ICT521 IT Professional Practice
Assignment 2 Social Impact Assessment for ICT
Due: 9 am Monday Week 12
NOTE - This is an individual activity. This assignment addresses the learning objectives of Topics 4-6 in relation to technical writing, and Topics 3,7 in relation to content.
Introduction
In 1990 Ben Shneiderman proposed a model, based on the environmental impact statement, that would enable software designers to investigate the social impact of the systems they designed in time to incorporate changes in those systems as they are built. This model has developed into a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for ICT.
This is a report that includes:
1. an executive summary 2. a description of the system (physical, logical, procedural, and social) 3. an analysis of the ethical issues (stakeholders, principles, risks, etc.) 4. recommendations for actions, with analysis of the possible outcomes 5. a reader's guide to literature that will help the clients understand the issues in more depth 6. an appendix that describes the methods used to collect data and prepare the analysis.
What you must do1:
1. You will be assigned a scenario topic from the list in Appendix A. Please note that each scenario has three choices – you may choose any one (and only one) of the choices for your assignment. 2. Undertake an SIA for the scenario you have chosen. Appendix B provides you with an indication of what you should be answering, and links to the frameworks you should be using. Appendix B also provides you with an indication of the marking scheme. 3. Submit your report to LMS before the due date.
1 The idea for including an SIA in a class on social and ethical issues in computing comes from a desire to have students see ethical and social issues as real problems that they might have to face in their careers. This Assignment provides students with the skills of locating these issues and thinking carefully about them, and the luxury of having the time to do so. B. Shneiderman, Designing the User Interface, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1992
ICT521 IT Professional Practice
Assignment 2 Social Impact Assessment for ICT
Appendix A
Scenarios for Ass 2
Notes:
a) Choose one of the sub-topics from your assigned topic 1-6 b) The questions posed in the topic descriptions are only suggestions to stimulate thought and would not be adequate by themselves for a complete SIA.
1. Artificial Intelligence Medical diagnosis AI is now telling the doctor how to treat you. Using the same kind of artificial intelligence that underpins some of the web’s largest sites, it instantly mines this data and spits out recommendations. Is this what you want diagnosing you?
Personal assistant Meet the AI that wants to read your mind and run your life. What happens when your AI assistant is 10,000 times more powerful than Siri?
System control Is it comforting to know that the machines you depend on are controlled by a class of techniques that use various artificial intelligence computing approaches like neural networks, Bayesian probability, fuzzy logic, machine learning, evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms?
2. Software Digital currency The Bitcoin site was the world's most visited digital currency website in 2013, with over 118 million page views and over 3 million unique visitors. But the news is full of missing, stolen and criminal use of Bitcoin. What’s the story?
Machine translation of Natural Language (MT) On a basic level, MT performs simple substitution of words in one language for words in another, but that alone usually cannot produce a good translation. Would you depend on MT for gaining medical treatment in a foreign country?
Surveillance, facial recognition A facial recognition system is a computer application capable of identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. Are we ever alone?
3. Hardware Nanotechnology Nanotechnology would make it possible to build complex structures at atomic precision. Once achieved, it could produce highly advanced products at low costs and in large quantities. When nanofactories gain the ability to produce other nanofactories, production may only be limited by resources. Is there a risk of runaway disasters?
Military Robots Some believe the future of modern warfare will be fought by automated weapons systems. The U.S. Military is investing heavily in research and development towards testing and deploying increasingly automated systems including tanks and fighter aircraft. What’s next – the robots from the Terminator movies?
Immersive VR Immersive multimedia or computer-simulated reality is a computer technology that replicates an environment, real or imagined, and simulates a user's physical presence and environment in a way that allows the user to interact with it. Already having a meal with friends has become a group of people sitting around a table checking their phones. What’s next – the virtual dinner party? The Japanese ‘locked in’ syndrome for everyone?
4. Body Powered exoskeleton A powered exoskeleton (also known as powered armor, exoframe, hardsuit or exosuit) is a wearable mobile machine that is powered by a system of motors, pneumatics, levers or hydraulics that allow for limb movement, increased strength and endurance. The next Olympics?
Human Body Implants A human microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit device or RFID transponder implanted in the body. It typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in a database such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. How soon before your government wants one in every one?
Brain-computer interface A brain–computer interface (BCI) is a direct communication pathway between an enhanced or wired brain and an external device. BCIs are often directed at researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions but could be used for many other, not necessarily ethical, purposes.
5. Chips Artificial Brain (neural chips) Neural chips that mimic brain neural connections, also called neural networks and Deep Learning, are applied to brain models of learning and memory. There are projects to reverse engineer a brain by mapping all of the neural connections and duplicating them with chips. Who will you be talking to?
Lab-on-a-chip A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single chip of only millimeters to a few square centimeters to achieve automation and highthroughput screening. A LOC can quickly screen for all of the drugs a person is taking or identify a particular DNA profile (animal, vegetable or human). What purposes, good and bad, could this technology be put to?
Quantum Computing Quantum computers are different from digital electronic computers based on transistors. Whereas digital computers require data to be encoded into binary digits (bits), each of which is always in one of two definite states (0 or 1), quantum computation uses quantum bits (qubits), which can be in both 0 or 1 states. Quantum computers will be particularly good at breaking cryptographic codes. Is this the end of privacy?
6. Transportation Autonomous vehicles Autonomous vehicles detect surroundings using radar, lidar, GPS, Odometry, and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles. If an autonomous vehicle is the cause of an accident, who is liable?
Vehicular inter-communication systems Vehicular communication systems are networks in which vehicles and roadside control units are the communicating nodes, providing each other with information, such as safety warnings and traffic information. They can be effective in avoiding accidents and traffic congestion. What happens if they get hacked?
Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (Drones) delivery systems UAVs can transport medicines and vaccines, and retrieve medical samples, into and out of remote or otherwise inaccessible regions. "Ambulance drones" rapidly deliver defibrillators in the crucial few minutes after heart attacks. They can also be used to deliver pizza and KFC. Will ‘drone hunting’ become a new sport?
ICT521 IT Professional Practice
Assignment 2 Social Impact Assessment for ICT
Appendix B
Components of an SIA
The following are the required sections for the SIA:
Students are encouraged to focus on the client as the report's audience, and to produce a report they feel will be helpful to the client.
A. Executive Summary
Write an executive summary for your SIA, based on guidelines you have discussed in this unit. This goes at the front of your report.
The executive summary is a page or two summary of the report. It should include a description of the report and of the system, a discussion of the significant issues discovered, and a list of the top recommendations highlighted on the page. Each of these should be keyed to page numbers in the longer report. The idea is to provide a summary that an executive can read in 5 to 10 minutes to get the basic information about the report. Summarizing information in this way is in itself a useful skill for computer science students to learn.
[maximum ½ page] (10 marks)
B. Describe the project or system.
Your discussion should include the physical, logical procedural and social elements of the system [not all may exist]:
o The physical structure includes the machines and other hardware involved, the networks, and the physical facilities in which the system is housed (e.g. the offices)
o The logical structure includes the data structures and software structures involved in the system
o The procedural elements of the system include the ways in which data are gathered, collated, stored, backed up, and reported. They also include procedures for maintenance etc. of the system, and any other relevant organisational procedures (e.g. those related to privacy protection or safety).
o Social aspects include identifying and a describing stakeholders and their relationships to each other. [maximum 3 pages] (15 marks)
C. Analyse the Ethical Issues
This section includes a discussion of those concrete aspects of the system that lead to specific concerns. These many include any single aspect of the system or interactions between aspects of the system (e.g. procedures that assume technical maintenance even though personnel are not trained). Patterns of use, patterns of oversight or error checking, specific hardware or software concerns, or specific organizational procedures are all candidates for inclusion in this section. The analysis of these specific concerns should highlight the specific risks associated with them, the probability of those risks occurring, and the likely harm or ethical concerns associated with those risks. Finally, the concrete advantages of resolving the specific concerns should be described.
Applying the framework provided in App C describe the obligations and rights for each of the parties in the system. To answer this you are required to: o outline the duties and rights each stakeholder group has toward the others. Use the list of ethical issues presented in the framework as a guide to outlining these:
o Duties always have targets; one has duties to a particular person (even to oneself) o Rights may appear to be free floating (e.g. not to be harmed) but they can often be translated into duties that others have toward the individual (avoid harming X).
Applying the framework provided in App D identify the risks and opportunities relevant to this project. Discuss the issues you have identified [maximum 4 pages NOT including completed frameworks] (30 marks)
D. Recommendations
This section should contain a set of recommendations that address each specific concern mentioned in the previous section. There should be at least two action options for each specific concern, and those options should be evaluated in terms of the client's goals and the ethical or social concerns involved. In most cases the client's goals will be multiple. For example, maintaining accurate records, guarding privacy, and minimizing cost. The effect of each option on this suite of goals should be noted. The options recommended should be carefully constructed to avoid simple black-and-white choices (e.g. safeguard privacy vs disregard privacy) and to emphasize the best available options for dealing with the issue. Technical fixes (e.g. use a different backup method) should be included as options, but should not be the only options listed. For instance, procedural changes or personnel training could also be recommended.
What recommendations would you make that address each specific concern you have raised? There should be at least two action options for each specific concern, and the effect of each option should be noted. [maximum 2 pages] (10 marks)
E. Readers Guide
Write a paragraph pointing to further information on your scenario – there should be at least 3 references for the reader of your report to pursue. [maximum 1 page] (10 marks)
F. Methodology
This is an Appendix to your report and describes the rationale for the particular methods chosen to investigate the project/system. It should include a bibliography of what literature was read and which web sites were investigated as well as any other investigations you undertook. [maximum 2 pages] (10 marks)
In addition to the marks assigned to sections of the SIA Report:
You will be marked for professional formatting, spelling and grammar
(10 marks)
You will be evaluated on the relevance and formatting of your references.
(5 marks)
ICT521 IT Professional Practice
Assignment 2 Social Impact Assessment for ICT
Appendix C
Ethical Matrix
(Mark the applicable cells with an ‘X’ and comment on the risk in the text)
Framework for Social Opportunity and Impact Risk Assessment (Huff and Martin 1995)
Topics of Ethical Analysis
Responsibility Ethical Issues
Individual
Professional
Quality of Life
Use of Power
Risks & Reliability
Property Rights
Privacy
Equity & Access
Honesty & Deception
Levels of Social Analysis
Individuals Communities & Groups Organisation s Cultures Institutional Sectors Nations Global Social opportunity and impact risk assessment (Huff & Martin, 1995) Appendix C
Appendix D
Social opportunity and risk categorisation
HIGH
Likelihood of Occurring
LOW
LOW Opportunity / Impact / Consequence HIGH Incidental Minor Significant Major Severe Local, small-scale, easily reversible change on social characteristics or values of the communities of interest or communities can easily adapt or cope with change.
Local small-scale opportunities emanating from the project that the community can readily pursue and capitalise on
Short-term recoverable changes to social characteristics and values of the communities of interest or community has substantial capacity to adapt and cope with change. Short-term opportunities emanating from the project.
Medium-term recoverable changes to social characteristics and values of the communities of interest or community has some capacity to adapt and cope with change. Medium-term opportunities emanating from the project.
Long-term recoverable changes to social characteristics and values of the communities of interest or community has limited capacity to adapt and cope with change. Long-term opportunities emanating from the project
Irreversible changes to social characteristics and values of the communities of interest or community has no capacity to adapt and cope with change.
Legend: Low Social Impact or Opportunity Medium Social Impact or Opportunity High Social Impact or Opportunity