Computes and the society

Chapter 1:

How Will Computers Transform Society?

Computers and Society:

No one can predict the effect that computers will have on society,
but changes in people’s daily lives are already apparent. People’s depen-
dence on computer technology is increasing and is promoting changes in
education, culture (particularly in books and writing), politics, and eco-
nomics. Just like technological innovations in the past, the computer can
isolate people from one another or it can foster communication and face-
to-face contact.

Computers Will Significantly Transform Society

The transformation of society by computers is inevitable because innova-

tions in computer technology have been occurring rapidly. In the very
near future, computers will be a part of everything people do, from the
way they socialize to the way they watch television.

Personal Computers Will Transform the Home

The personal computer (PC) has evolved from a productive organizing

tool to a versatile communications device. The Intelligent Networked
Home (the PC of the very near future) will make every aspect of home
life—from entertainment to communications to home security—more
convenient for every member of the family.

Computers Will Not Significantly Transform Society

Despite the overly optimistic visions of computer enthusiasts, computers

will not transform education, politics, or the economy. What is missing
from the computer and the “virtual reality” it creates is the human interaction necessary
for these endeavors.

Future Societal Transformations Cannot Be Predicted

Though computer enthusiasts such as Bill Gates have made optimistic

forecasts about the ways computers will transform society, there is reason
to doubt whether the predicted changes will occur. Like past technological innovations,
computers may have an unforeseen negative impact on
society.

Computers Will Create Unemployment

As companies automate production through the use of computer technol-

ogy, they drastically reduce their workforces, forcing many workers into
permanent unemployment. This trend can be seen even in the computer and
communications industries. Future development of the information
highway is likely to produce mass unemployment.

Software as Career Threat

Using computer software, paraprofessionals and laypersons can now do

work formerly done by professionals (such as lawyers, accountants, and
doctors) who possess specialized education and training. In the future,
computers will eliminate the need for many of these professionals.

Computers Do Not Create Unemployment

Some analysts incorrectly believe that growing inequalities in income are

due to differences in workers’ education, computer skills, and access to
information. However, the growing income gap is the result of economic
forces that have reduced the profit margins of companies and forced them
to lay off their least productive workers.

Computer Technology Reduces Worker Productivity

Rapid innovations in computer and information technology, which are

meant to save time and increase workers’ productivity, actually cost time
and productivity as workers learn to use the new tools. Other innovations
may save labor costs for companies, but they create problems for consumers.

Chapter 2:
How Will Computer Technology Affect
the Right to Privacy?

Computer Technology Violates People’s Right to Privacy

The amount of personal data collected by and stored on computers, and

the ease with which it can be accessed, worries many observers. The in-
vasion of privacy by marketers who collect personal data worries most
average people. However, experts also warn about economic crimes being
committed with computers and the possibility that confidential or erro-
neous information on computer databases will be made public.

Computer Technology Can Reveal People’s Personal Information

Electronic communications, from cordless telephones to e-mail on com-

puters, are easier to monitor and tap than people realize. As more per-
sonal information is communicated through and stored on computers,
people should be concerned about who has access to their personal data
and how it might be used.

Computer Technology Will Eliminate Privacy

The development of computer and surveillance technology means that the

loss of privacy is inevitable. However, if the benefits of such technology
are distributed democratically, then gains in the accountability of citizens
to each other will make up for this loss of privacy.

Computer Crimes Will Increasingly Invade People’s Privacy

The continuing development of computer technology and the Internet will

increase opportunities for criminal activity. Crimes such as defrauding com-
munications companies, sabotaging government data banks, stealing confi-
dential business information, stalking, terrorism, and virtual fraud are likely
to increase as reliance on computers becomes more prevalent in society.

Strong Encryption Is Needed to Protect Privacy

The U.S. government opposes the export of strong encryption technology
because it would hamper the ability of law enforcement agents to conduct
necessary wiretaps. Without strong encryption, however, U.S. businesses
and citizens will be at the mercy of criminal hackers. The need to protect
confidential business information and personal data outweighs the con-
cerns of the government.

Computer Technology Will Not Necessarily Jeopardize Privacy

The fear that computers will enable marketers to gather private data about
consumers is exaggerated, mainly because consumers already voluntarily
divulge personal information by means other than computers. The track-
ing programs used by marketers could actually provide convenience to
consumers by filtering out unwanted solicitations. Further, privacy-
minded consumers can use computer technologies to counteract tracking
programs.

Chapter 3:

Should Computer Content Be Censored?

Censorship of Computer Content: An Overview

As computer networks have grown in size and popularity, parents, legis-

lators, and civil rights and civil liberties advocates have voiced concerns
about pornography, sexual harassment, and censorship on the Internet.
What types of speech are protected by the First Amendment, whose com-
munity standards will be used to define obscenity, who is responsible for
regulating offensive speech on the networks, and how children can be
protected from harmful material are some of the questions that fuel the
debates.

Computer Content Should Be Censored

The pornography on the Internet defended by free speech advocates is in

fact barbaric and criminal material that is not protected under the First
Amendment. Safeguarding children from the harm that this material
causes should be a higher priority than protecting pornography as free
speech.

Internet Access Providers Should Censor Content

Charged with violating German laws against computer pornography, in

January 1996 CompuServe stopped providing all of its customers (includ-
ing those in the United States) Internet access to newsgroups dealing with
sexual content. Though First Amendment advocates decry this action as
undue regulation of free speech, CompuServe has no legal obligation to
provide access to pornographic material. Further, the obscene material on
many of the newsgroups is not protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Hate Speech on the Internet Should Be Challenged

Hate groups in the United States have made effective use of the Internet
to spread messages of racism, violence, and terrorism worldwide. Though
these messages violate the laws of other countries, many on-line participants mistakenly
believe that this speech is protected by the First Amend-
ment to the U.S. Constitution. Hate speech on the Internet can and should
be limited in the same way that it is now limited by publishers and broad-
casters in the United States.

Computer Content Should Not Be Censored

The government’s attempt to control pornographic content on computer

networks is comparable to censorship of books and will inevitably lead to
further suppression of free speech. The function of the First Amendment
is to prevent government from controlling speech and to allow U.S. citi-
zens to decide for themselves what to read and see.

Internet Access Providers Should Not Censor Content

In January 1996, in response to charges that computer pornography vio-

lates German law, CompuServe stopped providing all of its customers
(internationally and within the United States) access to Internet news-
groups containing sexual material. If governments such as Germany’s are
allowed to control pornographic computer content, then they may try to
control other information as well. Fortunately, the Internet provides many
avenues to circumvent access provider and government censorship of
computer content.

Hate Speech on the Internet Should Not Be Censored

In the wake of the April 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in
Oklahoma City, some congressional representatives put forward propos-
als to restrict hate speech and violent rhetoric on the Internet. However, a
more effective and appropriate response to hate rhetoric would be speech
that promotes tolerance and justice. Since government attempts to regu-
late one form of speech will inevitably lead to regulation of other forms
of speech, lawmakers should be wary of any attempts at censorship.

Chapter 4:

Should Universal Access to Computer

Technology Be Guaranteed?

Computer Haves and Have-Nots: An Overview

Many observers contend that there is a growing social gap between those
who own computers and have access to the Internet and those who cannot
afford either. Some congressional and interest group leaders support leg-
islation to publicly subsidize universal access to the information highway.
Others oppose universal access plans, arguing that government regulation
will stifle the innovation and competition that will eventually provide af-
fordable access to all.

Universal Access to E-Mail Should Be Guaranteed

E-mail would benefit everyone, but access to this service is available

almost exclusively to the affluent and educated. Just as previous
government-led efforts to provide universal telephone and postal
service brought benefits to the communications industry, a new plan
to provide universal access to e-mail would produce benefits to citizens
and to computer companies.

Minority Communities Should Be Guaranteed Access to the Internet

Access to the Internet is available mainly to those who can afford it,
while low-income households and people of color have been left behind.
Although a few small, private projects have sought to expand the number
of minorities on-line, a broader effort is necessary to make computers
and training available to the public and to guarantee Internet access to
everyone.

Subsidies for Universal Access Should Not Be Expanded

Many commentators wish to increase subsidies for telecommunications

companies in order to guarantee universal access to information services.
A better course of action would be to deregulate the communications in-
dustry and end subsidies. This would result in increased competition and
innovation among communication service providers as well as lower
costs and increased access for customers.

Minority Communities Are Not Being Denied Access to the Internet

Many advocacy groups mistakenly argue that minority communities are

being “redlined” from access to the information highway. The truth is that
because most new information services provide entertainment, communi-
cations companies will find it profitable to wire poor communities, which
subscribe heavily to these services.

Chapter 5:

Will Computers Transform Education?

Computers and Education: An Overview

Many politicians and educators seek to equip classrooms with computers

that are connected to the Internet. But critics question whether informa-
tion technology will provide any educational benefit to children. While
critics maintain that computers cannot teach students to think critically,
computer advocates argue that computers are the only tools that can teach
children the skills they will need in the future.
Yes: Computers Will Transform Education

Computer Education Is Vital for Students of the Future

Today’s students must be taught to use computers and information tech-

nologies to prepare them for the workplaces of the future. To meet this
goal and to keep educational standards high, it is necessary to invest in
and continually update computer technology for every school in the
United States—particularly those in low-income areas.

Computers Are a Necessary Resource for Schools

The workplace and the home are being rapidly transformed with the de-
velopment of computer and information technologies. Every classroom in
the United States needs a computer and a connection to an information
network so that students can learn the necessary basic computer skills.

Computers Will Not Transform Education

Just like technological innovations of the past—such as the telephone, the

television, and the videocassette recorder—the computer will not transform America’s
schools. Computers cannot solve the problems of large
class sizes, decreasing teacher quality, and inappropriate curricula.

Computers Cannot Replace Good Teachers

The most important ingredient of education is interaction between good

teachers and motivated students. Because they come between teachers
and students, computers hamper education. Computers cannot teach students analytical
thinking, creative writing, and social interaction with others the way good teachers can.

Computers Cannot Teach Children Basic Skills

Computers that do math for users, check spelling, and present content in
multimedia and hypertext formats undermine the basic math, spelling,
and reading skills of students. Although computers are effective at teaching some topics,
such as science, art, and music, they should not be the
primary educational tool in America’s classrooms