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Chapter 5 Ethical and Social Issues in the Digital Firm

Multiple-Choice Questions
1. New technologies can be used to a. b. c. d. 2. threaten social values. achieve social progress. commit crimes. all of the above.

In the information age, the obligations that individuals and organizations have concerning rights to intellectual property falls within the moral dimension of: a. b. c. d. property rights and obligations. system quality. accountability and control. information rights and obligations.

3.

The moral dimensions of the information society: a. b. c. d. are geographically and politically biased. are covered by existing laws and customs in most countries. are quality of life issues. cut across individual, social, and political levels of actions.

4.

The use of computers to combine data from multiple sources and creating electronic dossiers of detailed information on individuals is called: a. b. c. d. profiling. invasion. spamming. safe harbor.

5.

Advances in data storage techniques and rapidly declining storage costs have: a. b. c. d. doubled humanitys knowledge. made universal access possible. doubled every 18 months. made routine violations of privacy cheap and effective.

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6.

Ethics is a concern of humans who: a. b. c. d. deal with the feelings of others. have freedom of choice. are civilized. have a religious belief.

7.

Accepting the potential costs, duties, and obligations for the decisions you make is referred to as: a. b. c. d. responsibility. accountability. liability. due process.

8.

Immanuel Kants Categorical Imperative states that: a. if an action cannot be taken repeatedly, then it is not right to be taken at any time. b. one should take the action that produces the least harm or incurs the least cost. c. one can put values in rank order and understand the consequences of various courses of action. d. if an action is not right for everyone to take, it is not right for anyone to take.

9.

The ethical no free lunch rule states that: a. if an action cannot be taken repeatedly, then it is not right to be taken at any time. b. one should take the action that produces the least harm or incurs the least cost. c. one can put values in rank order and understand the consequences of various courses of action. d. everything is owned by someone else, and that the creator wants compensation for this work.

10.

The ethical rules discussed in the textbook: a. b. c. d. are based on political philosophies. cannot always be guides to actions. do not always apply in the digital firm. do not allow for competing values.

11.

What is the right to be left alone when you want to be, to have control over your own personal possessions, and not to be observed without your consent? a. b. c. d. Fair Use Doctrine Pirated software Counterfeit software Privacy

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12.

Which U.S. act restricts what information the federal government can collect and what they can do with it? a. Privacy Act b. Bork Bill c. Freedom of Information Act d. Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act Fair information practices are based on the principle of: a. b. c. d. accountability. responsibility. mutuality of interest. ethical behavior.

13.

14.

The Federal Trade Commission Fair Information Practice principle of Notice/Awareness states that: a. customers must be allowed to choose how their information will be used for secondary purposes other than the supporting transaction, including internal use and transfer to third parties. b. data collectors must take responsible steps to assure that consumer information is accurate and secure from unauthorized use. c. there is a mechanism in place to enforce FIP principles. d. Web sites must disclose their information practices before collecting data.

15.

European privacy protection is _________________ than in the United States. a. b. c. d. less far-reaching less liable to laws much less stringent much more stringent

16.

U.S. businesses are allowed to use personal data from EU countries if they: a. b. c. d. have informed consent. make sure they comply with U.S. data protection laws. develop a safe harbor framework for the data. make their privacy protection policies publicly available.

17.

When a cookie is created during a Web site visit, it is stored: a. b. c. d. on the Web site computer. on the visitors computer. on the ISPs computer. in a Web directory.

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18.

What is software that comes hidden in free downloadable software and tracks your online movements, mines the information stored on your computer, or uses your computers CPU and storage for some task you know nothing about? a. b. c. d. Web log Clickstream Anonymous Web browsing service Spyware

19.

The Online Privacy Alliance: a. b. c. d. encourages self-regulation to develop a set of privacy guidelines for its members. protects user privacy during interactions with Web sites. lobbies for better privacy legislation for the consumer. discourages the use of online seals.

20.

P3P stands for: a. b. c. d. Privacy for Personal Protection. Platform for Privacy Preferences. Preferences for Personal Privacy Protection of Personal Privacy.

21.

The P3P standard is concerned with: a. controlling pop-up ads based on user profiles and preventing ads from collecting or sending information. b. allowing users to surf the Web without being identified. c. scrambling data so that it cant be read. d. blocking or limiting cookies.

22.

The expectation of privacy refers to: a. b. c. d. the laws protecting against search and seizure. the validity of privacy only in legal transactions. the culturally understood differences between private and public areas of life. the cultural differences between privacy in different areas of business.

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23.

The limitation of trade secret protection is that although virtually all software programs of any complexity contain unique elements of some sort, it is difficult to prevent the ideas in the work from falling into the public domain: a. b. c. d. when the courts become involved. when hackers are able to break into the source code. when the software is widely distributed. when a new version of the software is released.

24.

Intellectual property can best be described as: a. intangible creative work that is embodied in physical form. b. the legal protection afforded an expression of an idea. c. the Fair Use Doctrine that allows for the use of copyrighted materials. d. software that is copied and distributed without permission.

25.

What is the legal protection afforded an expression of an idea, such as a song, video game, and some types of proprietary documents? a. b. c. d. Ethics Intellectual property Copyright Fair Use Doctrine

26.

Copyright can best be described as: a. intangible creative work that is embodied in physical form. b. the legal protection afforded to intellectual property. c. the Fair Use Doctrine that allows for the use of copyrighted materials. d. software that is copied and distributed without permission.

27.

The strength of patent protection is that it: a. b. c. d. puts the strength of law behind copyright. allows protection from Internet theft of ideas put forth publicly. is easy to define. grants a monopoly on the underlying concepts and ideas.

28.

One of the difficulties of patent protection is: a. b. c. d. that only the underlying ideas are protected. digital media cannot be patented. protection against theft. the years of waiting to receive it.

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29.

Which of the following adjusts copyright laws to the Internet age by making it illegal to make, distribute, or use devices that circumvent technology-based protections of copyrighted materials? a. b. c. d. Digital Millennium Copyright Act Privacy Act Freedom of Information Act Electronic Communications Privacy Act

30.

The ease with which software and digital content can be copied contributes to: a. reducing the speed with which new information technologies can and will be introduced. b. the decline in standards of computer literacy. c. issues concerning liability. d. a lack of concern over the protection of intellectual property in digital formats.

31.

In general, it is very difficult to hold software producers liable for their software products when those products are considered to be: a. b. c. d. digital shareware. like books. services. non-essential systems.

32.

_________________ are not held liable for the messages they transmit: a. b. c. d. Common carriers Private individuals Organizations and businesses Congressional delegates

33.

The do anything anywhere computing environment can: a. b. c. d. make work environments much more pleasant. create economies of efficiency. centralize power at corporate headquarters. blur the traditional boundaries between work and family time.

34.

It is now a federal crime to: a. b. c. d. send spam to a mass audience. access a computer system without authorization. create an online personality. use anonymizers.

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35.

Computer abuse is: a. b. c. d. mostly a personal problem. sometimes legal but always unethical. illegal and unethical. most common in the business environment.

36.

The practice of spamming has been growing because: a. b. c. d. telephone solicitation is no longer legal. it is good advertising practice and brings in many new customers. it helps pay for the Internet. it is so inexpensive and can reach so many people.

37.

The U.S. CAN-SPAM Act of 2003: a. b. c. d. makes spamming illegal. requires spammers to identify themselves has dramatically cut down spamming does not override state anti-spamming laws.

38.

Which of the following refers to large disparities in access to computers and the Internet among different social groups and different locations? a. b. c. d. Computer divide Technology divide Digital divide Information divide

39.

CVS refers to: a. b. c. d. eyestrain related to computer display screen use. computer virus syndrome. wrist injuries brought about by incorrect hand position when using a keyboard. stress induced by computer use.

40.

Which of the following is stress induced by computer use, and its symptoms include aggravation, hostility toward humans, impatience, and enervation? a. b. c. d. Computer stress Techno aggravation Carpal tunnel syndrome Technostress

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Essay Questions
41.

Although protecting personal privacy and intellectual property on the Internet are now in the spotlight, there are other pressing ethical issues raised by the widespread use of information systems. List and describe at least two of these issues. Which do you think is the most serious? Why? Support your answer. Describe how a cookie works.

42.