Contact: "Greg Johnson -aka CCGREG@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Ethics University of Missouri-Kansas City Modern computer technology places extraordinary power and information in the hands of users. This power carries with it matching responsibility. Computer information should be treated no differently than the written word. Viewing and using another person's computer files, programs, or data without authorized permission is an invasion of privacy and unethical behavior which may be considered plagiarism. Ethical standards apply even when material is left unprotected. Respect for intellectual labor and creativity is vital to academic discourse and enterprise. This principle applies to works of all authors and publishers in all media. It encompasses respect for the right to acknowledgement, right to privacy, and right to determine the form, manner, and terms of publication and distribution. Because electronic information is volatile and easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal expression of others is especially critical in computer environments. Violations of authorial integrity, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, and trade secret and copy-right violations, may be grounds for sanctions against members of the academic community. (The above paragraphs are reproduced from "Using Software (A Guide to the Ethical and Legal Use of Software for Members of the Academic Community"). For questions regarding use of certain software, call the Help Desk. >From UMKC, Access A New Era, January 1988. Note: Recently UMC suspended an employee for violating our ethics policies; specifically, using a pen plotter to draw huge banners for non-university use. We might not have noticed had not the plotter burned out a couple of times from cross-hatching 2-foot high block letters. In addition to being suspended from work for 6 weeks, his manager asked him to present a research paper on computer ethics as part of the terms of his reinstatement! In a similar case here, a graduate student printed thousands of stick-on labels for a local ethnic grocery. However, he graduated and returned home before we could complete the case, so we've let it drop. We also encountered students trading their student userids for use with TELNET and e-mail, so our ID policy requiring enrollment is now enforced much more vigilantly.