A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet - Softcover

Baase, Sara

3.46

285 ratings by Goodreads

9780130082152: A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130082155 ISBN 13: 9780130082152

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2002

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This book explores social, legal, philosophical, ethical, political, constitutional and economic implications of computing from a computer scientist's point of view. It covers the issues individuals face as members of a technological society and offers guidance for professionals in computer-related fields. One of the book's goals is to develop computer professionals who understand the implications of what they create and how it fits into society at large. Chapter topics cover privacy and personal information, encryption and interception of communications, freedom of speech in cyberspace, intellectual property, computer crime, computers and work, broader issues on the impact and control of computers, and professional ethics and responsibilities. For programmers and software engineers.

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Review:

This book is a comprehensive look at various issues which are at the forefront of the information revolution: computers and privacy, censorship on the net, protection of intellectual property, encryption policy, computer crime, and the risks associated with unexpected computer failures. Sara Baase does a good job of balancing these controversies with various points of view, and offering perspective and solutions. Although this book is meant for academic use, it's extremely accessible.

From the Publisher:

This text explores social, legal, philosophical, ethical, political, constitutional and economic implications of computing from a computer scientist's point of view. It covers the issues students will face both as members of a technological society and as professionals in computer-related fields. One of its goals is to develop computer professionals who understand the implications of what they create and how it fits into society at large. Another goal is to bring these issues to the attention of students outside of computer science.

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