Computer Citizenship
Now that you have a computer on the Internet you have many rights and
privileges you didn't have before. It is important that you understand that
you are now a member of a large world community, and that you need to
respect others and use your new privileges wisely. The basic idea is that
you should not do to others what you would not like done to yourself; you
must respect the property of others and ask for advice whenever you're not
sure what is proper. Many of the problems occur not because people intend
to cause them but because they occur by accident or through carelessness and
because computers make it easy to act improperly. The purpose of this lesson is
to help you to be aware of possible problems and to help you make the right decisions.
Keep in mind that there is a difference between doing things that are unethical from
doing things that are illegal. Acts that are illegal are decided by courts of law and usually
carry penalties. Acts that are unethical are acts that are socially unacceptable. Parking by
an expired meter is illegal, but it is not unethical.Telling a lie to a classmate so that you will
get a better grade is legal but not ethical.Being a good computer citizen means being ethical,
legal, and considerate of others.
privileges you didn't have before. It is important that you understand that
you are now a member of a large world community, and that you need to
respect others and use your new privileges wisely. The basic idea is that
you should not do to others what you would not like done to yourself; you
must respect the property of others and ask for advice whenever you're not
sure what is proper. Many of the problems occur not because people intend
to cause them but because they occur by accident or through carelessness and
because computers make it easy to act improperly. The purpose of this lesson is
to help you to be aware of possible problems and to help you make the right decisions.
Keep in mind that there is a difference between doing things that are unethical from
doing things that are illegal. Acts that are illegal are decided by courts of law and usually
carry penalties. Acts that are unethical are acts that are socially unacceptable. Parking by
an expired meter is illegal, but it is not unethical.Telling a lie to a classmate so that you will
get a better grade is legal but not ethical.Being a good computer citizen means being ethical,
legal, and considerate of others.