2ND (THUR): DIGITAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Tavani—Chapter 7: Cyber-Crime and Cyber Related
Crimes
o §7.7 & 7.8 (Pages 187-193)
• Newell—Body Cameras
• ***OPTIONAL: Thomsen—Ethics of Police Worn Body-Cameras
• Discussion Post 6 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 7:
MAR 7TH (TUES): THE DARK WEB—GOOD OR BAD?
• Kushner—Dark Net (Rolling Stone Article)
MAR 9TH (THUR): CRIME? WAR? ESPIONAGE? DIPLOMACY?– CYBER BLURS THE LINES
• Sanger—The Perfect Weapon
o Chapter 6—“The Kims Strike Back”
MAR 10TH (FRI): PAPER 1 DUE!!!
WEEK 8:
MAR 14TH (TUES): PRIVACY OVERVIEW
• Tavani—Chapter 5: Privacy and Cyberspace
o 113-120 (up to but not including §5.2.5)
MAR 16TH (THUR): PRIVACY AND TECH
• Veliz—Privacy is Power
o Chapter 1
• Discussion Post 7 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 9:
MAR 20TH (MON): PAPER 2 PROMPTS POSTED!!!
MAR 21ST (TUES): DATA MINING & BIG DATA
• Veliz—Privacy is Power
o Chapter 3
MAR 23RD (THUR): EPISTEMIC BUBBLES & ECHO CHAMBERS
• Nguyen—"Epistemic Bubbles and Echo Chambers”
• Discussion Post 8 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 10:
MAR 28TH (TUES): INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN A DIGITAL AGE
• Tavani—Chapter 8: Intellectual Property Disputes in
Cyberspace
o Pages: 201-205, 206-209, 212-217 (start with §8.3)
• Chopra—“End Intellectual Property”
MAR 30TH (THUR): WHY DIGITAL REGULATION IS SO DAMN HARD?
• Tavani—Chapter 9 Regulation
o Pages 236-241
• Discussion Post 9 Due (by Noon)
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WEEK 11:
APR 3RD (MON): PAPER 2 DUE!!!
APR 4TH (TUES): REGULATION CASE STUDY: PORNOGRAPHY
• Tavani—Chapter 9 Regulation
o §9.5 (Pages 248-254)
APR 6TH (THUR): SPRING BREAK—NO CLASS!!!
WEEK 12:
APR 11TH (TUES): STILL SPRING BREAK—STILL NO CLASS!!!
APR 13TH (THUR): STILL SPRING BREAK—STILL NO CLASS!!!
WEEK 13:
APR 18TH (TUES): DEMOGRAPHICS IN TECH—PROBLEM?
• Wired—Five years little Progress
• Block—“Digital Divide is not a Problem”
• ***OPTIONAL Fowler—A Year at Uber
APR 20TH (THUR): RACIST AND SEXIST AI?
• ProPublica—Machine Bias
• Yes—Racist AI
• Discussion Post 10 Due (by Noon)
WEEK 14:
APR 25THRD (TUES): TECHNOLOGY AND DEMOCRACY—GOOD OR BAD
• ShareAmerica—Tech and Democracy
• Lewandowsky& Kozyreva—“Algorithyms, Lies, etc.”
APR 27TH (THUR): TBD—We will vote on topics closer to this date.
• Possible Topics include how computers have changed the
nature of communities, how computers have changed the
nature of individuals, catfishing, can computers be people,
the ethics of autonomous machines, the dark web,
cryptocurrency, online hate speech, anything else
• Discussion Post 11 Due (by Noon)
APR 28TH (FRI): PAPER 3 PROMPTS POSTED!!!
WEEK 15:
MAY 2ND (TUES): TBD—We will vote on topics closer to this date.
MAY 4TH (THUR): TBD—We will vote on topics closer to this date.
WEEK 16:
MAY 9TH (TUES): TBD—We Will Vote on topics closer to this date.
MAY 11TH (THUR): CATCH-UP DAY
• No New Readings
MAY 12TH (FRI): PAPER 3 DUE!!!

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
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Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. The following definitions are based on the College's
Academic Honesty website at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html :
Cheating is the attempted or unauthorized use of materials, information, notes, study aids,
devices or communication during an academic exercise. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Copying from another student during an examination or allowing another to copy your
work
• Unauthorized collaborating on a take home assignment or examination
• Using unauthorized notes during a closed book examination
• Using unauthorized electronic devices during an examination
• Taking an examination for another student
• Asking or allowing another student to take an examination for you
• Changing a corrected exam and returning it for more credit
• Submitting substantial portions of the same paper to two classes without consulting the
second instructor
• Preparing answers or writing notes in a blue book (exam booklet) before an examination
• Allowing others to research and write assigned papers including the use of commercial term
paper services
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person's ideas, research or writing as your own, such
as:
• Copying another person's actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes
(a functional limit is four or more words taken from the work of another)
• Presenting another person's ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging
them
• Using information that is not considered common knowledge without acknowledging the
source
• Failure to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignment
My policy is to give a failing grade to any assignment that has been plagiarized or an exam in
which you have cheated. In addition, I am required by College policy to submit a report of
suspected academic dishonesty to the Office of the Dean of Students. This report becomes part of
your permanent file.
BE AWARE: I have plugged all my paper prompts into ChatGPT. Because my prompts are very
weird and you are going to be asked to take a position on a very particular issue, the results that
ChatGPT comes up with are really quite terrible. Also, they have a particular format that makes
it very clear they resulted from an AI and are not the product of a student’s mind. Therefore unless
you really enjoy failing, filling out paperwork, and making your professor mad, skip the ChatGPT
and reach out to me if you’re having trouble finishing the paper.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES:
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The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD: VC 2-272, Vertical Campus) can
provide “reasonable accommodations” for students who register for services.
The OSSD provides an “Accommodation Letter” that informs your instructors what services you
need, while maintaining confidentiality about the basis for accommodation.
For information on the OSSD, see baruch.cuny.edu/studentaffairs/ossd/disabilityServices.htm

COUNSELING SERVICES:
Baruch recognizes that, as a student, you are balancing many demands. During the semester, if
you start to experience personal difficulties or stressors that are interfering with your academic
performance or day to day functioning, please consider seeking free and confidential support at
the Baruch College Counseling Center.
For more information or to make an appointment, please visit their website at
https://studentaffairs.baruch.cuny.edu/counseling/ or call 646-312-2155. If it's outside of
business hours (Monday-Friday 9-5pm) and you need immediate assistance, please call 1-888-
NYC-WELL (888-692-9355). If you are concerned about one of your classmates, please share that
concern by filling out a Campus Intervention Team form
at https://studentaffairs.baruch.cuny.edu/campus-intervention-team.

THE NY STATE EDUCATION LAW PROVIDES THAT:

1. Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable, because of their religious
beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days shall, because of such absence on the
particular day or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.
2. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty to make available to each student who is absent from
school, because of religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination,
study or work requirements which they may have missed because of such absence on any
particular day or days.
3. Any student who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative officials to
comply in good faith shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court
of the county in which such institution of higher education is located for the enforcement of
their rights.