Internet Basics for ESL Students
Lesson 12
Ethics and Privacy

Dictionary

• The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus

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Keywords: database, encryption, cookie, hacker, cracker, censorship,

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Dialogue 1: Want a cookie?

Pair work. Practice the conversation. Paul: When you are using the World Wide Web some companies are building databases of information about you. Jim: Why are they doing that? Paul: Most want to help you find information about their company. Jim: How does my computer give them information? Paul: Each time you visit one of these company's web sites it puts data in a special file called a cookie in your browser's directory.

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Reading: How safe is Email?
If you write an Email to a friend or co-worker, how safe is it? A standard Email is about as safe as a postcard in regular mail. An experienced computer user could find a way to read it as it passes through a mail server. Never send your private messages or company information over the Internet unless it has been encrypted.

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Group discussion:

1. If you send Email to a friend, should anyone be able to read it?
2. Should a government be able to read all its citizens Email?
3. If a picture is legal in one country but illegal in another, should it be banned from the Internet?

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Dialogue 2: Pretty Good Privacy

Pair work. Practice the conversation. Jim: Hi Linda. What are you doing? Linda: I'm trying to learn how to use PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). Jim: What's that? Linda: It's software that encrypts your data so you can send it over the Internet safely. Jim: Why do you want to do that? Linda: I want to send my boss the latest company financial reports by Email, but I don't want anyone else reading them.

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Match the word with the definition:

encryption	a person who enjoys writing computer code
cookie	encoding a file to keep it safe
hacker	a person who breaks into computer systems
cracker	a file used to store information

Check your answers encryption: encoding a file to keep it safe cookie: a file used to store information hacker: a person who enjoys writing computer code cracker: a person who breaks into computer systems

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Group work:
Make a list of good things computers contribute to society:
For example: Computers make flying airplanes safer.

Make a list of problems computers can cause:
For example: Using computers means less direct person to person contact.

Discuss your list with your partner and the group.

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Dialogue 3: Censorship

Pair work. Practice the conversation. Jim: Did you know that hate groups like the neo-Nazis are using the Internet to spread information? Linda: Yeah, I heard about it. The German government was asking web servers all over the world to censor those pages. Jim: Censoring free speech can't be done in countries like the US. Linda: If people don't want to read the page they shouldn't go to it. Jim: It's more important for people to put up pages with opposing views.

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Activities:

1. Take a practice test.
2. Hangman