Computer Ethics

I've been reading the book Computer Ethics; Cautionary Tales and Ethical Dilemmas in Computing by Tom Forester and Perry Morrison. It is old in the world of computer literature (1990) but pretty interesting. We have heard plenty about identity theft and folks suffering from false information being attached to their identity (like one man who was mistakenly declared dead). A chapter I found particularly distressing was one on unreliable computers - how the Blackhawk helicopters were crashing because of "radio interference" in its computer-based "fly by wire" control system. This system also exists (or maybe existed) in many airliners.

"Back in October, 1960, computers of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) at Thule initiated a nuclear alert after the rise of the moon above the horizon was interpreted as a nuclear attack."

The shooting of the Iranian Airbus (killing 290 civilians) was blamed on computer error.

The record shows that the Aegis system had been soundly condemned by the critics long before it was installed on US navy ships at a cost of around $1.2 billion per unit.

Lots more about air traffic control failures, pacemakers being reprogrammed by anti-theft devices in stores, X-ray machine computers gone wrong, etc.

The problem with buying and selling books is that the temptation to read is overpowering.