Computer Systems and Values
Helen Nissenbaum
We face an important set of questions about the way that information technology has affected social, political and moral values. An equally important set of questions considers how our values affect information technology. The talk will explore these two approaches to the study of social, ethical, and political dimensions of information technology, focusing particularly on the special roles computer scientists and engineers may play.
Helen Nissenbaum is a research associate at Princeton University's Center for Human Values, and she is spending this year as a member of the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Social Science. Dr. Nissenbaum's areas of expertise are the social, ethical, and political dimensions of science and technology, with an emphasis on information and communications technology. She is the author of the book Emotion and Focus, and co-editor (with D. J. Johnson) of Computers, Ethics and Social Values. She has written extensively on issues relating to privacy, property rights, electronic publication, accountability, and values embedded in the design of computer systems.
The May dinner meeting will be the final ACM/IEEE-CS meeting of the 2000-2001 season. Monthly meetings will resume again in October 2001.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED -- The restaurant wants to know a day ahead of time how many people will be in our group, so please help us out by making your reservation by May 20: