Importance of Intellectual Property

The case study is about the analysis of the students’ understanding in analyzing a given scenario to apply concepts and ethical theories studied in IT407 (professional issues). Student is required to answer all of the questions based on the given scenario with respect to what they have learned in IT407.

In mid-2017, Zain-Alabdin Tawfiq lunched a software application called “Sarahah”. It is a Saudi Arabian social networking service for providing constructive feedback. The app went through ups and downs in terms of technical and ethical concerns.  Your job in the first phase of this case study is to establish a sloid background about the “Sarahah” application by answering the questions in part-one.

For start you can visit this website( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarahah ).

Your answer should be as follow:

1. Answer all the questions based on your point of view.
2. You can use multiple sources to cite your answer.
3. Your answer should be comprehensive. Yes/No answers are not enough. Try to elaborate your answer from what you have studied in the course.

The following link may help you answer some of the questions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-43174619

Part-two

According to Sarahah, messages are anonymous in which you cannot know the sender’s true identity.

1. For public interest, what are the moral responsibilities/Acts that the software engineers of Sarahah should consider regarding solving the cyberbullying issue?
2. Despite the fact that Apple and Google have excluded Sarahah, it is still operating on the web (sarahah.com). Discuss whether or not Sarahah should also exist in Apple and Google stores again. Explain your answer using a workable ethical theory.

[1 mark for each question]

After the Sarahah app is released, a group of people created an app called “Detector for Sarahah”, which aims to uncover the name of the sender. The app’s purpose was opposite to the original intent of Sarahah, which keeps the sender anonymous.

1. Discuss whether the course of action of the creator of “Detector for Sarahah” is right or wrong from the perspective of Utilitarian and Kantian Analysis.
2. Is it applicable to use Computer Fraud and Abuse Act against the “Detector for Sarahah” app? Why and Why not?

[1 mark for each question]

Assume that a software company named “ABC” decided to create a similar application that acts precisely like Sarahah. What can the company do to safely develop the application without violating Saraharh copyrights?