Summary Law, Technology & Society

Summary Law, Technology & Society (all knowledge clips and tutorial sessions)
Week 1 – Introduction video
- No relevant notes




Week 1 – Knowledge Clip – Ashley
DNA
- Two chains around each other  double helix
- Carries genetic instructions for developing, functioning & reproduction
- Unique, 23 chromosomes
- 23andme kit, spit, report
- Confronting information, e.g. father is not your father


Paula + Ashley + Jeff
- Did DNA test at 23andme with daughter Ashley
- $99
- Jeff test for his birthday  not Ashley’s father
- Paula should know this because of infidelity
- Or faulty technology
- Artificial insemination with Jeff’s sperm
- Ashley is really smart
- Mix-up sperm at clinic
- 2 DNA tests for Ashley
- Second cousin Cheryl
- Very similar
- Family member Tom = sperm donor
- 1 + 1 + 1 = Ashley
- Cheryl - Tom
- Cheryl - Ashley
- Tom donor from Salt Lake City
 Salt Lake City = where the clinic is
- Tom worked there  front desk
- Dozens of photos on desk were his biological kids



This technology
- Seems nice, harmless & fun
- Change states of knowledge
- Might harm us
- Causes problems where there are none/less/others
- Is this the problem?
- Reveals new info
- Much more radical things to who we are as human being
- Movie: ouders weten hoe die doodgaat + wat voor ziekte (de kans erop) + “perfect kind”
- So: technological progress raises (new) issues
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,- Regulatory reflex = we need new regulation
- Paula: DNA testing should be mandatory
- Flawed law syndrome = the above
= “The law is not set up to handle claims like this. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t
be.”




Week 1 – Knowledge clip – LTS model
- LTS = law, technology & society
- New technology  issue  intervention
- Technology not in a vacuum





- Fundamental values: normative outlooks, privacy
- Values + regulation change as a result of use of technology
- Technology developed in view of exisiting regulation & values



LTS model
- Start with new technology
- Like self-driving car (for blind person maybe)
- Need to move
- Creates issue
- Problem: car bumps into things
- Risk: genetically modified organisms (GMOs) lead to health concerns
- Can’t be on markets
- Developers know certain existing regulations but no legal experts
- Sometimes not compliant with it
- Things not handled by existing regulation or unintended regulatory effects or regulation
doesn’t apply to certain technology
= Regulatory gap/disconnect
 Maybe need/desire intervention
- Like wanting new regulation for 21st century warfare (autonomous
robotic weapons that can kill)
- But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
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, - Law is wrong/needs fixed
- But it is flexible
 Intervention
- Enforce existing rules when there is no compliance
= Enforcement
- Don’t comply speed limit  give fines
- When there is a regulatory gap, then regulation
- After intervention new cycle


Function model
- Provides perspectives
1. Relation between action & responses
- Issues caused by actions
- Critical model
- What are relevant features to discuss of technology?
- Who decides what’s on issue? Stakeholders?
- Why regulate? Who, when, what?
- Toolboxes
- From ethics, law studies
- Analyse/develop interventions


Test the model
= Self-driving car
- No steering wheel: don’t need it
- Only need to tell the car where to go
- BUT every vehicle needs a driver
- Seen as a human being
- Google Car only has passengers
- Enforcing this rule would hamper innovation & social utility (= blind person can be
helped)
 Amend (= aanpassen/goed maken) the regulation


- Build it ourselves: Comma One
- Box you put in car
- Quasi-autonomously
- Standard Honda
 Stick to the rules + need a regulator (they told him that & it is off the market)




Week 1 – Knowledge clip – Technology & disruption
- Our life unthinkable without technology
 We are technology
- See LTS model



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, Clark & Fourastié model
- 4 (5) sector model of economy
1. Extraction of raw materials (primary)
- Picking apples & eating them
2. Manufacturing (secondary)
- Flower, butter, heat it  apple pie
3. Services (tertiary)
- You pick apples, I bake
- De een beter erin dan de ander
4. Information services (quaternary)
- You can help people with providing information
- Site for where to find the best apple pie  Google
5. Non-profit services (quinary)
- Provide health hazards of eating apple pie


Phases
1. Traditional civilizations
- Primary 70%, secondary 20%, tertiary 10%
2. Transitional period (industrialization)
- Primary 50%, secondary 30%, tertiary 20%
3. Tertiary civilizations
- Primary 10%, secondary 20%, tertiary 70%
- Financial, state, services
- Also works for countries
- Technology changes this
- Makes us adaptable



4 major changes
1. Atoms replaced by bits
- Tangibles to intangibles
- Data more valuable
- Moore’s law: every 2 years the computing power of a chip doubles/computers become twice
as powerful every 2 years
- Hard drive storage has become much cheaper
 We collect, store and use much more data now
- Control of things to control of information
- Production cost
- Reproducibility (without quality loss)
- Seller has control
- Rivalrous vs non-rivalrous
- Rivalrous: if I play the CD, you can’t
- Non-rivalrous: my use doesn’t effect yours of the same things
- Spotify album
- Effects
- From ownership to use rights
- Transition from brick & morter (B&M) economy to services is hard for industry
- More services than actual things

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