Pros and Cons of Digital Technologies

As described in the reading, digital technology has a substantial impact on privacy. In class, you will research the benefits and drawbacks of a digital technology.

Preparation

Read Chapter 2: “Naked in the Sunlight: Privacy Lost, Privacy Abandoned” from Blown to Bits.

In Class

You should complete this activity individually.

Research the pros and cons of a digital technology of your choice. You should choose a digital technology that has an impact on society (i.e., don’t research “the safety of winter tires”). Also, choose a technology that wasn’t mentioned in the reading. For ideas, consider these sources:

• Ars Technica
• Technology-related articles from The New York Times
• MIT Technology Review
• The Verge

You should fill in the template shown below, describing benefits and drawbacks of the technology. Describe at least one social impact of the technology (e.g., privacy concerns, negative effects on certain people, etc.). Reflect on how to maximize the technology’s benefits, while minimizing its drawbacks.

Template

• Name of the technology
• Links to articles describing the technology
  • Ideally, these articles should give an overview of the technology, and illustrate some of the technology’s benefits and drawbacks
  • Read these articles carefully, so you are prepared to discuss them!
  • In class, read at least two articles. Your homework submission should include at least four articles.
• List of benefits of the technology
• List of drawbacks of the technology
• List of ways to maximize the technology’s benefits, while minimizing its drawbacks

Example: Highway Transponder Systems

• Name of the technology: highway transponder systems (e.g., E-ZPass)
• Links to articles describing the technology:
  • ACLU: Newly Obtained Records Reveal Extensive Monitoring of E-ZPass Tags Throughout New York
  • NPR: Lawmaker Wants To Shield Your I-Pass Movements From Divorce Attorneys
• List of benefits of the technology:
  • Replacing tollboths saves drivers time.
  • Replacing tollbooths is also more environmentally friendly, since stopping then starting your car takes a lot of energy.
• List of drawbacks of the technology:
  • The transponder system keeps a record of where you drive. This has the potential to be used against you in unexpected ways (e.g., divorce proceedings).
  • Eliminating tollbooths also eliminates the jobs of the tollbooth workers. However, there are health hazards associated with working in a tollbooth, so it is debatable whether it’s good or bad to eliminate these jobs.
  • The upfront cost of buying a transponder may be prohibitive for low-income people. If higher tolls are sent to those without transponders, this has the effect of charging low-income people more.
• List of ways to maximize the technology’s benefits, while minimizing its drawbacks:
  • At minimum, there should be a well-defined process to manage access to transponder data. Society needs to be aware of this, and needs to decide what should be the limits on access to the data. For example, how long should the data be kept? Who should have access to the data? Obviously, you wouldn’t want the data to be public, or stalkers could use it.
  • For the workers displaced by the technology, some kind of compensation and/or retraining should be provided.
  • Transponders should be provided for free to low-income people.

Share Your Research

Before the last 20 minutes of class, write your name and the name of the technology you researched on the whiteboard.

Next, form a group of 4 or 5 students. Form groups so that everyone in your group studied a different technology. Go around your group, and have everyone share:

• The name of the technology you researched
• A brief description of the technology, focusing on its impact on society
• The titles and sources of the articles you read about the technology
• Your thoughts on the technology’s benefits, drawbacks, and ways to minimize the drawbacks
  • Finally, have others comment about what they see as the technology’s benefits, drawbacks, and ways to minimize the drawbacks

Submit

After class, perform additional research about this technology.

• Read at least two additional articles about the technology
  • In total, your submission should include links to at least four relevant articles
• Add to the benefits, drawbacks, and approaches to maximize benefits and minimize the drawbacks

Upload a PDF to Gradescope containing:

• Your name
• Your filled-in template for the technology you researched, expanded to include the research you conducted outside of class
• Thoughts on how this activity could be improved in the future

Learning Goals

Students will:

• Gain awareness of digital technology’s impact on society
• Develop oral and written communication skills