Following our discussion of the relationship of strength to justice--if you can, should you?--helped along by the character of Thrasymachus in Plato's Republic last week, we're turning to a related but different question this week.  

To do this, we are considering the point of view most memorably stated in the original Spider-man as "with great power there must also come--great responsibility!"

Over the course of this semester, you have acquired a special "superpower"--hacking skills.  You've learned computer hacking and social engineering skills, and practiced applying them in varied environments.  At the same time, we've zoomed in on some big ideas in moral philosophy (ethics)--ideas about privacy and property and contracts and virtue and integrity and other things.  From time to time we've explored the points of connection between specific problems in the ethics of hacking (including penetration testing, hacktivism, jailbreaking, etc.) and big ideas in moral philosophy.

Now, in our very last ethics assignment, it's time for you to put the thinking skills you've learned into practice. 

For this week, by Monday at 9:00 PM, please make a new post to the blog responding to this prompt.  What sorts of moral responsibilities come with the hacking powers you have acquired this semester?  Be specific and precise!  What powers have you acquired?  What responsibilities do you take on with those powers?

Email me if you have any questions about this assignment!