As a general principle I think that intellectual property requires less protections than physical properties. As we discussed in class, stealing a physical object is very different from stealing an abstract concept or idea. In the former case, the theft leaves the victim without the object, while in the latter case, the victim retains their …
Author Archives: Connor Bach
Writing 08: AI
I think that most of the media coverage of artificial intelligence gives the wrong impression of the current capabilities of the technology. The ideas behind the current crop of AI systems have been around for decades. Recent advances in computing power have made the approaches viable, but in my view these systems are really just …
Censorship
Free speech is a crucial component of free and open societies. Democracy relies on strong free speech protections to encourage public discourse. In my view, one of the beautiful aspects of American life is its tendency to consistently face unpalatable ideas and reject them. When a hateful group holds a rally in a town and …
Writing 06: Corporate Conscience
In my opinion, corporations have moral obligations that they need to uphold. Individuals working in corporations are certainly bound by ethical duties and the actions that corporations take are a result of the collective actions of individuals. Therefore, corporations are bound by the same moral rules that govern individuals. In my opinion, three main factors …
Privacy and Security
The advent of the digital age has brought the debate about where to draw line between individual privacy and national security into clear focus. The nature of the problem is fairly simple. If you protect digital information with strong encryption it prevents bad actors from accessing that information. It has the drawback of preventing law …
Whistleblowing
Engineering disasters are largely failures of leadership. In some cases, they may be due to technical errors that no one could have foreseen but in general disasters are the result of a culture that discourages speaking out when problems arise. Usually, individuals feel that they have a duty to correct issues, or at the very …
Diversity and Inclusion
Communities are more effective when they are welcoming and inclusive. They are also more effective when they have a diversity of thought and experiences. Welcoming and inclusive environments encourage and foster diversity by bringing a wider range of people into the community. Diversity improves the effectiveness of organizations by enabling them to tackle problems with …
Employment
I think the hiring process for technology companies gets a lot of flack but I think it accomplishes the purpose it was designed for. Companies don’t mind missing out on qualified candidates as much as they want to avoid hiring candidates who would be a bad fit. They’d much rather minimize false positives while rejecting …
Writing 01
I tend to think of identity in two parts. The first is your identity relative to your own experience, your personal identity. This is a multi-faceted and complicated amalgamation of your various interests, ideas, and experience. It forms the basis for your view of yourself and also allows you to interpret and integrate new information …
Writing 00
For me, being an ethically responsible person is something I strive for. In my experience it manifests as a feeling of incompleteness if I don’t focus on it. Unlike other goals, like doing well in school and staying fit, attaining a level of ethical responsibility is less defined. It is hard for me to measure …
CS Ethics 