Sample Essay Questions 
Multiple topics, some from the last five chapters 
(See also General Exercises at the ends of chapters; some are suitable
as essay questions for exams.)


QUESTION LIST


   The Department of Education is considering requiring that every
public or private college or university in the U.S. provide information
for a government database on every student.  Each student's record
would have 40 personal items, including Social Security number or
taxpayer ID number, birthday, gender, race and address.  Some other
agencies, such as Homeland Security, would have access to the
database.
   Discuss several advantages and disadvantages of such a government
database.  (Chaps. 2, 4, and 7) 


The government of Brazil proposed banning prepaid cellphone service.  
Because there is no billing, people can buy the service and make calls
anonymously.  The government argues that most users are criminals.
Discuss arguments for and against the government proposal.  Describe
analogies with similar proposals for other computer-related technologies.


There are more than 700,000 electronic money transfers done by U.S.
financial institutions every day.  Some law enforcement agencies have
suggested using an artificial intelligence computer system to screen
these transfers to find suspicious ones to investigate.  They hope to
catch drug dealers and others who are hiding money from illegal
activities.  Discuss the potential benefits, risks, problems, and
issues that this proposal raises.  (Chaps. 2, 4, and 7)


(a) List two policies that can help reduce problems related to credit
bureau databases involving privacy, accuracy, and/or fraud.
(b) Describe any weaknesses in these policies (cost, difficulty in
implementing them, loopholes, conflicts with freedom of speech or
contract).  Be specific.
(c) On balance, do you think they should be adopted by the credit
bureaus?  (Give reasons.)
(d) Should they be required by law?  (Give reasons.  If your answer is
yes, the reasons should be different from the reasons for (c).)
(Chaps. 1, 2, 4, and 7)


A bill was proposed in Congress that would make it illegal for someone
to have a link on his or her web site to a web page advertising drug
paraphernalia with the "intent to facilitate or promote" its
business.   The proposed law also would make it a felony "to distribute
by any means information pertaining to, in whole or in part, the
manufacture or use of a controlled substance [i.e., illegal drugs]" if
the information is used in a crime.
(a) The first part of the proposed law relates to providing a link to
another site.  Describe another controversy or legal issue covered in
this course that has some similarities with this issue.  Give some pros
and cons of making it a crime to have links to certain Web sites.
(b) The second part of the proposed law relates to providing
information that could be used to commit a crime.  Describe two other
areas (not drugs) where this is also a central issue.  Include at least
one that has some connection to computers or the net.  Explain some of
the pros and cons about such a law.  (Chaps. 5, 6, and 7)


Suppose you operate a Web site for backpackers with about 1000 paid
subscribers.  Members discuss equipment, trip locations, safety, and
related subjects.  They also use the site to plan specific trips and
find compatible trip companions.  Choose any TWO of the options below
and discuss your ethical and/or legal responsibility for the following
postings by a subscriber.  Mention relevant cases or laws where
appropriate.
(a) Copyrighted material (e.g., a first aid manual).
(b) Sexually harrassing messages. 
(c) Discussions about how to sneak into legally closed natural areas.
(Chaps. 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)


Many air travelers now use "e-tickets" instead of paper tickets.  A
customer makes a reservation by phone or on the Web and just shows his
or her driver's license at the gate to board the plane.
(a) What are the roles of computers in making this service possible?
(b) What is one advantage of this service to the customer?  To the
airline?  To society in general?
(c) Describe two potential problems that could occur with this service.
(Chaps. 1, 4, 7)


Your friend Dan is a computer security expert.  He believes that the
software used on many Web sites is insecure, even for banks, other
financial institutions, major utility companies, etc.  The software
allows access not only to the Web page, but to other parts of the
site's computer systems.  Dan wrote a program that would probe Web
sites to check if they are vulnerable to fairly simple hacker attacks.
He's thinking of running his program on 2000 Web sites and publishing a
summary of the results (without mentioning sites by name) to alert the
public and the business world to the problems.  He knows you are
taking this course and asks you for advice.
(a) Discuss the ethical issues.  Who are the stakeholders?  What are the
relevant risks, responsibilities, obligations?
(b) Give at least one argument for each of the three positions: that Dan's
plan is professionally and ethically obligatory, that it is acceptable,
or that it is ethically prohibited.  Then tell which category you think
it is in and give reasons.  (Chaps. 7 and 10)


A small community bank (not a branch of a big bank) has a simple
computer system used within the bank, but is not part of any network.
The bank has decided to develop a system to provide automated bank-by-telephone
services for its customers.   You are hired to help design the system.
Discuss at least four important areas that need attention (from the
perspective of this course).  What are the issues or problems?  What
are some ways to deal with these problems?  (Chaps. 2, 4, 7, 8, 9)


Consider the following scenario.  You work for a software company
developing software for a computer-controlled amusement park ride.
One of your assigned tasks is to write routines to control the speed
of the ride.  You don't understand the required math well.  You search
the Internet and find a package of routines for a similar amusement
park ride.  You are thinking about putting them into your program and
going on to the rest of your tasks.  
(a) What are two (somewhat different) issues relevant to this action?
(b) Choose the more important of the issues, and analyze the scenario
with respect to that issue.  Mention risks, consequences, stakeholders, 
alternative actions, and relevant principles of professional ethics. 
(Chaps. 4, 6, 10)


Suppose your state is considering a proposal to hold elections on the
Internet.  Voting in person will still be possible for people who
prefer it.
(a) Discuss advantages and disadvantages of the proposal (at least two 
of each).
(b) Suppose the state has decided to proceed with the plan and has hired
a computer scientist as a consultant to design the system.  What are some 
things (both features and methodology) the computer scientist could suggest
to reduce potential problems?  (Discuss at least three.)
(Chap. 2, 4, 7, 9, 10)