Book Review: Social Issues in Computing: Putting Computing In Its Place Edited by Chuck Huff and Thomas Finholt (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994)

Social Issues in C)mtputing is a textbook that addresses some of the more salient social and ethical issues of computing that have recently been produced by social scientists. Though it is geared primarily towards undergraduate computer science students, given its timeliness, this reader can be used in the increasing variety of courses-from educational technology and the information sciences to sociology and communication studies-that touch on the social implications of computing. Huff and Finholt's purpose in compiling the reader is to inform the CS student of the relationship between technological design, the myriad social uses surrounding design practices, and the ethical dimensions that often arise out of this matrix. Their inclusion of readings that demand multi-levels of analysis should help to create more socially literate analyses of technology as well as provide more challenging and critical examinations of technological processes. Designing computer systems for real people in real organizations is part of their "conviction that ethical concern, social awareness, and quality design are intricately linked to form what we call a design ethic." Authors Huffand Bruce Jawer, in explicating the design ethic, urge students and future computer professionals to become involved in both global and local action. Global action involves participation in organizations such as ACM's SIGCAS, the EFF, CPSR, and IFIP, whereas students can act locally by subscribing to the design ethic itself. To this end the authors advocate the preparation of social impact statements as first elaborated by Ben Shneiderman. ,Social Issues in Computing is organized into five broad topic areas: fimdamental issues surrounding the social context of computing, the risks of technology, computers and the workplace, human rights, and computers and education. Issues investigated include: repetitive strain injury, safety-critical technologies and errors, computer crime, expert systems, telework, organizational impact of computers, equitable access to computing, computers and disabilities, privacy and surveillance, sot~ware ownership and piracy, uses of computer technology for cooperative education, and social isolation associated with computing (including Turkle's study of the hacker). The readings are previously published articles from Computers and Socie(v, Communications of the ACM, IEEE Technology and 5bciety A.lagazine, and some commissioned pieces. Ron Anderson's paper on the development of the ACM Code of Ethics and Steve Cisler's excellent article on issues involving access to the National Research and Education Network, the successor to the research and education portion of the Internet in the United States, are among those commissioned for the book. As …