Please help me answer all the given questions for the case study 1. Charged with installing computer chips that resulted in emitting excessive amounts of carbon dioxide fromtheir Cadillacs, General Motors (GM) agreed in December 1995 to recall nearly 500,000 late-model Cadillacsand pay nearly $45 million in fines and recall costs. Lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and the Justice Department contended that GM knew that the design change would result in pollutionproblems. Rejecting this claim, GM released a statement saying that the case was ‘‘a matter of interpretation’’of complex regulations, but that it had ‘‘worked extremely hard to resolve the matter and avoid litigation.’’ According to EPA and Justice Department officials, the $11 million civil penalty was the third largest penaltyin a pollution case, the second largest such penalty under the Clean Air Act, and the largest involving motorvehicle pollution. This was also the first case of a court ordering an automobile recall to reduce pollutionrather than to improve safety or dependability. Government officials said that in 1990 a new computer chip was designed for the engine controls of CadillacSeville and Deville models. This was in response to car owners’ complaints that these cars tended to stallwhen the climate control system was running. The chips injected additional fuel into the engine wheneverthis system was running. But this resulted in tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide well in excess of theregulations. Although the cars are usually driven with the climate control system running, tests used forcertifying the meeting of emission standards were conducted when the system was not running. This wasstandard practice for emission tests throughout the automotive industry. However, EPA officials argued that under the Clean Air Act, GM should have informed them that the Cadillac’sdesign was changed in a way that would result in violating pollution standards under normal drivingconditions. In 1970, the officials said, automobile manufacturers were directed not to get around testing rulesby designing cars that technically pass the tests but that nevertheless cause avoidable pollution. GM’scompetitors, the officials contended, complied with that directive.A GM spokesperson said that testing emissions with the climate control running was not required because‘‘it was not in the rules, not in the regulations; it’s not in the Clean Air Act.’’ However, claiming that GMdiscovered the problem in 1991, Justice Department environmental lawyer Thomas P. Carroll objected toGM’s continued inclusion of the chip in the 1992–1995 models: ‘‘They should have gone back and re-engineered it to improve the emissions.’’ In agreeing to recall the vehicles, GM said it now had a way ofcontrolling the stalling problem without increasing pollution. This involves ‘‘new fueling calibrations,’’ GMsaid, and it ‘‘should have no adverse effect on the driveability of the vehicles involved.’’ What responsibilities did GM engineers have in regard to either causing or resolving the problems with theCadillac Seville and Deville models? 2. According to John Markoff’s ‘‘Odyssey of a Hacker: From Outlaw to Consultant,’’ John T. Draper is attemptingto become a ‘‘white-hat’’ hacker as a way of repaying society for previous wrongdoing.82 In the early 1970s,Draper became known as ‘‘Cap’n Crunch’’ after discovering how to use a toy whistle in the Cap’n Crunchcereal box to access the telephone network in order to get free telephone calls. While serving time in jail forhis misdeeds, he came up with the early design for EasyWriter, IBM’s first word-processing program for itsfirst PC in 1981. However, says Markoff, in subsequent years Draper used his skills to hack into computernetworks, became a millionaire, lost jobs, and experienced homelessness. Now, however, Draper has beenenlisted to help operate an Internet security software and consulting firm that specializes in protecting theonline property of corporations. Draper says, ‘‘I’m not a bad guy.’’ However, realizing there are bound to be doubters, he adds, ‘‘But I’m being treated like a fox trying to guardthe hen house.’’ SRI International’s computer security expert Peter Neumann summarizes the concern:Whether black hats can become white hats is not a black-and-white question. In general, there are quite afew black hats who have gone straight and become very effective. But the simplistic idea that hiring overtlyblack-hat folks will increase your security is clearly a myth. Discuss the ethical issues this case raises. What might reasonably convince doubters that Draper has, indeed,reformed? Are customers of the consulting firm entitled to know about Draper’s history and his role at thefirm?
Please help me answer all the given questions for the case study
1. Charged with installing computer chips that resulted in emitting excessive amounts of carbon dioxide fromtheir Cadillacs, General Motors (GM) agreed in December 1995 to recall nearly 500,000 late-model Cadillacsand pay nearly $45 million in fines and recall costs. Lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and the Justice Department contended that GM knew that the design change would result in pollutionproblems. Rejecting this claim, GM released a statement saying that the case was ‘‘a matter of interpretation’’of complex regulations, but that it had ‘‘worked extremely hard to resolve the matter and avoid litigation.’’
According to EPA and Justice Department officials, the $11 million civil penalty was the third largest penaltyin a pollution case, the second largest such penalty under the Clean Air Act, and the largest involving motorvehicle pollution. This was also the first case of a court ordering an automobile recall to reduce pollutionrather than to improve safety or dependability.
Government officials said that in 1990 a new computer chip was designed for the engine controls of CadillacSeville and Deville models. This was in response to car owners’ complaints that these cars tended to stallwhen the climate
However, EPA officials argued that under the Clean Air Act, GM should have informed them that the Cadillac’sdesign was changed in a way that would result in violating pollution standards under normal drivingconditions. In 1970, the officials said, automobile manufacturers were directed not to get around testing rulesby designing cars that technically pass the tests but that nevertheless cause avoidable pollution. GM’scompetitors, the officials contended, complied with that directive.A GM spokesperson said that testing emissions with the climate control running was not required because‘‘it was not in the rules, not in the regulations; it’s not in the Clean Air Act.’’ However, claiming that GMdiscovered the problem in 1991, Justice Department environmental lawyer Thomas P. Carroll objected toGM’s continued inclusion of the chip in the 1992–1995 models: ‘‘They should have gone back and re-engineered it to improve the emissions.’’ In agreeing to recall the vehicles, GM said it now had a way ofcontrolling the stalling problem without increasing pollution. This involves ‘‘new fueling calibrations,’’ GMsaid, and it ‘‘should have no adverse effect on the driveability of the vehicles involved.’’
What responsibilities did GM engineers have in regard to either causing or resolving the problems with theCadillac Seville and Deville models?
2. According to John Markoff’s ‘‘Odyssey of a Hacker: From Outlaw to Consultant,’’ John T. Draper is attemptingto become a ‘‘white-hat’’ hacker as a way of repaying society for previous wrongdoing.82 In the early 1970s,Draper became known as ‘‘Cap’n Crunch’’ after discovering how to use a toy whistle in the Cap’n Crunchcereal box to access the telephone network in order to get free telephone calls. While serving time in jail forhis misdeeds, he came up with the early design for EasyWriter, IBM’s first word-processing program for itsfirst PC in 1981. However, says Markoff, in subsequent years Draper used his skills to hack into computernetworks, became a millionaire, lost jobs, and experienced homelessness. Now, however, Draper has beenenlisted to help operate an Internet security software and consulting firm that specializes in protecting theonline property of corporations. Draper says, ‘‘I’m not a bad guy.’’
However, realizing there are bound to be doubters, he adds, ‘‘But I’m being treated like a fox trying to guardthe hen house.’’ SRI International’s computer security expert Peter Neumann summarizes the concern:Whether black hats can become white hats is not a black-and-white question. In general, there are quite afew black hats who have gone straight and become very effective. But the simplistic idea that hiring overtlyblack-hat folks will increase your security is clearly a myth.
Discuss the ethical issues this case raises. What might reasonably convince doubters that Draper has, indeed,reformed? Are customers of the consulting firm entitled to know about Draper’s history and his role at thefirm?
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