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Module Activities:
1. Instructor introduces the case based on the abstract and timeline found at www.computingcases.org
2. Students read case abstract, timeline, case decision point, and case analysis exercises.
3. Students do further research into the case by consulting ComputingCases materials which include narratives,histories, supporting documents, and ethical analyses.
4. Students carry out the activities outlined in the accompanying case exercises by (a) specifying the problemraised in the decision point, (b) generating solutions, (c) testing solutions using ethics tests, and (d) developing plans forimplementing the solution over situational constraints.
5. Students prepare their case analyses working in small groups.
6. These groups present their completed analysis to the class in a case-debriefing session.
7. The instructor concludes by discussing the problem-solving issues and intermediate moral concepts raised bythe case.
Machado Abstract:
In September of 1996, 19 year-old Richard Machado sent email to 59 Asian students at his public college,threatening them with phrases like“I will personally make it my life’s career to hunt you down and kill you”and signed by“Asian Hater.”Several of these individuals reported this incident to the Office of Academic computing (OAC). One of the recipients was astudent employee of the OAC. The administrators of the OAC were faced with a decision about how to respond to harassing andthreatening email sent over their system to students of their University, using their facilities.
Machado Timeline
| 11/16/95 | Machado sends email threat to New University paper (UCI) via his roommate’s computer.The email is traced to the roommate’s computer.Roommate later said Machado had access to thecomputerMachado identified as sender. |
| 11/21/95 | Warrant for arrest is filed against Machado, issued by Irvine Police Department—the warrant is a“no bail felony warrant.”Machado consents to a property search.Case given up shortly after—Machado’s roommate took the blame so he“wouldn’t be bothered anymore.” |
| (Between 1/1/96 and 9/20/96) | Machado’s older brother murdered in armed robbery prior to following incident;Machado is doing poorly in school, gettingpressure from family to uphold high expectations. |
| 9/20/96(Friday, 10:54 am) | Machado sends hate Asians/threat email to about 59 UCI studentsMachado sent message a second time shortly after, when hedid not receive replies to the first email.Incident brought to the attention of Assoc. Director of The Academic Computing Center, by her employees.Machado identified in computer lab and was asked toleave by Core Services manager. |
| 9/21/96 | Director of OAC reads Machado’s email and decides that it is a police matter. |
| 9/24/96(Monday) | The incident is reported to University Police DepartmentAn officer is assigned to the case. |
| 9/26/96 | Retrieval of surveillance video confirmed Machado as the sender.Irving City Police notified and involved in case. |
| 9/27/96 | Registrar’s office helps police locate Machado’s address and phone number. |
| 9/28/96 | An officer phones Machado’s residence and leaves messageMachado calls back and agrees to meet with an officer thatafternoon at 5pm.Two charges filed after meeting: Machado (1) knowingly and without permission uses computer services and (2)makes telephone calls with intent to annoy. |
| 11/14/96 | A stolen vehicle report is filed for Machado’s second roommate’s car.Machado had told one roommate he was borrowing his other roommate’s car.Machado did not have permission to borrow car. |
| 11/18/96 | FBI attempts investigation.An agent goes to Machado’s residence; Machado is not there and hasn’t been seen there since 11/13.Machado allegedly left with Young’s keys on 11/14.Other suspicions: $80 missing from roommate’s coin jar; $154 visa charges to roommate’s card, $54 of which were unauthorized; calls on 11/10, 11, and 12. |
| 11/21/96 | FBI agent phones Machado’s roommate for confirmation of stolen car/info on Machado’s disappearance. |
| 11/22/96 | Roommate interviewed. |
| 11/23/96 | Tammy Machado (Machado’s sister) interviewed and said Machado had disappeared on the day his brother called him toinquire about Machado’s name appearing in newspaper regarding Asian hate mails.Machado denied the reports in the paper to his brother;claimed it to be someone else.Tammy is informed that court date is set for 11/25 and if Richard doesn’t show, they would issue a warrant for his arrest. |
| 2/6/97 | Machado is arrested when attempting to enter US from Mexico—caught by US Immigration Inspector.Machado is reported as looking homeless, having no possessions, looking for constructionwork in Mexico. |
| 9/16/97 | Machado is charged with 10 counts of interfering with a federally protected activity—in this case, students attending a university.Machado is told he will face up to 10 years ifconvicted. |
| 11/12/97 | Trial takes place and on this date a recess is granted when new information is uncovered/presented.Questionnaires were revealedin which 9 of the students who got the messages said they were not overtly bothered by Machado’s email. |
| 11/18/97 | Jury deadlocked 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal.Case said to have national importance by federal prosecutors, so a second trialwas set for 1/27/98. |
| 2/13/98 | Richard Machado is found guilty on 2 counts of civil rights violations.Took only 3 weeks of trial to reach verdict.Followingconviction, Machado is released on a $10,000 bond from custody but is turned over to Irvine police on impending auto theftcharges.Sentencing is postponed until 4/10/98.Possible maximum time Machado could serve would be 1 yr.Machado has already spent 1 yr.in jail awaiting trials, tec.Machado is recommended for anger&racial tolerance counseling, not allowed on UCI campus, and prohibited from having any contact with victims. |
Scenario #1:
You are a systems administrator at the Office of Academic Computing at the University of California at Irvine andhave been asked to modify the Unix system to prevent the reoccurrence of the Machado incident
Scenario #2:
You are a systems administrator at the Office of Academic Computing at the University of California at Irvine andhave been asked to develop an orientation program for students who will use university computing laboratories and facilities. Specialemphasis is put on preventing a reoccurrence of the Machado incident.
1. Identify key components of the STS
| Part/Level of Analysis | Hardware | Software | Physical Surroundings | People, Groups,&Roles | Procedures | Laws&Regulations | Data&Data Structures |
2. Specify the problem:
2a. Is the problem a disagreement on facts? What are the facts? What are cost and time constraints onuncovering and communicating these facts?
2b. Is the problem a disagreement on a critical concept? What is the concept? Can agreement be reached byconsulting legal or regulatory information on the concept? (For example, if the concept in question is safety, can disputantsconsult engineering codes, legal precedents, or ethical literature that helps provide consensus? Can disputants agree on positive andnegative paradigm cases so the concept disagreement can be resolved through line-drawing methods?
2c. Use the table to identify and locate value conflicts within the STS. Can the problem be specified as amismatch between a technology and the existing STS, a mismatch within the STS exacerbated by the introduction of the technology,or by overlooked results?
| STS/Value | Safety (freedom from harm) | Justice (Equity&Access) | Privacy | Property | Free Speech |
| Hardware/software | |||||
| Physical Surroundings | |||||
| People, Groups,&Roles | |||||
| Procedures | |||||
| Laws | |||||
| Data&Data Structures |
3. Develop a general solution strategy andthen brainstorm specific solutions:
| Problem / Solution Strategy | Disagreement | Value Conflict | Situational Constraints | ||
| Factual | Conceptual | Integrate? | Tradeoff? | Resource?Technical?Interest |
3a. Is problem one of integrating values, resolving disagreements, or responding to situationalconstraints?
3b. If the conflict comes from a value mismatch, then can it be solved by modifying one or more of thecomponents of the STS? Which one?
4. Test solutions:
| Alternative / Test | Reversibility | Value: Justice | Value: Responsibility | Value: Respect | Harm | Code |
| A #1 | ||||||
| A #2 | ||||||
| A #3 |
5. Implement solution over feasibility constraints
| Alternative Constraint | Resource | Interest | Technical | ||||
| Time | Cost | Individual | Organization | Legal/ Social | Available Techno-logy | Manufacturability | |
| #1 | |||||||
| #2 | |||||||
| #3 |
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