Current Event 3

Given our current class topic of Law and Computing, I was pleased to come across this article. In light of our conversations this week regarding freedom and use of software, this issue brought to light another ethical issue related to the law, namely moral uses of software. Even though next week we will start talking about espionage and cybersecurity, I feel that this issue presses at another legal concern, which is the use of computers to aid in crime and/or evading the law. Now, I find this unique because the crime isn't in the software itself, but in the use of the software. There's concern not for the originality or rights of the software, but for the ones responsible for installing in the first place. To me, this shows that legal concerns over software are a higher order legal concern, meaning that in situations where safety or health is involved, questions about the software itself are inconsequential. I don't disagree with the importance of establishing software rights and/or sharing. I just find it beneficial to recognize the priorities of the law in protecting us, and that they do prioritize our safety over our intellectual property concerns.