Possible Topics for Major Papers in CSC 299:
Social Implications of Computing
Spring 2018
The following is not exhaustive by any means; it’s mean to illustrate the
breadth of possible subjects, and to get you thinking about what you might
find interesting. Please feel free to consult with me regarding these or
other possibilities.
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music sharing, the RIAA, the DMCA, SOPA & PIPA, ACTA, OPEN, etc.
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ethical issues
practical/technological issues
legal status
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cyber-terrorism
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crashing the electric grid, or nuclear reactors, or...
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cyber warfare
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software patents
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pro/con, alternatives
implications of the the Leahy-Smith American Invents Act of 2011
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environmental impacts, sustainability
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data center power consumption, manufacturing processes, use of
recyclable materials, etc.
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computing to address social problems
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climate or economic modeling, planning of various kinds
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the impact of telecommuting
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changes in business structure, living patterns, social interaction,
separation of work and leisure life
positive impacts on the environment, reduction in commute time, ...
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on-line hate speech
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is it different from “ordinary” hate speech?
does technology encourage incivility? make it more dangerous?
how do we separate free speech from assault/defamation?
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video surveilance
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technological trends
legal status
likely impacts on social behavior
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photo-realistic CGI
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impacts for the film industry, legal rules of evidence, ...
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digital forensics
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how do we tell the real from the fake?
how does technology aid/inhibit law enforcement?
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cryptography
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what it can and cannot do
legal status
long-term technological prospects
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steganography—hiding information “in plain sight”
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relationships to cryptography, digital forensics
legal status
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assistive technology
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for the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, amputees, people with
cognitive deficits, ...
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the Google book project and related topics
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the Apple/FBI iPhone controversy
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the REAL ID act; national ID cards in general
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RFID
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uses, abuses, legal status
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computerized war-fighting
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how does remote combat change the behavior of policy makers?
of individual soldiers?
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what are the prospects for hacking as a weapon of war?
what (if anything) should we do about it?
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on-line communities
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uniting people with similar interests
discouraging in-person interaction?
future trends
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the open source and/or free software movements
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history, prospects, relationships to distributed collaboration,
software patents, etc.
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micropayments, digital cash, etc.
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technological options
possible impacts on e-commerce
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identify theft
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risks, protective measures, future prospects
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spam
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history, filtering technology, other proposals to curb
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phishing and other forms of Internet fraud
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variety of scams; social, legal, and technological countermeasures
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digital archives
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access, longevity, ...
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outsourcing, off-shoring, etc.
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extent to which the Internet facilitates these
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the “digital divide”, both domestic and world-wide
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computer viruses, worms, DOS attacks, etc.
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threats; social, legal, and technological countermeasures
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telemarketing
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history, trends, free speech implications
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virtual reality, immersive interfaces, etc.
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technology codes of ethics
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extent to which developers bear responsibility for the uses of their work
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the air traffic control system
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history, challenges, failed attemtps to upgrade, future prospects
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uses of GPS and related technologies
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autonomous vehicles and other AI applications
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the prospects for “true” AI
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to what extent can/will machines replace people?
will machines have rights?
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e-porn
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attempts to regulate/segregate
free speech implications
protecting children
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“digital democracy”
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social media and the Arab Spring
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automated stock trading
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role in various market emergencies
potential threats to/protections for global economic stability
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digital rights/restrictions management
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technological measures & countermeasures
legal status
potential differential impacts on consumers and pirates
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appropriate technology for the developing world
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“one laptop / one child”
communication for remote villages
desalination, electric grid, telemedicine, ...
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face recognition, biometric identification, etc.
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does anonymity have a future?
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medical technology
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(endless possibilities here...)
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net neutrality
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government surveillance and censorship, both domestic and foreign
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for a disturbing historical angle, check out Edwin Black’s IBM
and the Holocaust (Crown Books, 2001)
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on-line tracking
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cookies, HTML 5, JavaScript, re-identification, ...
