Julianna+Carlson_Portfolio

[] Julianna Carlson ITGS Period 4 10/24/09 Ethical and Social Questions on Portfolio Article

1. What are the social issues associated with a particular IT development? The article is stating that the internet is making the sex trade easier and more appealing to user or men know as “johns”. The article won't load, so this just leaves my dying to know; how so? Perhaps explicate this? Also, are users always men?  2. How did the IT development emerge? The Internet emerge in the 90s, however it is continued to grow large and easier and with that comes many controversial issues, including the sex trade.
 * Social issues **

3. Who are the stakeholders—individuals, institutions, societies who initiate and control the IT developments and are affected by them? The stakeholders in this IT development are the creators of the site that this illegal activity is on, the “johns” or users of the site, the middle men that make the service happen or locate the girls used as sex slaves, and the main individuals affected are the women or even girls used as the prostitutes. Presumably there are male prostitutes as well?  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders? There are no morally correct advantages to this IT development. The disadvantages are that it encourages the growth and the modernization of this technology. It also makes illegal activity easier which means in will continue to be more prevalent in our world. There is a lot of controversy over whether or not sex work is necessarily morally incorrect. Sex work meaning higher end sex workers who choose to have the jobs they have or, of course, professional escorts. No one likes a lot of what goes on. 

5. What feasible solutions can be applied to overcome problems? This is a very difficult problem to be solved. More government enforced laws must be put into action in order to slow the growth of the online sex trade. Also, it would help if the government had almost an online police that searched out and closed these illegal sites.

6. What is the social impact of the IT development on human life? This may include some or all of the following areas: economic, political, cultural, legal, environmental, ergonomic, health and psychological. The social impact of, the online sex trade, on human life is severe. It is an illegal activity so it affects the legal system, government offices, and the economy because people pay money for the services. The sex trade causes health and psychological problems for the service providers and the “johns.” Do you have any evidence to back this? Also, how is the online sex trade different here than the typical sex trade?  7. What are the social impacts on local and global communities? As with most illegal acts there are many impacts on the local and global communities. A few examples of the impacts are: brothels usually create unsafe environments in communities; also the women and children that come out of the trade are hurt both physically and mentally and need ways to be re-introduced into society.

1. What are the ethical issues associated with a particular IT development? Everything in this IT development is an ethical issue because the sex trade is an illegal and un-ethical technology. Being illegal doesn't necessarily make it an ethical issue, nor does the fact that it is illegal explain why it is unethical.  2. Who is responsible? The people responsible for the online sex trade are the creators of sites and “companies” that make the services available. The “johns” or users of the site are also responsible for continuing to use the site even though it is illegal. There are no consenting adult prostitutes who couldn't at least be a little responsible?  3. Who is accountable? I think the government must make the creators and users of the sites extremely accountable. What I mean by this is creating harsh jail sentence of monetary penalties. It seems like there are other ways to address these issues than punative ones. More sociological approaches.  4. What policies, rules or laws apply to the situation? Laws about use of technology and about prostitution both apply to this IT development. There are policies associated with online shopping website if the sex trading is going on through those sites. For example some sex trading occurs on Craig’s List which has rules about such illegal activities. I'm not sure if the rules of a specific website are particularly relevant if the rules are forbidding already illegal activities (it is illegal to solicit prostitutes or offer 'services', not just actually use or provide). Perhaps specifically state that prostitution is illegal in the US as is any child porn.
 * Ethical issues **

 5. What are the alternative ethical decisions? The only alternative ethical decision is to stop all use of sex trading sites. Hmm. Can you justify this? It is somewhat an extremist position. Why is sex trade always wrong? Why is it not only a moral wrong, but one that people should be legally punished for?  6. What are the consequences of these decisions? The consequences of using these sites may be harsh. One could be put in prison, fined, and have their reputation ruined. I think this was supposed to be addressing the consequences of the alternative ethical decisions. No sex trade would mean no options for men who couldn't otherwise be accomodated, which can have unpleasant societal affects.

PORTFOLIO Julianna Carlson ITGS Period 4 11/4/09 Portfolio Intro sentence. As the internet becomes more and more widely used illegal sites are becoming more prevalent. This specific news article is on how the internet has created a perfect place for the sex trade. NEED A SOURCE! Of course this is illegal and because the internet is so widely used it makes catching the prostitutes, their employers and the men or women who use the sites (“johns”) difficult. Some use Craig’s list, a social marketplace site, in which to advertise their ladies and what they offer. Some create their own websites to advertise their sexual services. On these sites one is able to arrange meets and use codes to customize their service. With the internet being an assessable gateway to the sex business the general sex trade offline is also growing at a rapid speed. The prevalence of the paid sexual activities it helps the pimps and the “johns” justify their actions. The internet is a communication, which is difficult to track, this makes law enforcements’ job more difficult and much harder to catch the pimps and the “johns.” 177 words The major hardware and software component, in this article, is the internet. Pimps create or use websites to advertise the services their girls offer, where and when the service will be offered, and how much the service(s) will cost. The article discusses one of the newest technical developments in the sex trade; forums to personalize one’s services. (Science Daily) The pimps or even the prostitutes may set up website that list costs, show pictures of the girl, and include forums to customize ones experiences. NEED MORE, technology behind it!!! All of these applications on the website require a database to save pictures and words. Most sites want a user name or some means of checking to make sure one is not a spy. Another component of the site is being able to keep persons identities secure. Many people who use online sex sites are very concerned with keep their identity and information extremely private. The usage of sites that contain such vulgar information have a large effect on the stakeholders. It creates an environment that makes payment for sexual activities okay. Just as the article stated the users see the amount of other users and it gives them a false sense of security and encourages them that this activity is not damaging or immortalizing. 214 words There are many impacts on society regarding this issue. Some critical impacts are the prevalence of prostitution in cities and as prostitution grows so does the rate of other legal activities. (NEED SOURCE) The stakeholders in this IT development are the creators of the site that this illegal activity is on, the “johns” or users of the site, the middle men (pimps) that make the service happen or locating the girls used for the services, and the main individuals affected are the women or even girls used as the prostitutes. The sex trade has a verity of negative impacts. Prostitution is not healthy for our country. The article studied the web forums in ten cities with the highest rate of prostitution arrests. These cities are “Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; Dayton, Ohio; Elizabeth, N.J; Forth Worth, Texas; Hartford, Conn.; Inglewood, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Memphis, Tenn. (Science Daily) NEED MORE SOURCES! This is a very sensitive and controversial topic. Many people do not enjoy discussing the growth and prevalence of the sex industry, although we must in order to find some kind of solution. 182 words The problem with this IT development is that it is not an ethical use of technology. It oppresses people and is used for illegal business. To try and combat the growing rate of sex websites it would be valid for the government to employ a greater number of “online police,” people who spend their days searching for illegal sites and their creators. Also it would be great to have some sort of data base that adults could list and add URLs of illegal websites so they could be found with more ease. For police to arrest the prostitutes and their “johns” it is also important for them to understand the secret code that is used on the websites. For example “DFK” is the code name for deep French kiss. (Huffington Post) Codes are used for the locations that the services will happen, if police and government agents are able to crack the codes more arrests will hopefully be able to take place. However, even if we are able to put these ideas into practice the problem will not be fixed. The internet is vast and can be easily manipulated to do illegal works. The pimps will continue to make other websites and use more difficult codes. Also know one can know how trustworthy or accurate the police and the lawyers working on sex industry cases. The sex trade is one of the oldest and lucrative businesses and there is not much we can do to stop the trade. Hopefully, we can make a little progress knowing how their use of the internet is growing. 264 words I am having a difficult time of finding sources, especially for criterion C. The URLs I have found are below however I am not sure if they are appropriate or relevant enough. Thanks!! __ScienceDaily __ 22 October 2009. 17 November 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 1pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">/releases/2009/10/091021125131.htm#>.
 * Section A: Presentation of the Issue**
 * Section B: The IT Background of the Issue**
 * Section C: The Impact of the Issue**
 * Section D: A Solution to the Problem Arising from the Issue**
 * Section E: Selection and Use of Sources **
 * Section F: Expression of Ideas Relevant to the Social Issue**
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