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- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!usc!rpi!bu.edu!dartvax!kip-sn-49.dartmouth.edu!user
- From: carl.pedersen@dartmouth.edu (L. Carl Pedersen)
- Newsgroups: comp.databases
- Subject: Re: Databases & Ethics
- Message-ID: <carl.pedersen-110992123210@kip-sn-49.dartmouth.edu>
- Date: 11 Sep 92 16:50:57 GMT
- References: <1608@eagle.ukc.ac.uk>
- Sender: news@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (The News Manager)
- Followup-To: comp.databases,comp.databases.ingres
- Organization: Dartmouth College
- Lines: 48
-
- In article <1608@eagle.ukc.ac.uk>, dl1@ukc.ac.uk (Duncan Langford) wrote:
- >
- > I recently posted a request for some input on an ethics option
- > a colleague and I are putting together - the target group
- > are third year computer science students. I posted here,
- > because we're under the 'umbrella' of a final year database
- > course, and it seemed to us that input on ethical issues
- > would be especially valuable from this group.
- >
- > The response was very interesting. Several people asked for
- > copies of replies, or indicated that they're
- > keen to help (and have; thanks!) but others expressed
- > surprise at any database/ethics connection - 'there's no
- > relevance to databases' being a typical response.
- >
- > There have been no postings here - all replies have been
- > by email - which normally means people don't think the
- > subject is of general interest?
- >
- > I feel this is a pretty important issue, and one having
- > strong links to database issues, as well; but do people
- > generally believe it's irrelevant? If so, this in itself
- > is - to me - rather worrying.
- >
- > Comments, anyone?
- >
- > - duncan
-
- I assume the issues that concern you are abuse of information and invasion
- of privacy (which might be the same thing).
-
- These are legitimate issues, worthy of public discussion, and they
- certainly worry me.
-
- Unfortunately, the news is organized as a hierarchy, instead of a set of
- relations. So, it isn't immediately obvious where a discussion of ethics
- relating to databases belongs. However, I don't think a discussion like
- this belongs in this group. The group comp.society.privacy is one that
- might be appropriate. There may be others.
-
- I think database technology is a bit different from, say, nuclear
- technology. Some might argue that nuclear technology is so fraught with
- dangers and political problems that social/ethical issues cannot be
- separated from technical issues. (I'm not saying I agree or disagree with
- this. I'm just suggesting that some people might say this.) I don't
- *think* anybody would argue that discussions of say, normalization, or
- differences between database systems cannot be separated from discussions
- of ethics, societal impact, etc.
-