Category: Information ethics

The year is 2025. Big Tech companies and numerous startups have created apps that use facial
recognition and analysis to track users’ “well-being.” Such apps are now standardly included on
smartphones (e.g., Apple Health), and evidence shows that roughly 50% of all smartphone users use these
apps. The most popular is an app called “Thalia” 
Either on your own or with a partner, write a fictional newspaper op-ed (600-800 words) about Thalia.
The op-ed should begin with the line: “It’s on your phone, it’s in the news. Thalia, an app that uses facial
recognition and analysis to monitor users’ mental health, has taken the world by storm. But what does it
mean for us and our society when AI tells us how happy we are?” 
Writing for a general audience of readers, discuss the fictional app “Thalia,” arguing its sociotechnical
benefits and detriments. Your opinion piece must take a clear stance: if you and your partner agree that
Thalia is beneficial in some ways and detrimental in others, you can (of course) say this, but you should
make a choice about which benefits/detriments outweigh the others. Such a choice should reflect whether
Thalia is more utopian or dystopian. 
Please cite and discuss the following four articles in your response to this assignment: 
• Stark, L. (2019). Facial recognition is the plutonium of AI (Week 3 Reading) 
• Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: Surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information
civilization. (Week 4 Reading) 
• Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. (Week 4 reading) 
• Seberger & Patil (2021). Post-COVID public health surveillance and privacy expectations in the
United States (Week 6 Reading) 
Format: 
• Standard formatting requirements apply (See syllabus) 
• Submissions should include a headline, a by-line (i.e., both authors names), and use language that
is accessible to general readers (i.e., non-specialists) 
• References to each of the four required articles (bulleted above) should be in APA format 
• Submissions should be between 600 and 800 words (not including references and bibliography) 
Grading Rubric: 
• Formatting: 6pts (1pt per formatting requirement: headline, byline, accessible language,
references to each of the four required articles, APA reference format, word count) 
• Clear position about Thalia: 3pts (e.g., sociotechnically beneficial / utopian; sociotechnically
detrimental / dystopian; both, but one outweighs the other) 
• Demonstrate understanding and use of the four bullet-pointed articles above: 16pts
o (4pts per discussion of each article)

For this discussion, you are asked to consider whether ethical behavior can be assured using the Personnel Security (PS) family of controls (as specified in NIST SP 800-53). Or is a Code of Ethics a better tool for promoting ethical behavior with respect to the use of information and information systems within a specific organization?
Write your response in the form of an opening statement for a debate. Pick one of the two positions below and construct a 3 to 5 paragraph argument for your position. Your argument will be strengthened by the use of authoritative sources and examples — this means you need to cite your sources and provide a list of references at the end of your posting.
Position #1 — a Code of Ethics is the stronger method for ensuring ethical behavior.
Position #2 — Implementation of Personnel Security Controls is the stronger method for ensuring employees act ethically.
Remember to submit your discussion response to the Turn It In for Discussions assignment folder. See the forum instructions for more information.
For your critiques, focus on providing suggestions for strengthening the original poster’s debate statement. Include at least three examples and/or content suggestions supported by your own readings (include citations and references for authoritative sources). For full credit, a total of two critiques and two additional responses or follow-up postings are required in addition to your main posting.
This are the readings and i sent the file for the first one since it might not open, let me know if you do not have access to the other readings.
Week 1 Readings:
Chapters 1 & 2 in the (ISC2) SSCP Systems Security Certified Practitioner Official Study Guide, 3rd Ed. Available from the UMGC online library (UMGC student login required). https://go.oreilly.com/umgc/https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/isc-2-sscp-systems/9781119854982/
Executive Summary and Chapter 2 in NIST SP 800-53 rev 5. Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-53r5.pdf
Review Section 3.14 Personnel Security in NIST SP 800-53 rev 5.
Review (ISC)2 Code of Ethics https://www.isc2.org/Ethics

Please research and respond to the work of SF based AfroBrazilian samba group “FOGO NA ROUPA” and specifically the bio, participation, and intentions of founder Carlos Aceituno. You can look through El Tecolote Archives for any stories about him and FOGO. 
Material: Guillermo Gomez Peña, Amalia Ortiz, Mayda del Valle, Pedro Pietri
Descriptive Section: What is the community / neighborhood where the performance took place? What is the physical description of the site? The atmosphere? Can you tell the make-up of the intended audience or community that the performance connects with? 
Analytical Section: What is the performer(s)’s skill level? Were you able to identify any narratives or discourse relating to themes? In your opinion, how successful was the performance in conveying its points to the community? Does the community (or others) respond in any way? How? Can you identify any central challenges and/or obstacles that the performer had to face? Can you identify key components and positive elements? 
Critical Section: You must engage other course material: What aspects of the course work, discussions, and readings, including foundational readings and plays, can you relate to these performances? 
Personal Connection Section: What is your personal relationship to the work these cultural venues do? What do you have in common with the work they do? What is new to you? What perceptions did you have going into the community service work? How were those perceptions changed, or not? What have you learned that you didn’t know before or expect?

Research projects can focus on any topic related to themes or issues related to environmental ethics, including sustainable business, environmental health, animal rights, wilderness preservation, fracking, bottled water, global warming, vegetarianism, mass extinction, environmental justice, the Anthropocene, ecofeminism, zoos, fast fashion, and more. Your paper must analyze your chosen topic, and you must use references to support your analysis. 
When writing your paper, keep in mind these guidelines: 
Content: Make sure you compose clear and comprehensible statements. Make sure that there is an overarching theme, position, or argument that your paper is expressing. You must include some class readings as well as materials from outside of class (e.g., books, articles). Websites are acceptable references, but your bibliography should not be composed of mostly or entirely websites. Whether using few sources or many, you should express a thorough and critical engagement with your research materials. This is not an opinion paper, although you are allowed to refer to your perspective (and allowed to say “I” and “me”). 
Relevance: Papers must explicitly address themes or topics relevant to class. Make sure to address some environmental issue(s) from the perspective of ethics. Do not focus only on scientific information regarding your topic.