Human Factors Required for Building NLP Systems

The chapter illustrates the importance of human factors required for building natural language processing (NLP) systems. The authors will examine different NL interface style and processing and correlate them with human factors such as: domain, interface, text style and medium of communication. They verified our assumption by presenting a NLP system which was built as a proof-of- concept. However, because of semantics and the very nature of language, the authors discuss our concern with possible abuse by unscrupulous persons who would attempt to exploit NLP systems for reasons other than legitimate information exchange.

Designing Usable Security Feedback for Web-Filtering Systems

Currently, many powerful applications designed to combat social deviations are available, like the web-filtering systems, which measure the content of a website before submitting it to the user, notifying whether the content of the website presents (or not) information related to pornography, violence, racism, among others, and prompting the user to not accessing the site, or even blocking access to the website. Nevertheless, frequently the feedback of these systems is not well-designed, which may confuse users and lead to mistakes, disappointments, and misunderstandings. In order to reduce this concern, a method is provided to developers with guidance in designing usable security notifications to be incorporated in web-filtering systems. The method is structured through a library of user interface design patterns which integrates essential concepts of security and usability. The authors show the effectiveness of the patterns by using an illustrative example as a proof-of-concept together with a preliminary study.

The Case of “Illicit Appropriation” in the Use of Technology

In this chapter, the authors play the devil‘s advocate to those who favor strict government supervision over technology itself. The authors’ argument is that technology is a “neutral” mean to an end, and that the use of technology to detract social deviations is dependent on public policy and social behavior. To elaborate their argument they propose the concept of “illicit appropriation”, based on the Human Computer Interaction concept of appropriation. The authors argue that sometimes appropriation can be geared towards activities that can be considered as illicit, and in some cases criminal. They illustrate the use of illicit appropriation through a series of case studies of current events, in which they show that either a state or the individual can rely on illicit appropriation. The authors’ final conclusion is that the use of technology to combat social deviations is not a technological problem, but a public policy issue, where a delicate balance has to be found between the enforcement of the law by technological means (approved by legislation), the user experience, the civil liberties of the individual and the checks and balances to the power of the state. This chapter is written from the expertise of the authors on Human Computer Interaction and Security Studies.

Web-Based Multi-User Distributed and Collaborative Environment Supporting Emergency and Relief Activities

This chapter presents the conceptual development, design requirements and functional descriptions of a team based multi-user, web-based and global telecooperative system as a new multidisciplinary collaborative paradigm. This system uses as a foundation the distributed and collaborative intelligent environment (DCIE) developed by the author. Distance, time, and distribution are the main attributes of the telecooperative system and its applications. The developed system aims to carry out cooperative plans and processes over geographically distributed locations that lead to make well-informed decisions, better utilization of resources, enhance safety and reduce cost. In addition, this article foresees the role of Internet, information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support and enhance emergency management and relief activities in relation to natural and human made disasters, and human assistance activities. As an example of human made disasters, landmine disaster and humanitarian demining needs are introduced, and the core collaborative functional requirements are presented to support the integration of wide range of humanitarian demining activities, cooperation and coordination between all relevant parties at global, regional and local levels.

“Ethics” and “Social Responsibility” in Financial Crises as Parameters of the Financial Environment

The world financial crisis and the economic recession have introduced major ethical issues to our international banking institutions. Employees perform unethical acts primarily to maintain job security and to ensure a competitive advantage in the job market. Increased hacking has also caused damage to client confidence, resulting in a customer base decline and increased litigation. These problems are further complicated when bank steering committees decide to outsource IT and help desk departments to IBM1. The legal implications of bank hacking issues are included in the Computer Misuse Act, the Evidence Act, and different state and federal laws that define the contractual relationship between the bank and its clients. To ensure financial systems are secure, banks must vigorously apply policies and controls. Unscrupulous persons both from within and outside of investment banks seek to gain profit by employing, at best, very questionable practices. Banks must implement a business continuity plan to integrate previous records and financial statements, as well as back up transactions and provide proper receipts. This is a case study that can be used for students of Computer Security or Computer Science.

Using ICT to Foster Human Rights Defense Processes for Mexican Immigrants

Frequently, Mexicans who cannot find solutions for their financial problems migrate to the United States hoping to improve their quality of life. However, they usually face abuses, mostly because they are illegal aliens, but also because they arrive to a society which is not their own. These migrants are mainly excluded from American society not only because of their race and religion, but also because they do not speak English in most cases, do not have studies higher than primary school, and are not proficient in using information and communications technologies (ICT). With this panorama in mind, the Colimenses sin Fronteras Web Portal becomes a tool to support and help them overcome the adaptation process, which might help reduce the discrimination that many of them face upon arriving to the receiving country. It also provides migrants with information about the abuses they might suffer and how to file a legal complaint.

Humanitarian Demining Action Plan

The presence of landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) in a place represents a major threat to civlian and affects the rebuilding process and the life of the people at that place. Hence, one of the fundamental goals of humanitarian demining is to detect and clear all forms of danger from infected areas efficiently, reliably and as safely and as rapidly as possible while keeping cost minimized. Although demining has been given top priority, currently mine’s clearing operation is a dangerous, complex, time consuming, slow, labor-intensive, and costly operation. The currently available technologies are not suited to achieve the objectives of humanitarian demining. In the context of humanitarian demining it is essential to have a reliable and accurate sensor and/or an integration of heterogeneous/ homogeneous sensors with efficient and reliable data fusion and processing technique that can quickly discriminates mines from innocuous buried objects. In addition, it is necessary to overcome the constrain on the resources by developing innovative, cost effective and practical technology inspired by locality and real minefield needs to help in speeding up the demining process and enhance accuracy, productivity, operation and personnel safety, achieve higher quality of the service, and contribute to local economy.This chapter presents the facts and problems associated with landmines and their impact on health, economy, land and environment along with the difficulties in detecting and removing them. It highlights the main requirements for humanitarian demining action plan and list up solutions and priorities.Then, it presents the challenges facing technological development in different directions and concludes with the suitable actions to save human and environment from such complex problem facing humanity.

Multiagents System applied on a Cyberbullying Model for a Social Network

The contribution of this chapter is to present a novel approach to explain the performance of a novel Cyberbullying model applied on a Social Network using Multiagents to improve the understanding of this social behavior. This approach will be useful to answer diverse queries after gathering general information about abusive behavior. These mistreated people will be characterized by following each one of their tracks on the Web and simulated with agents to obtain information to make decisions to improve their life’s and reduce their vulnerability in different locations on a social network and to prevent its retort in others.

Examining Race Hate Crime with Students using a Cross Cultural International Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

This chapter explores the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to bring together students in criminology and social work from three universities across the globe (the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa; the University of Washington in the United States of America; and Glyndwr University in Wales, United Kingdom), to examine the issue of racism and hate crime. The chapter provides a detailed case study of an online learning environment constructed to facilitate a four week international student conference. The chapter draws strongly upon the student experience and voice, extracted from the anonymous completion of online questionnaires at the end of the conference. The student narrative is supplemented by the experiences of the three authors who facilitated and managed the online learning process. The chapter explores the educational opportunities and limitations in respect of: online learning generally; the cross cultural shared experience; and in terms of engaging students in investigating global social issues.

Improving the Quality of Life of Senior Citizens by Preventing and Reducing their Social Discrimination through Interactive Television and Ubiquitous Computing

The problem of providing appropriate and effective medical care to the elderly has gained importance in recent years because of the exponential growth of people older than 65 years. This research work proposes using interactive television embedded in a ubiquitous computing environment to help mitigate some of the effects of discrimination and provide health services to older adults living alone in their homes who require timely medical attention.