Legal and Ethical Issues for the Web
Instructor: Doug Bocaz-Larson Email: [email protected]
Phone: 287-6656 Office: 124
Office hours/Tutoring:
Description
Computers have become powerful tools that are a part of our daily lives.
The internet has created connections between people throughout the world but
has also made it possible for criminal activity to take a new form. Every time
we log into the internet will are presented with ethical issues. This course will
explore the legal and ethical issues that have been created as a result of the
internet.
Legal and Ethical Issues for the Web is 1 credit. This
course covers legal, ethical, copyright, and privacy issues specific to the
Internet. CS209 is a substitution for
the OELA205 requirement in the Web Mastery degree.
Some Experience Required
Students with no computer experience should consider taking OECS 101
Computer Basics or CS110G Computer Literacy before taking this course. The course relies heavily on the WebCT Discussion Room.
You must attend one of the WebCT orientations
if you do not have experience using WebCT.
Text
There is no text for this course.
Instructor Availability
I will be happy to work with you in the room 124 computer lab at NMSU-Grants
at scheduled times. Please call my cell phone (505-290-1739) or my office (505-287-6656)
or email me ([email protected]) for questions or to arrange a time to meet. Email is actually the quickest way to reach
me followed by leaving a message on my cell phone. I check my office phone the least often. Feel
free to ask questions anytime. Most importantly, turn your assignments in on
time and don't get behind.
Evaluation for CS209
Responses to Discussions = 50% of the grade
Responses to Other Students Postings in the Discussion Room = 50% of the grade
Deadlines
Students must meet the deadlines in order to receive full credit for
assignments and projects. 10% will be taken off for each day the assignment is
late up to 40%. If 10% of the assignments
in the course are late, then your final grade will be deducted by 10% which
means you will not receive an A.
Final deadline for all 1st 4 week assignments – February 6
Final deadline for all 2nd 4 week assignments – March 8
Failure to meet the above deadlines may result in your being dropped from the course by the first 4 weeks or a failing grade on the 2nd 4 week assignments.
Grading scale
100-90% A
89-80% B
79-70% C
69-60% D
below 59% F
Important Dates
January 14 Classes Begin
January 19 MLK No Class
February 11 Last day to drop (1st 8 week)
March 10 Last Day of Class (1st 8 week)
March 22-26 Spring Break No Class
Words of Wisdom
When you take a course about computers, you get out of it what you put into it. Computers are constantly changing and you must be constantly learning to keep on the cutting edge. A class in computers will help you get started, but it is up to you to go that extra mile to become an expert. Working with computers is like learning a musical instrument. You don’t become a good musician without practice. It is the same with computers. If you don’t practice and develop your skills on your own, then you’ll never be a true techie. No computer class can teach you everything you need to know on a topic. Computer courses are a jumping off point to a journey, not a destination.
Important Notes to Students
If you have, or believe you have, a
disability that interferes with your performance as a student in this class,
you are encouraged for academic reasons to discuss this on a confidential basis
with your instructor and/or The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Coordinator in the Main Office or by calling 287-7981. If you have a condition
that may affect your ability to exit from the premises in case of an emergency,
you are urged, for safety reasons, to notify the
Any student found
guilty of academic misconduct shall be subject to disciplinary action. Academic
misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following actions: cheating;
plagiarism; unauthorized possession of examinations, reserve library materials
or laboratory materials; unauthorized changing of grades on an examination,
instructor’s grade book or grade report; nondisclosure or misrepresentation in
filing out applications or other college records; or violation of computer use
policies. The following disciplinary actions and sanctions may be imposed for
any of the above infractions of regulations: disciplinary probation,
disciplinary suspension, dismissal, expulsion.
Assignments
Assignment Grading
Guidelines
Students are required to participate in all discussions.
Discussions consist of short responses to topics. A short response should be 50
to 100 words. You must then comment on the responses of three other students in
the class for EACH topic.
Complete the following:
Getting
Started
Introduction
Part 1: Personal Ethics
Part 2: Student Ethics
Part 3: Media Ethics (Music, Sex and Violence)
Part 4: Ethics in the Workplace
Part 5: Cyber Crime
Part 6: Personal Information
Part 7: Spyware
Part 8: Big Business on the Net
WebCT Directions
If have never taken a web course, please do the following.
1. Go to: http://salsa.nmsu.edu
2. Click "Create Your ID" on left side of screen
3. Enter your social security number and your date of birth.
4. Click Continue and follow directions.
5. When you are done, email your instructor (Doug Bocaz-Larson) at [email protected] so you can be added to the course.
6. Please allow for 24 hours between the time you create your idea and the time you can enter the course.
7. Return to http://salsa.nmsu.edu, enter your username and password and click the link to your course.
If you have any questions you can email me at [email protected], call my cell 290-1739,
or my office 287-6656.
1. Read about your instructor Doug Bocaz-Larson. http://grants.nmsu.edu/gr_webcourses/CS110/meetdoug.html
2. Log into WebCT (http://salsa.nmsu.edu). Introduce yourself in the WebCT Discussion room for CS209. Tell everyone how you use internet and maybe even share a story about a legal or ethical issue you or someone you know has had with the internet.
3. Read about Netiquette at http://www.ircbeginner.com/ircinfo/etiquette.html. These rules are for chatting on the internet. Which of these rules would be good to use for our discussion room? Post your answers on WebCT.
Here are a few rules from your instructor when doing your responses to the discussions. The length of your response should be 50-100 words. Post mature content (posting should be polite and respectful). An “A” response shows that you have done some research on the internet on the topic and (when appropriate) lists actual laws that relate to the topic.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT:
1. In WebCT, respond to the following question. Are ethics relative? Is what is right and good for you, right and good for everyone in the world? Does every culture have the same values?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. In WebCT, respond to the following scenario. In a chat room, someone on the internet attacks you directly, insulting your intelligence, how do you respond? Do you respond differently if you are running a chat room for a business (such as a technical support chat for Gateway)? What if you are in charge of a chat room for a school?
4. Post comments on one
other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette
when responding.
5. In WebCT, respond to
the following scenario. You are the doctor on a cruise ship that was caught in
a storm and lost at sea. An illness (disease
X) has spread throughout the ship and people will die within 24 hours if
they don't receive treatment. You have a medicine that cures disease X but you
only have enough to save 100 of the 1,000 people on the ship. How will you
decide who gets the medicine?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#5). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Respond in WebCT to the following: The internet makes writing research papers for class a lot easier… maybe too easy. Some students are using internet to plagiarize papers. What is right way to use information you find on the internet? What is the wrong way? What should the punishments be for plagiarizing papers?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. Post your findings on the following research project in WebCT. Find rules that different colleges have for students using the internet. In WebCT, list the website addresses and the overall top 5 good rules you found.
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. In WebCT, respond to the following. Three of the biggest issues NMSU-Grants faces are non-students using college computers, people looking at pornography, and people downloading music and video files that slow down the network and internet speed. What are some ways that we can address these issues at the college?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#5). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS
ASSIGNMENT:
1. In WebCT, respond to the following questions. Do you think it is okay to download music off the internet? Do you think it is okay to download movies and television shows? What do laws say about downloading music, movies, and television?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. Respond to the following scenario in WebCT: A website on the internet is buying nude pictures. They buy pictures from different people: First, a married couple took nude pictures while they were still together but after the divorce, the husband sold the pictures on the internet. Another person takes the face of a female co-worker he is angry at and uses a photo manipulation program to put her face on naked bodies. A photographer is selling nude pictures he took of a fellow college student who is now in a major motion picture. Of these three situations, are any of them illegal? Should any of these people be punished?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. Respond to the following
scenario in WebCT:
You are surfing the internet doing research about sex on the internet
and you see the name of a friend come up in a search. You find a story written by another student
at the college that discusses his violent
sexual fantasies about your friend.
The story is frightening enough that you are worried about your friend. Should you tell someone? Can legal action be taken?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#5). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette
when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Your boss has asked you to review an internet shopping cart program made by another employee. You find a major flaw that would allow hackers to steal credit card numbers. You report your findings and you estimate the problem would take at least a month to fix but the client needs the software this week. Your boss asks that you sign off with your seal of approval and then fix the problem for the client later, because late delivery could lose the client. What would you do?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. You are still in school learning web design, but you have a great job opportunity. You don’t have all the skills necessary to do the job but you know you can learn it quickly (CGI, Java, Perl). Do you say you have the skills on the application and learn them if you get the job?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. Pete is hired by Green Products to recommend changes to their website.
He recommends Blue Company to do the website improvement. Pete does not reveal that he is silent
partner of Blue Company. Has Pete done
anything illegal?
6. Post comments on one
other student’s response to the above discussion (#5). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette
when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS
ASSIGNMENT:
1. In WebCT, respond to the
following: Do you think hackers are
dangerous? How could widespread problems occur as a result of hacking? How
could hackers create a major crisis or disaster?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. In WebCT, respond to the following discussion: Do you think hackers can be helpful? Has a hacker done anything wrong if they break into a computer system and then tell the company about it in order to help them fix the problem? Is it okay for a hacker to reveal security weaknesses to a company and the charge money for the fix? What if a hacker makes a virus that only attacks people who open emails and websites that involve pornography?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. In WebCT, respond to the
following questions. Are virtual crimes committed
on the internet as bad as crimes committed in real life? What kind of consequences should there be for
virtual crimes? Should the punishment be
virtual or real?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the
above discussion (#5). Remember to
observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT:
1. In WebCT, respond to the
following scenario. Cindy and Ron have a
terrible breakup and Cindy is so angry that she starts giving out his personal information on the internet. Ron starts receiving strange phone calls,
emails, and even mail. He has an online business and he notices that
his sales have dropped dramatically. It
turns out that Cindy has been posting false reports about his products all over
the internet. Can he take any legal action against her?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. In WebCT, respond to the following questions. What kinds of problems can occur when too much
personal information is available on the internet? Because so much information is available
online identity theft is becoming
more common. There are several
commercials on television discussing this problem and even movies that talk
about it (“The Net” with Sandra Bullock).
Do you think this is a real problem or a method for credit card
companies to scare you into becoming a new client?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. Join a chat group, news group or bulletin board on the internet. Visit an active group at least 3 times on different days in a week. Did you notice people giving out personal information that they shouldn’t (phone numbers, addresses)? What would the danger be if someone did give out personal information? Record your experiences and share them on WebCT.
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the
above discussion (#5). Remember to
observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
1. In WebCT, respond to the
following questions. With advances in technology, could the concept of Big Brother become a reality? How can a
watchful eye help us? In
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. In WebCT, respond to the following questions. How would you feel if you boss could monitor everything you do on your computer? How would you feel if your instructor could monitor everything you do on a computer?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. In WebCT, respond to the following questions. Online businesses are using spyware to help them sell you products. Sometimes you decide to download spyware such as Gator or Bonzai Buddy because they have features you’d like to use, but this allows a company to look at what you view on the internet. Sometimes spyware can be downloaded on your computer without you knowing. Companies use this information from spyware to make certain pop-up ads appear with products you’d be interested in based on websites you visit. The companies can also sell this information to other companies. Do you think companies should be able to use spyware? What are some ways to prevent spyware from getting on your computer?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the
above discussion (#5). Remember to
observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT:
1. Many people dislike spam (junk email). Trying to stop spam is like trying to swat mosquitoes. But can spam be a good thing? In WebCT, respond to the following scenario. A local company called Cibola Netbiz has been sending out tons of spam on internet. They use the Chamber of Commerce email list. You lead an effort to pass a county law against spam but you find out that Netbiz’s spam efforts has brought thousands of dollars into the local economy and created several jobs. Do you still want to see spam stopped?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
3. In WebCT, respond to the following scenario. Go to the website http://www.nissan.com. You might expect to find the car company, but this once was a website for a computer company. Do you agree with the U. S. District Court ruling? Do you think big businesses and celebrities can stop people with similar names from using the names?
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. The popular search website Google might bought by Microsoft. Microsoft is dominant in the world of computers because they buy out small companies with great products. Should Bill Gates of Microsoft be stopped or is he the best thing to happen to computers?
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the
above discussion (#5). Remember to
observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT:
1. In WebCT, respond to the following questions. How is technology changing the world? How is technology making life better? or How is technology making life worse?
2. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#1). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette
when responding.
3. In WebCT, select your favorite discussion from this class. Write about why it was interesting.
4. Post comments on one other student’s response to the above discussion (#3). Remember to observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
5. In the News: Find something in the news that would make a good new discussion. List some ideas for new discussions for the next time this class is taught.
6. Post comments on one other student’s response to the
above discussion (#5). Remember to
observe the rules of netiquette when responding.
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT:
DEADLINE TO COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS: