Computers and Society (P. II)

5 Lectures Covered: Intellectual Property; Crime and Security; Errors, Failures, Risks; Evaluating and Controlling Technology; AI and Government Regulations

Which of the following is not an exclusive right (subject to some exceptions) granted by copyright law?

(a) Copy the work
(b) Distribute the work
(c) Profit from the work
(d) Create "derivative works"

c

Which of the following is not a factor specified in U.S. copyright law for determining fair use?

(a) The purpose and nature of the use
(b) The amount and significance of the portion used
(c) The effect on the market for the copyrighted work
(d) The for-profit or non-profit status of the copyright holder

d

In the term "Free Software," "free" implies all of the following except one. Which one?

(a) Free of cost
(b) Free to copy
(c) Freedom
(d) Free to modify

a

One of the reasons the court ruled against Napster was:

(a) It knowingly encouraged and assisted in the infringement of copyrights
(b) It knowingly stored illegal copies of files on its server
(c) It knowingly used technology protected by patent
(d) All of the above

a

In the early days of computing (1960's to the early 1970's), a "hacker" was:

(a) An incompetent programmer who wrote programs that did not work properly
(b) A busy programmer who reused code to save time
(c) A creative programmer who wrote very elegant or clever programs
(d) A new programmer who wrote simple programs

c

Hacktivism is:

(a) A political activist group promoting tougher anti-hacking laws
(b) The counter-hacking techniques used by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies
(c) The use of hacking to promote a political cause
(d) A newsletter for hackers

c

When was the first U.S. copyright law passed?

(a) 1790
(b) 1970
(c) 1908
(d) 1880

a

Web sites that look attractive to hackers, but are closely monitored so that everything the hacker does at the site is recorded and studied are known as:

(a) Honey pots
(b) Digital surveillance
(c) Computer entrapment
(d) Hacker crackdown

a

Which of the following is NOT a program used by hackers to gain access to your computer:

(a) Keyloggers
(b) Trojans
(c) Rootkits
(d) Honey pots

d

In 2000, a French court ordered Yahoo! to block access by French people to

(a) Web sites containing pornography
(b) an Al Qaeda training manual
(c) online auction sites containing Nazi materials
(d) a Web site containing instructions for making bombs

c

Most of the delay in the opening of the Denver International Airport was because of problems with

(a) The air traffic control system
(b) The environmental monitoring systems
(c) The baggage handling system
(d) The telephone and communications systems

c

One of the sources of failure common to both the Therac-25 and the Ariane-5 rocket was

(a) Confusing and poorly-documented error messages
(b) Poor human-computer interface design
(c) Reuse of software from previous versions of the systems
(d) All of the above

c

What is NOT true of legacy systems?

(a) Legacy systems are reliable
(b) Legacy systems are inflexible
(c) Legacy systems are cheap to replace
(d) None of the above

c

Which of the following is NOT a Neo-Luddite criticism of computers?

(a) Use of computers in schools thwarts development of social skills
(b) Computers separate humans from nature and destroy the environment
(c) Computers cause social inequity
(d) None of the above

d

How do Neo-Luddites view the purpose of technology?

(a) To eliminate jobs and reduce production costs
(b) To enhance human creativity
(c) To improve environmental sustainability
(d) To increase global connectivity

a

What is NOT true of failures and errors in computer systems?

(a) Most computer applications are so complex, it is virtually impossible to produce programs with no errors
(b) The cause of failure is often more than one factor
(c) Since computer failures are unavoidable, it makes little sense to learn how to avoid them
(d) Computer professionals must study failures to understand the impacts of poor work

c

What is Digital Rights Management (DRM)?

(a) A law banning unauthorized copying
(b) Techniques to control use of digital intellectual property
(c) A type of free software license
(d) A court ruling on fair use

b

What is the purpose of the ‘safe harbor’ provision in the DMCA?

(a) Protect websites from lawsuits for user-posted infringing content
(b) Ban all circumvention of copyright protection
(c) Allow unlimited copying for educational use
(d) Tax digital media to compensate copyright holders

a

What is the goal of the GNU project’s copyleft concept?

(a) To restrict all software modifications
(b) To ensure freedom to use, modify, and redistribute software
(c) To enforce proprietary software licenses
(d) To ban all free software distribution

b

What is a core ethical principle for responsible AI development?

(a) Maximizing computational efficiency
(b) Fairness in AI decision-making
(c) Reducing hardware costs
(d) Automating all manual process

b

What is the role of international cooperation in AI regulation?

(a) To centralize AI development in one country
(b) To harmonize regulations and promote global standards
(c) To restrict cross-border data sharing
(d) To enforce proprietary AI patents

b

How should risks of computer systems be evaluted?

(a) By assuming they are always safe
(b) By comparing risks to other methods and weighing benefits
(c) By avoiding all new technologies
(d) By focusing only on hardware risks

b

What is a key challenge in evaluating information on the web?

(a) Lack of access to search engines
(b) Large amount of incorrect information
(c) Inability to rate websites
(d) Absence of expert contributions

b

Sources of failure(s) for the Therac-15 was…

(a) Multiple software designers produced it
(b) Poor interface design
(c) No explanation of error codes
(d) Reuse of software from previous versions of the system

b, c, d

What techniques are used to steal personal information for identity theft?

(a) Phishing via email
(b) Smishing via text messaging
(c) Vishing via voice calls
(d) Pharming via false websites
(e) Encrypting stolen data

a, b, c, d

Why do digital actions crossing borders create legal challenges?

(a) All countries have identical cybercrime laws
(b) Actions legal in one country may be illegal in another
(c) Corporations must comply with multiple countries’ laws
(d) International agreements are often ignored
(e) Laws very between countries

b, c, d, e

Which of the following are causes of system failures?

(a) Lack of clear goals and specifications
(b) Poor management and communication
(c) Overly simple user interface
(d) Use of untested new technology
(e) Insufficient testing

a, b, d, e

Which techniques improve reliability and safety in software development?

(a) Minimal documentation to speed development
(b) Thorough testing, including real-world scenarios
(c) Clear specifications based on client needs
(d) User interfaces with clear instructions
(e) Redundancy and self-checking systems

b, c, d, e

What role do user interfaces play in system safety?

(a) Provide clear instructions and error messages
(b) Increase system complexity
(c) Check input to reduce errors
(d) Give feedback on system status
(e) Eliminate the need for testing

a, c, d

Which of the following are issues with the “wisdom of the crowd” approach?

(a) Rating systems can be manipulated
(b) It always provides accurate information
(c) It may mislead vulnerable viewers, like children
(d) It eliminates the need for expert evaluation
(e) It magnifies problems of unreliable information

a, c, e

Why might computer models be inaccurate?

(a) Incomplete knowledge of the system being modeled
(b) Excessive computing power
(c) Inaccurate or incomplete data
(d) Difficulty quantifying human values
(e) Overly complex user interfaces

a, c, d

Which criteria should be used to evaluate information sources?

(a) Source authority
(b) Purpose of the information
(c) Currency (date)
(d) Accuracy
(e) Visual design

a, b, c, d

Which of the following are Neo-Luddite criticisms of computing technologies?

(a) Computers cause massive unemployment
(b) Computers improve social connectivity
(c) Computer cause social disintegration
(d) Computers benefit big business and government
(e) Computers solve all real-world problems

a, c, d

Which of the following are types of intellectual property protection?

(a) Copyright
(b) Patent
(c) Trademark
(d) Encryption
(e) Trade secret

a, b, c, e

Which factors are considered in the Fair Use Doctrine?

(a) Purpose and nature of use
(b) Amount and significance of portion used
(c) Effect on the market value of the work
(d) Nature of the copyrighted work
(e) Popularity of the work

a, b, c, d

(T/F) Sega v Accolade, Inc (1992) helped determine that reverse engineering was allowable (fair research use) in order to make a compatible product.

True

(T/F) The government cannot monitor online activity of suspected hackers without a court order.

False

(T/F) Simplifications and assumptions are always made when designing a model.

True

(T/F) Reuse of software helps reduce the need for testing.

False

(T/F) Redundancy and self-checking are often present in safety-critical systems.

True

(T/F) Copyright law protects processes and inventions, while patent law protects the particular expression of an idea.

False

(T/F) The USA Patriot Act (2001) gives individuals more protection from governmental intrusion.

False

(T/F) DRM is a collection of technologies (hardware and software) that control use of intellectual property in digital formats.

True

(T/F) Wikipedia relies upon an advertising-based business model.

False

(T/F) U.S. v Jones (2012) was the first major case of digital technology surveillance and involved police attaching a GPS tracking device to a person's vehicle without a search warrant.

True

(T/F) Sony v Universal City Studios (1983) ruled that private, non-commercial copying for personal use was fair use.

True

(T/F) All P2P technologies were found to be illegal as a result of the Napster case.

False

(T/F) Providing new technology to poor countries is a matter of having enough money to buy equipment.

False

(T/F) A feature of a high reliability organization is loose structure.

True

(T/F) Computer forensic specialists cannot recover deleted files from an erased disk.

False

Copyright Law (Title 17) gives copyright holders exclusive rights to

• make copies

• produce derivative works (eg translations, movie adaptation…)

• distribute copies

• perform the work in public (eg music, plays…)

• display the work in public (eg artwork, movies, games, web video…)

Patent

gives inventor the right to exclusive use of their invention for a limited period; does not apply to laws of nature, mathematical formulas, or obvious inventions (20 years)

Copyright

protect creative and artistic expressions: books, drawings, paintings, programs, music, etc. (life + 70 years)

Trademark

protect unique name, design, logo, symbols, or colors used by a business to identify their products or services (’forever’ or until disbanded)

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

prohibits making, distributing, or using tools to circumvent technological copyright protection systems and included protection from some copyright lawsuits for Web sites where users post material

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)

covers government computers, financial and medical systems, and activities that involve computers in more than one state, including computers connected to the Internet; illegal to access a computer without authorization

No Electronic Theft Act

made it a felony to willfully infringe copyright by reproducing or distributing one or more copies of copyrighted work with a total value of more than $1,000 within a six-month period