![[ABACUS-THE FIRST COMPUTER MACHINE]](ABACUS.gif)
The responsible use of computers and computer networks. Malicious misuse of computers is rare, but serious misjudgments by well-meaning people are unfortunately common. Some important points to remember are the following:1. People have the same legal and ethical responsibilities when using a computer as at any other time.Slander, deception, harassment, etc., are just as wrong when done via computer as when done any other way, and they incur the same legal penalities.
Using a computer without the ownner's permission is prosecutable as theft of services (just like using any other machine without the owner's permission). Damaging property or data by releasing a computer virus is also prosecutable crime.
2. Computers will not necessarily prevent all improper acts; users are responsible for what they do.For example, if a computer is set up incorrectly so that it lets unauthorized people use it without a password, that does not justify the unauthorised usage, just as a defective door lock does not justify burglary.
3. Some of the information stored in computers is private and cconfidential and should not be abused.This applies particularly to credit records, educational records, and the like. Such information may also be incomplete or inaccurate because people did not correct errors that they considered inconsequential. If the information is later used for a completely different purpose, the errors can be damaging.
4. Electronic communications are not guaranteed to be private:You do not know what path your electronic mail follows or who may see it en route. Do not send credit card numbers or other confidential information through e-mail unless you have confirmed that it is travelling by a secure path.
Also, be aware that e-mail can be faked; yes it can be faked; there is no guarantee that a piece of mail came from the person or site shown on the header.
5. Users must repect software copyrights and licences.The price of a piece of software is more than just the cost of the disk and manual; it's also your share of the cost of developing the product. If people don't pay for the software, there will be no software.
6. Manufacturers, programers, and independent consultants have responsiblities to their customers.It's wrong to claim to be more of an expert than you really are; it's also wrong to sell a shoddy product while concealing defects in it. Admittdely, no one can ensure that any complex piece of software is 100% reliable, but common decency requires programmers and vendors to act in good faith-- when there's a problem, do your best to correct it or at least warn the user about it.
In the past, many manufacturers have tried to disclaim all responsibility for the performance of their products, but there are encoraging signs that the user community will no longer tolerate this dubious practice.
7. On the Internet, you are everyone else's guest.The cost of running the Internet is paid by the sites that receive messages, not just the sites that send them. Accordingly, you must be careful what you send out, and to whom.
Clik the links below to learn more about computer ethics.
MailBombing| Netiquette| Spamming| Spoofing
MailBombing
Mail bombing: the practice of trying to flood an obnoxious person with gigantic amounts of e-mail. This is a very bad idea for several reasons. It clogs up facilities needed by other poeople, not just the intended recipient. More importantly people who act obnoxious on the Internet generally falsify their addresses, thereby bringing down floods of wrath upon innocent victims.Netiquette
Netiquette: (network etiquette) the conventional practices that make the INTERNET usable. More than just politeness, netiquette involves fundamental respect for the rights of other users who are helping pay the cost of running the network.For example, it is unacceptable to post off-topic material in NEWS GROUPS, be rude during chats, ask people to do your homework for you, or bother them with commercial solicitations.
Spamming
Spamming: the practice of trying to reach a large number of audience on the Internet by posting the same message to all available newsgroups or emailing it to all possible addresses.Spamming considered seriously unethical for two reasons. First, newsgroups and e-mailwould be useless if they routinely contained unwanted material. Second, the cost of transporting e-mail and newsgroup postings is not paid by the sender; it is paid by the recipient's site and other sites along the way.Thus, it is important not to impose expenses on people by sending them unwanted material.
Spoofing
Spoofing: the act of impersonating a user or a machine. For example, IP spoofing is the act of attaching a computer to the Internet using an IP ADDRESS assigned to a different computer, thereby intercepting communications intended for the other machine.