Transcript Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

Computer Ethics –
The Ten
Commandments
Ten Commandments
of Computer Ethics
• Commandment: an instruction; a requirement
•Ethics: a code of conduct; how a person
should live.
1. You shall not use a computer
to harm other people.
• Intentionally interfering with other
people’s work
• Invading the privacy of individuals
2. You shall not interfere with
other people's computer work.
• Degrading or disrupting equipment,
software, or system performance.
• Using resources to interfere with the
proper operation of any computer, or
destroy data.
• Intentionally interfering with other
people’s work
• Invading the privacy of individuals
3. You shall not snoop around in
other people's computer files.
• Using an account owned by
another user, or allowing another
user to access your account.
• Invading the privacy of individuals
4. You shall not use a computer
to steal.
• Using resources in any manner
that breaks the law or violates
company policy. This can include
the unauthorised copying or
transmission of software.
5. You shall not use a computer
to bear false witness.
• You should not be responsible for
creating or forwarding “chain” letters.
• You should not download, store, print,
or distributing files or messages that
are profane, obscene, threatening, or
that use language that offends or is
aimed at degrading others.
6. You shall not copy or use proprietary
software for which you have not paid.
• You should not use resources in any
manner that violates company policy or
breaks the law, including the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act. This means
that you should not be copying or
transmitting software for which you do
not have a licence
7. You shall not use other people's
computer resources without authorisation
or proper compensation.
• You should not try to pass off
information obtained via the Internet or
as part of your working life as your
own. You should always give proper
credit to the source.
• You should not post personal
communication without the original
author’s consent.
8. You shall not appropriate other
people's intellectual output.
• Posting personal communication
without the original author’s
consent.
• Using information obtained
through network and computer
resources without giving proper
credit to the source (plagiarism).
9. You shall think about the social
consequences of the program you are
writing or the system you are designing.
• Downloading, storing, printing, or
distributing files or messages that
are profane, obscene, threatening,
or that use language that offends
or tends to degrade others.
10. You shall always use a computer in
ways that show consideration and
respect for your fellow humans.
• Downloading, storing, printing, or
distributing files or messages that
contain information considered
dangerous to the public at large.
References
• “Ten Commandments of Computer
Ethics”.
(http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/
WorldCodes/10.Commandments.html)
Computer Ethics Institute, Washington
DC. (7 July 2003).
• Port Byron Central School District
Technology Code of Conduct for
Students. (Adopted July 2000.)