Privacy Perspective from Utilitarianism and Metaphysical Theories

The Internet is a hot issue nowadays because of its important role at different levels. The topic of privacy is a debatable issue: we read in the research field scholars for and against applying this concept in real life and how to deal with it. Most researchers mainly focus on this subject from a social studies perspective. This chapter takes a new approach and discusses this issue from a philosophical perspective where we use two ethical theories (Mill & Kant) to raise the important relevant points regarding this subject.

Reputation, Reputation System and Reputation Distribution - An Exploratory Study in Online Consumer-to-Consumer Auctions

Reputation is an important organization asset, particularly in the era of e-commerce. In an online consumer-to-consumer (C2C) auction market, a trader’s reputation sends an important signal to his/her trading partners in their decision-making on C2C transactions, due to the nature of the anonymous transaction process. While prior research has shown that reputation systems, such as eBay’s Feedback Forum, facilitated buyer-seller transactions, several fundamental issues with the transaction mechanism remained unclear. Based on the empirical reputation data directly collected from eBay.com, we find that the distribution of reputation scores can be approximated in a geometric function. We analyze the formation of the distribution with a stochastic process model. The computer simulation using the Monte Carlo approach further validates the findings of the empirical study.

User Types and Filter Effectiveness

As the amount of content on the Web grows almost exponentially, one of the new growth industries is that of filtering products. The effectiveness of Web-filtering software depends on a number of factors including the architecture of the software itself, and the sophistication of the users operating within its application domain. The main use of filtering software is to “block” access to controversial content such as pornography. This paper reports an investigation of the effectiveness of a filter called squidGuard in the real-world environment of an Australian University. The product is used to “block” pornographic material. This investigation simulates three classes of web users in trying to access pornography. While squidGuard did have limited success in blocking such material from novice users, the blocking rate dropped dramatically for the more experienced users using access lists. In all cases, however, access to supposedly filtered material was gained in seconds. Under such testing, the effectiveness of squidGuard as a specific-content filter for “pornographic” material can only be seen as superficial approach at best. The use of anonymous proxy servers was found to be an easy means to by-pass the filter.

Biometrics

This chapter discusses the current state of the art of biometric systems. The use of biometrics is an important new part of the design of secure computer systems. However, many users view such systems with deep suspicion and many designers do not carefully consider the characteristics of biometrics in their system designs. This chapter aims to review the current state of the art in biometrics, to conduct detailed study of the available technologies and systems and to examine end-user perceptions of such systems. A framework is discussed that aims to establish guidelines for the design of interactive systems that include biometrics.

Network Security Software

This chapter is a topical overview of network security software and related skills needed by network users, IT professionals, and network security specialists. Covered topics are protection against viruses and other malicious programs, firewall software, cryptographic software standards like IPSec and TLS/SSL, cryptographic network applications like Virtual Private Networks, secure Web, secure email, Secure Electronic Transaction, Secure Shell, secure network management, secure DNS and smartcard applications, as well as security administration software like intrusion detectors, port scanners, password crackers and management of network security software management. Tools and API’s for security software development are presented. A four-level network security software skill taxonomy is proposed and implications of this taxonomy on network security education is outlined. University and polytechnic level network security education is surveyed and the need for inclusion of network security software development skills in such education is pointed out.

The Social Contract Revised

This chapter introduces the social contract as a basis for personal and corporate responsibility and obligation. I briefly discuss three perspectives on the nature of the social contract: the Hobbesean, the Lockean, and the Rousseauean. I discuss the idea that information technology and the information society are in the process of revising the social contract. It sees the Internet as a key transformer of the sense of the social contract. It ends with a discussion of three revisionary frames: virtual communitarianism, radical individualism, and social capitalism.

What is the Social Responsibility in the Information Age? Maximising Profits?

Social responsibility is a highly popular term, and it seems to be of importance to what is happening in the information age. In this paper, the notion of social responsibility is analysed and its relationship to the information age is discussed. The result is that, while the term social responsibility may make sense, it is imperative to clarify its definition before drawing any further conclusions from it. On this condition, talking about social responsibility can be helpful in expressing some of the normative questions of the information age. If a clear definition is lacking, however, it might be a better idea to forget about the term rather than come to a counterintuitive conclusion as the one hinted at in the title of the paper, namely that it is an expression of social responsibility to maximise profits.

A National Information Infrastructure Model for Information Warfare Defence

Information infrastructures are an eclectic mix of open and closed networks, private and public systems, the Internet, and government, military, and civilian organisations. Significant efforts are required to provide infrastructure protection, increase cooperation between sectors, and identify points of responsibility. The threats to infrastructures are many and various, and are increasing daily: information warfare, hackers, terrorists, criminals, activists, and even competing organisations all pose significant threats that cannot be sufficiently dealt with using the current infrastructure model. We present a National Information Infrastructure model that is based on defence against threats such as information warfare.

A Forensic Computing Perspective on the Need for Improved User Education for Information Systems Security Management

This chapter is divided to two parts. Part one identifies common security and privacy weaknesses that exist in e-mail and WWW browsers and highlights some of the major implications for organisational security that result from employees’ online behaviours. This section aims to raise awareness of these weaknesses amongst users and to encourage administrators to mitigate their consequences through enhanced security and privacy-focused user education and training. Part two makes recommendations for improved user education as a component of information systems security management practices. These recommendations have been generated from a forensic computing perspective that aims to balance the complex set of issues involved in developing effective IS security management policies and practices. From this perspective these policies and practices should improve security of organisation and the privacy of employees without compromising the potential need for future forensic investigation of inappropriate, criminal, or other illegal online behaviours.

Information Systems Ethics in the USA and in the Arab World

This chapter explores similarities and differences between two cultures, the USA and the Arab World, in BIS ethics, through a survey of American and Arab students on personal use of organizational computers, use of organizational IS resources for non-organization gain, and monitoring of organizational IS resource use. While interesting statistical differences were found in the average strength of several responses, there was no disagreement as to the ethicality or non-ethicality of any survey item. The authors view this consistency as encouraging evidence of a common foundation for IS-related commerce between the two cultures. The findings of this study can be a basis for future cooperation, as legislators, educators, and employers in the Arab World and the USA develop acceptable BIS practices.