Assignment 2

Issues in Science and Technology

(Group Work)

Group members: ALPA PIKA BAKA

Course: BS Criminology

Instructions: Form group of 3 members. Review the ten emerging ethical and policy issue dilemmas
compiled by the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values of the University of Notre
Dame for 2018.Choose your partner and topic to discuss. See to it there’s no duplication of works.
Research about the nature of the dilemma assigned to your group and submit back your research to your
folder. Use the guide questions below in preparing your output.

Topic: Ransomware

1. What is the emerging ethical dilemma all about?

 Ethical dilemmas have always come with each advancement in technology. Ransomware
is a way of holding data hostage through hacking and requiring a ransom to be paid. The
emerging ethical dilemma is about the harmful application or malware that being
invented that is capable to hack all data stored on the network from personal files,
documents, to financial information that can’t be restore again. It is usually caused by
Trojans which is a disguised file in a way the user is tricked into downloading. These
type of innovations is disguised in such malicious act in the applications.

2. What factors or events led to this dilemma?

 There are three main types of ransomware. The fake antivirus programs, the FBI lockout,
and the encrypted type. Once this type of malware gets on the pc of the victim it will lock
the computer and keep the victim from logging in. In exchange for money, the hacker
could hold the victims files, preventing the victim from accessing it and asking for
payment to get it back. The impact would be devastating because the victim is now faced
with a moral and practical dilemma in whether to pay or not pay the hacker.

3. Why is it important to question the moral and ethical issues surrounding innovations in science
and technology?

 It is important to question these issues because it assesses the ethical systems and moral
in the society so that we can make the right decisions when we are confronted with these
kinds of problems, by knowing the pros and cons of these innovations we can take proper
precaution, and if problems arise we can easily solve them. Science and technology ethics
is a much needed discussion of the scientific developments because it has an effects on
the way we live.
4. In the face of this dilemma, why is it important to study STS?

 In studying STS, we will understand the relationship of science and technology about
innovation and the impact of it in modern contemporary society. That is important to
know how different process of knowledge is progressed and how innovative and
technological process are developed. In this innovation personal privacy of everyone is
concern it is necessary that we are aware of what is happening in our surroundings
because we don’t know if we are being monitored by someone and that is very alarming
for our security and privacy to avoid such things as ransomware.