A Gift of Fire:
Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet

(Third edition)
by Sara Baase

Presentation Assignments and Class Discussion Topics for Chap. 3: Freedom of Speech

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New assignments are added at the end of the list.
Last updated: Sept. 26, 2010

Comments to instructors

In addition to the assignments below, some of the Class Discussion Exercises in the text on pages 191-192 are suitable for student presentation assignments.

General instructions given to students

The presentations should analyze the situation, use analogies and similar cases where possible, mention various possible risks or consequences, etc. Include some discussion of how the technology involved affects the situation. What advantages or problems result from using it, compared to previous way of doing things? Present the group's proposals and/or conclusions, supported by arguments.

Presentation assignments

Asmt. 1: Policy for violent videos on the Web

Someone posted a video on a popular video site showing a group of men with clubs enter a building and beat unarmed people. The site's policy prohibits posting videos with graphic violence. When a viewer complained, the video was removed. The removal was appealed by others who said the video documented abuse of prisoners in a Russian prison camp.
Group 1: You are a committee of managers at the site. Develop a plan for dealing with such videos. Will you repost the video? Explain the issues you considered.

Asmt. 2: Internet access in high schools

The local school board is meeting to adopt policies for use of Internet terminals in the public high schools. (The Supreme Court ruling on the Children's Internet Protection Act did not explicitly address filtering software in schools). The policies should address the issues of access by students to pornographic, violent, and extremist political material, and any other issues that the public or the board members consider relevant. Representatives from the groups will present their suggested policies and give arguments for them. The groups are
Group 1: the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. (References: Library Bill of Rights adopted by the American Library Association and the ALA resolution on the Use of Filtering Software.)
Group 2: an organization that lobbied for the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
Group 3: an organization of high school students
Group 4: an organization of high school teachers

Asmt. 3: Privacy, freedom of speech, and pre-paid cell phones (Added June 2010)

This assignment combines issues from Chapter 2, Section 3.1.2, and Section 3.5.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Congress would require that anyone buying a prepaid cell phone must show identification. Governments of a few other countries have discussed adopting such a requirement also. It is difficult for law-enforcement agencies to trace such phones.

Group 1: Argue for the passage of the bill.
Group 2: Argue against passage of the bill.
Group 3: Suppose the bill passes and is challenged in the Supreme Court as a violation of the First Amendment's protectin of freedom of speech. Give and analyze arguments for and against such a challenge.

Asmt. 4: Restricting e-books sales (Added Sept. 2010)

In France, there is a 19.6% tax on e-books. The tax on printed books is 5.5%. A law in France prohibits stores from giving big discounts on printed books. Small book sellers are asking the French government for similar regulation for e-books.

Group 1: You represent an organization of independent book store owners. Argue for maintaining different tax rates for printed and electronic books and for a law restricting discounts on ebooks.
Group 2: You represent ebooks sellers. Present your position and arguments about the tax rates and regulation of discounts. Group 3: Take whatever position you choose and explain it.

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