1. In 2008, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) obtained a temporary restraining order bar ring three Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students from publicly displaying what they claimed to be a way to get “free subway rides for life.” Specifically, the 10-day injunction prohibited the students from reveal ing vulnerabilities of the MBTA’s fare card. The students were scheduled to present their findings in Las Vegas at the DEFCON computer hacking conference. Were the students’ actions legal? Were their actions ethical? Discuss your answer from the students’ perspective and then from the perspective of the MBTA.
2. Frank Abagnale, the criminal played by Leonardo Dicaprio in the motion picture Catch Me If You Can,ended up in prison. After he left prison, however, he worked as a consultant to many companies on matter of fraud.
a. Why do these companies hire the perpetrators (if caught) as consultants? Is this a good idea?
b. You are the CEO of a company. Discuss the ethical implications of hiring Frank Abagnale as a consultant.
3. Access various search engines to find information relating to the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) for electronic surveillance purposes to the United States
a. Take the position favoring the use of drones for electronic surveillance
b. Take the position against the use of drones for electronic surveillance
