Jason Lumicao

Threaded Discussions
CST 373 Fall 2015

Week 1
Question:
Read Blake Panos' ePaper from a previous semester. Then answer the same question he posed to
his ePaper peer team:
As a game designer, are you ethically responsible to consider the potential for addiction in the
game you create? Should a designer build time limits of play into their games in order to force
people to stop playing for a set amount of time?
Response:
As a game designer, are you ethically responsible to consider the potential for addiction in the
game you create? Should a designer build time limits of play into their games in order to force
people to stop playing for a set amount of time?
There are many consequences to addiction in video games as I have read other articles as well as
seen documentaries that greatly affected individuals as well as some having video games being
the reason that claimed there lives. I have only known one company that has made an addicting
game and even I at some point felt the need to play constantly. That company was Blizzard and
the game is widely known as World of Warcraft. Putting myself in their shoes as an aspiring
game designer myself, I would like to create a game that people will enjoy and hopefully play
responsibly therefore, I would not put any restrictions to any game I make since I see it that
addiction is a symptom that the player creates for themselves.
I agree with Sean on the fact that players have a responsibility to themselves to how they are
affected to the games they play since most addictions caused by video games are more of players
abusing video games and their physical and mental limits because of their obsession that they
created for themselves.

Week 2
Question:
After reading the online newspaper article "Hoax Batters Tech Firm"
(http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hoax-Batters-Tech-Firm-Stock-value-drops-2742069.php
) discuss who you think is responsible for the consequences of the hoax. What should the
punishment be? What should be done to prevent this in the future? What ethical connections can
be made to this story and recent events relating to the Enron Corporation? Note that this article is
more than ten years old but the problem has not gone away. Use the Internet to learn more about
what happened in this specific case and/or provide your peers with similar stories and links
Response:
This type of scams come in a variety as well as different tiers of intensity as far as one individual
being affected by an online scammer to stories such as this that lose billions of dollars from
companies that become affected by false information. With the internet holding so much data
and information, it is hard to see what makes something in it to be credible source.
For this article, I agree with Sean that the one responsible is Internet Wire. It is an abuse to
freedom of speech to the point that the stories become elaborate lies that would greatly affect an
individual to big companies to lose face and trust from the public eye. Internet Wire released the
story and I believe that they knew from the start what it would do to Emulex. Internet Wire
should face any and all charges made against them as to causing such a severe hit to Emulex.
As far as Enron, I agree to Cassandra on the company causing its own downfall for releasing
false information about their own standings as to Emulex being victim to a lie made by others.
Groups and individuals such as Internet Wire have existed long before the internet basically
abusing the power of information to cause severe loses to whoever their target may be. The
internet has just become a tool that these groups use to make their schemes more elaborate and
more efficient as to the fact that it is quite difficult to decide if an internet source is credible. You
can follow this LINK to see other stories that have affected a wide range of people that are
affected by false information.

Week 3
Question:
A few years ago a CSUMB student's parents requested copies of their child's emails (both sent
and received) after the student committed suicide. If you were the Chief Information Officer
(CIO) for the university how would you respond to their request? State the ethical issues
involved and your rationale for the action(s) you would take. As in every ethical issue relating to
IT we're exploring this semester, consider the differences between how we interact with digital
vs. analog information.
Response:
If I was in the position of CIO, I would not disclose information as it is strictly within my duties
to keep every students information confidential. It is a difficult subject to apply to especially if
there might be evidence in the student's emails, however the fact that the student is an adult, as
brought up by Cassandra, all information disclosed to him or her will be kept private regardless
of any situation. Jose brings up a good point as well that Google would have the final ownership
and possibly make the final call to disclose the student's email to the parents, therefore the CIO
might only be a messenger in that scenario.
If ever in any scenario that I do not have to CIO of technology, I would most likely give the
information to the parents, as agreed by most in this forum, as the parents can find peace and
closure to their beloved one and put it all to rest.

Week 4
Question:
Under the heading of "what would you do if..." imagine the following scenarios and provide a
response for each. You walk into your 12-year old child's room and on his/her computer screen
you see: a) pornography b) instructions on how to build a bomb c) a guide to safer sex d) online
gambling
Response:
A) I would approach my child and discuss with him/her about websites that contain pornographic
content and explain to him/her about the reality of sex and how pornography does not always
show real life scenarios. There are many consequences to having porn teach you about sex and it
is a concern to me as a parent if my child would base his/her assumptions of sex through
pornography.
B) I would have a very serious talk with my child since in this scenario it can severely endanger
my child and everyone else around him/her. I would first ask what gave him/her the curiosity to
look up such content and hopefully find a way to convey to my child the severe consequences
he/she can get into with gaining information like this. If it is much more severe than I taught,
such as finding my child to be just plain evil, I may have to call the authorities.
C) Like scenario A, I would ask my child why they would look up such content, however I will
approach them with approval that it is alright to be curious and I would be glad that their
approach to sex is safe and not based on pornography. I would still tell them the consequences of
having sex at a young age, however I will feel confident that they can approach the situation
properly with their partner when they get older.
D) I would approach my child again like scenario B, not as severe but ask my child as to how
they found out about gambling and how illegal it is for them to participate at a young age. I will
let my child know they can make the decision to gamble when they reach the right age and they
are making money for themselves, and then they can do whatever they want.

Week 5
Question:
1) You use an ATM machine outside your local bank and it gives you an extra 20 bucks. The
receipt shows it gave you only the amount you requested for withdrawl. What do you do? 2) A
human teller makes a similar mistake as described above. You don't notice the extra $20 until
you're in your car. Again, what do you do?
Response:
1. I would return the 20 dollars, I know it could be tempting to pocket easy money but I like to
keep everything I do fair.
2. Same as question 1, I would most likely tell the teller that I received an extra 20 and would
return it the next business day if possible.
It's very tempting offer and honestly I can benefit a lot from an extra 20, but then I would be
going against my moral code and personal reason to always be honest with myself.

Week 6
Question:
Question 0ne: If you were an administrator at Rutgers, how would you discipline the students
involved in the Clementi incident and would you include the campus IT professionals in the
investigation?
Question Two: How effective do you believe the It Gets Better project can be in addressing the
issue of bullying young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth?
Response:
For question one:
I would discipline the students involved and also suspend (with a possible expulsion) them since
bullying in any form should not be easily tolerated. I believe they are accountable not only for
posting the video, but also to the impact that caused the victim to go such length to take his own
life. It is a very serious offense that I would involve IT to work closely with all officials to
thoroughly investigate any leads and evidence to find closure for the family and justify the
actions of those involved with the necessary consequences.
Question two:
After seeing the video, I believe it to be a great outlet for those who would like to seek help and
also learn more about others going through the same hardships and benefit from the support it
provide. I agree with Rico on having more resources outside of the foundation, being accessible
in school, work, and any other places that can be readily be available to the public.

Week 7
Question:
In the Case Studies text *(available on reserve in the Library and from the instructor), Spinello
introduces us to the ethical theories of Immanuel Kant. In defining a "moral compass" Kant
believes we cannot exploit other human beings and treat them exclusively as a means to our ends
or purposes. The moral can be reduced to the absolute principle of respect for other human
beings who deserve respect because of their rationality and freedom, the hallmark of personhood
for Kant. Some of these same ideas can be found in the CSUMB vision statement:
https://csumb.edu/about/vision-statement
Read the vision statement and then consider the following: Does a public institution have a right
and/or a responsibility to institutionalize its idea of morality? What are the potential positive and
negative outcomes of doing this? Finally, does IT play a neutral role here? And because things
posted online never go away... you may also want to read this post:
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=7246
Response:
I believe any public institution has every right to its idea of morality, since in the end it is up to
the individual to uphold and embody the idea if they chose to do so. As far as positive and
negative outcomes from this is dependent on the individual and how they would live out what
they learn and what they choose to represent.
For the IT playing a neutral role, I would agree with Anthony since there is no neutral moral
area. Looking deeper into IT, there is still a person behind all that technology making the
decision on how that technology would be used.

Week 8
Question:
In a March 19 article from last year, the Monterey Herald wrote about racist activities on the
CSUMB campus. A brief statement refers to surveillance cameras. We've had numerous
discussions in class about privacy issues and have often referred to England's use of cameras in
public areas. What are the positive AND negative aspects of having surveillance cameras on our
campus? What are the ethical issues?
Response:
Surveillance Cameras are very useful technologies that have actually help solve crimes in several
areas were captured footage is sometimes even broadcast on the news. Like any piece of
technology, these cameras are going to improve and its uses might even go beyond what it
currently offers. Right now the FBI has even released a facial recognition system that has already
taken millions of photos around public domains and is becoming a common piece of technology
when it comes to security.
Personally, I would like to install cameras around my home since I have had experiences in the
past about the invasion of private property and several incidents that I would agree with
surveillance cameras in public areas as something that I can feel fine with. It will definitely help
regulate public safety and possibly even lower crime rate when there is live footage and real time
response to the situation before it is too late. I believe public cameras can provide a peace of
mind to a certain degree that we can feel fine around a public space and not worrying about
different dangers that can happen around us.
The positive purpose for these cameras also brings about its downfall since we would be
monitored constantly. Like any piece of technology there will be some variables that will be off
and possibly cause major problems when it comes to actually identifying crime when in reality it
might just be a false alarm due to a glitch. Also going back to being constantly watched might
trigger a bit of paranoia and might trigger some of us to not even go to public areas because of
the knowledge of being tracked.
The only ethical issue I see with this type of technology is invasion of privacy, especially if these
cameras would be hooked up to a drone and can monitor a whole city since private airspace can
only go so far. Without regulation laws, this type of technology might get out of hand.

Week 9
Question:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/10/15/356393531/why-kids-sext-describesnude-photos-as-social-currency-among-teens
Listen to this very interesting story on Fresh Air about sexting. Do you think minors caught
sexting should be charged with a felony? If not, should it be a crime? What should the govt. be
doing about this issue? Who else is responsible?
Response:
Like most of everyone in this forum, I do not see why minors should be punished harshly. Jose
makes a good point that unless they are making these accessible to the public such as the
infamous and illegal revenge porn, then it could be charged as child pornography and should be
brought accordingly to the right authorities that handle such cases. It will ultimately up to them
on charging these minors with the necessary punishments if any. If these minors are private and
value the integrity of the other person they are either sending or receiving, then I see no
immediate harm. Since they are still minors and if their behavior is a concern, then the ones in
charge of regulating them should be their parents or any counselor that can help them cope with
their dilemmas before these minors do anything they might regret in the future.

Week 10
Question:
When the personal computer started to become popular it was often marketed as a product that
would reduce our society's need for paper and that we might even become a
"paperless" society. Recently, in a single year CSUMB used over 10 million sheets
of paper in its copiers and printers. Do you think CSUMB should be doing more to reduce its use
of paper? Is paper use an ethical issue for you personally? How "green" do you think
CSUMB is when it comes to other uses of communication technology? What would you
recommend, if anything, CSUMB should do to be more environmentally responsible in its use of
communication technologies?
Response:
Honestly I think CSUMB should really consider digitally turning in work. Not only is it
paperless, it is more convenient in a lot more ways than a physical paper. The reason why we
print up more paper is because people are still demanding to hand in physical copies of work that
could essentially be just as good, possibly even better in digital form. It is somewhat of a concern
for me since production of paper means more trees need to be cut down and the supply to
demand cost heavily to our environment. With CSUMB being green with everything, I believe
we can throw in paper reduction in the mix. My only recommendation to this situation is to really
consider turning more work in digitally.

Week 11
Question:
Over the last few years the University administration and faculty have been studying the
University Learning Requirements and how they serve students. One primary concern is that the
ULRs do not align with other CSU campuses which creates some problems for transfer students
and may discourage new students from applying to CSUMB. As a result of the investigations, a
number of proposals were presented and after significant feedback and revisions, one final
proposal called the Otter Model is currently being implemented. Like all of the proposals, the
Otter Model eliminates the Technology proficiency ULR, formerly satisfied by CST 101/Tech
Tools and a few other tech-related courses offered by other departments. Previously, we
discussed the Vision Statement. This week, consider the positive and negative effects, including
the ethical implications, of eliminating technology proficiency from the ULR/General Education
requirements.
Response:
Honestly there are several other classes that can be considered obsolete at this day and age,
however there is still the possibility of those individuals that are technologically challenged and
therefore applying to a concentration were they expect you to know things beforehand might
sound unappealing.
I have personal experiences here on campus were I felt behind since in the past there were
classes taken as pre or core-requisites in order to help with the learning to be more smoother,
however classes such as CST 101 are looked as unnecessary, therefore are taken away from the
curriculum and assuming that most students are already familiar with the system. This is the only
negative aspect that I see as assuming an individuals knowledge can lead to many problems and
only leaving the lucky ones that are familiar to advance further down the course.
The positives I see to this is the time it takes a person to graduate might become faster since
there will be less classes to take, unless another class replaces the requirement. Regardless to
this, I still believe that the campus should still hold classes that can help a student grow and be
prepared to advance and be at equal footing with other students in the same field.

Week 12
Question:
Last week we witnessed yet another act of urban terrorism similar in some ways to the Boston
Marathon bombings. The Boston event illustrated the power of digital forensics and "crowd
sourcing" to solve crimes. For this discussion you need to take two perspectives. First, consider
how Amatai Etzioni would assess the events in terms of individual privacy vs. communitarian
ideals. Second, state your views and then recommend policies for how the authorities should deal
with individual data acquired and shared on networks that may be useful in solving crime.
Response:
Using the Boston Marathon bombings for this subject through...
Etzioni's view:
...the eyes of Etzioni, he would most likely approach it in the sense of only looking towards a
narrow view into only holding those accountable through extensive investigation rather than
scoping a public view to which would lead to several unnecessary leads and possibly infringing
on the privacy of others. He would respect the privacy of others even that of a suspect probably
using the necessary information needed and not going into further detail that is not required.
People would have to give up some of their rights to an extent, but only to make an efficient and
proper investigation.
My views:
...my perspective, would most likely be letting the authorities question anyone as it could lead to
new evidence or even find the necessary people that can further the investigation. I believe in a
sense of a giving up a bit of privacy, however the authorities to respect the idea of only
answering questions necessary for the investigation and respecting to skip questions with the
belief that it would not impede the investigation in any sort of way.

Week 13
Question:
A lot of discussion has taken place in the blogosphere since Steve Jobs' death comparing his
importance, or the importance of the "inventions" he inspired, to other great American innovators
such as Grace Hopper, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Of the four, state where you rank Jobs
and why....
Response:
If I had to list them:
1. Grace Hopper
2. Thomas Edison
3. Thomas Edison
4. Steve Jobs
I mainly chose this since Mr. Jobs did not really "invent" anything, however he was smart
enough to market a system that he saw great potential in and also surrounding himself with
people that shared the same ideals and skill to achieve what he did in his lifetime.

Week 14/15
Question:
This thread is not intended to be a discussion but rather a personal reflection of your scrapbooks.
By this time you should have completed a minimum of 13 scrapbook entries. Of your entire
scrapbook portfolio, which single entry do you believe has the most relevance to this course
(looking at current Information Technologies from an ethical perspective). State your rationale
for your choice.
Response:
Scrapbook #4 was the only one I did and honestly it had the most impact since it really got the
class involved in the subject.