Friday Forum: Car Wars--Uber & Lyft vs. Standard Taxis and City Regulations

One of the biggest developments in transportation during 2014 was the rise of ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft. These companies, along with several others, have threatened the standard practice of taxis and cities' efforts to regulate them.

Read the following articles and watch the videos to find out more about these ride sharing programs and what makes them so controversial.







KC: Ridesharing Program Lyft Operating Illegally

In Ride Sharing Debate, Who is the Bad Guy?

Uber Drives Useful Change in Cab Industry

Why Google's ride-sharing program should terrify Uber and Lyft


Discussion Questions
1. Should Uber, Lyft, and other ride share programs be regulated like taxis?
2. What are the dangers or concerns of ride share programs?
3. What do you think of Google's plan to implement their own ride sharing program, however without actual drivers? Would you trust a driverless car? What other advantages do you see for driverless cars?

Cyberwarfare, Cyberterrorism, and Cyber Crime Assessment

Please go to this link to answer questions related to our unit on cyber crimes and cyber warfare. Good luck!

WikiLeaks: Should Julian Assange be Prosecuted?

Yesterday we looked at the case of Julian Assange and the website WikiLeaks, responsible for releasing thousands of classified US State Department documents. Because of his actions, there are calls to have him prosecuted for threatening national security. Others have defended his right to publish information under the First Amendment's freedom of the press.

First, read what three legal experts believe about the WikiLeaks case and a potential indictment under the 1917 Espionage Act.

U.S. vs. WikiLeaks: Can Assange Be Prosecuted?


Next, read these two brief editorials about whether Julian Assange should be prosecuted.

Prosecute Assange Under the Espionage Act

WikiLeaks Prosecution Would Set Bad Precedent

What do you think? Is this a violation of the Espionage Act? Should Assange be prosecuted? Is he protected under the 1st Amendment? Would this be different if it was a newspaper like the NY Times or Washington Post revealing this information?

WikiLeaks and Julian Assange

One of the most famous cases of the use of the internet to both acquire and publish information is the website WikiLeaks. Founded by Julian Assange in 2006, it became famous in 2010 for its release of US diplomatic cables and classified military information, leaked by US Army officer Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning.

While some consider Assange's acts illegal and others (Joe Biden) have called him a terrorist, he has been widely recognized for bringing to light government corruption throughout the world and was voted Time magazine people's choice for person of the year.

Is Assange a hero for freedom of the press or a criminal intent on causing trouble?

Cybercrime/Hacker Groups: Anonymous, Lizard Squad, & Lulzsec

Hacker groups have made headlines for attacks on other websites, corporations, gaming systems, and even government sites. Among the most famous are Anonymous, Lizard Squad, and Lulzsec. Who is behind these groups? What is their motive? Are they a form of online vigilante justice or criminals hiding behind a keyboard?

This is Lizard Squad

LulzSec: What They Did, Who They Were, and How They Got Caught

Activists or Attackers: Anonymous

Choose one of the above groups and read the article about them. Also check out the wikipedia page about your group and make a list of some of their well known hacktivity.


Anonymous, Lizard Squad, and Lulzsec are not the only hacker groups causing problems. Read about a few others that are active in disrupting systems.