Discussion questions for April 7, 2009

web spam.pdf
"Spam: It's Not Just for Inboxes Anymore"
Computer, Oct. 2005, pp. 28-34

1.  Why do the authors believe that Web spam is worse than e-mail spam?
Do you agree with their reasoning?

2.  Types of spam/Example spam tactics (create page of only affiliate links)

3.  How do search engines respond to spam?


democracy & filtering.pdf
"Democracy and Filtering"
Communications of the ACM, Dec. 2004, pp. 57-59

4.  What does the author mean by "filtering"?  What concerns does the
author have about it?  Why is it a "danger" to democracy?

5.  What aspect of social psychology is discussed in the article?

6.  How important are "intermediaries" and "common spaces" ?  
Are they a panacea?

7.  What assumptions is the author making?  Are there possible flaws in the
argument?


academia censorship.pdf
"Balancing Free Speech and Censorship: Academia's Response to the Internet"
Communications of the ACM, Nov. 2003, pp. 105-109

8.  Why do some colleges censor Internet access?  Why does this issue
exist?  Give your overall impression as to how fair and effective such 
censorship policies may be.

9.  How does the issue of Internet censorship differ depending on the type
of institution offering the service (e.g. school, library, office, cafe)?

10.  Is there a distinction between the freedom of expression on the
Internet and the freedom to discover other people's expression?  Also
comment on other issues raised by the article.