I took these thoughts directly from a website because it was WAY too long for anybody to have any real care in it, but I think this goes with USM along with Computers... This all was taken from
http://complit.usu.edu/ethics_modules.html
If you want to read the whole thing, you can go to that website.
*I just hope this doesn't come out with all the freaky code thingies that are where the -'- is supposed to be*
It is important to realize ethics and laws are not the same. Laws are established to protect software developers and users. Laws have penalties associated with them. If you don't obey the law, you are punished. Ethics, however, are based on principles and values. In reality, there is no global punishment; for ethics violation.
It is not illegal for a person to send an e-mail message to a thousand different people asking each to send him/her $1; however, it is very unethical.
Copyright is defined as the rights possessed by the author of a work. Having a copyright prohibits others from exercising these rights without permission.
The copyright law currently in effect is the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed in 2000.
Any software or data created with a computer is owned by its creator and is automatically copyrighted as soon as it's in any tangible form. "Tangible" means it's recorded somehow. That is, you can't copyright a thought, but if you write it down the writing is automatically copyrighted without doing anything else.
Some instructors have had people tell them they think it's legal to copy software that doesn't have a copyright notice or © symbol or whatever, but that's not true. It's OK to copy software only with the owner's explicit permission. This means that, unless there's notice specifically granting permission to copy, software cannot be legally copied.
Here's an interesting but little-known fact: when you buy software, you're not buying the software itself. You're buying permission to use the software. The copyright holder still owns the software (that's right, the stuff you copy onto your hard drive isn't yours). The permission you buy is called a license (like a hunting license or a drivers license) and is defined by a license agreement that comes with the software.
Software piracy is simply the illegal copying of software. The estimated loss due to piracy is approximately $39 billion per year globally. Conviction on the first offense can result in a fine of up to $250,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years.
Technology has made information readily available. Thus, the issue of misusing information becomes a concern particularly when you use something and claim it as your own. Ethically and legally, society should recognize that individuals creating intellectual property have the right to receive credit and be protected from the incorrect use of their creations.
The DCMA and other copyright laws all have "fair use" provisions that let you paraphrase or quote small portions of someone else's work, provided that you give proper credit to the author for the material you use. For example, if you want to show some great person's idea that everyone should use, you can summarize the idea and then you must indicate whose idea it is and where you got it. If you don't give the credit where it's due, you will probably give at least some of your readers the impression that the material you borrowed originated with you. That's bad. It's so bad, it has a name, plagiarism, and it's a form of fraud.
Electronically published information is protected by copyright laws just as it was when it was distributed on paper. Permission to copy or incorporate the information elsewhere is not assumed; for that you need explicit permission form the information owner
Quoting and citing information is just as important with computer sources as with traditional written works. Even though computers and the Internet allow easy access for cutting and pasting items, it is considered plagiarism when the creator has not given permission and/or been given credit for his/her work.
On many campuses, plagiarism, such as cutting and pasting from Internet sources without attribution, can result in severe consequences, ranging from failure of class to suspension or expulsion from the institution.
When using intellectual property, it should be used in the context originally intended and presented correctly so the meaning is not changed from the original intent. Otherwise, this is considered misusing information and also becomes an ethical issue.
To avoid misusing information, individuals need to become educated about how to cite and use intellectual property. Properly citing works can often cover the legal issues when done correctly.
Plagiarizing is extremely unethical, usually illegal, and always a serious violation of school policy that can get you thrown out of a class or worse.
Don't plagiarize.
Always give credit where credit is due by properly citing information sources, whether they be electronic or hardcopy.
In addition to the misuse of information on the Internet, violating another person's privacy is abusive, unethical, and illegal.
Information can be categorized as that which is public and that which is private. Public information is assumed to be able to be used without permission. Private information cannot be legally used without permission from its owner.
E-mail and Posts can be used as a productive tool for communicating and sharing information. However, all tools can be misused or abused and email is no exception. Several examples of inappropriate e-mail uses are as follows:
**Buffy771 Note: TAKE THIS SECTION SERIOUSLY!!!! I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT**
Spamming: Bulk, mass, or repeated posting or mailing of substantially identical messages. The emphasis is on the multiple sending, either many copies to one destination, or one copy to many destinations.
Flaming: A public post or email message that expresses a strong opinion or criticism. Flames can be fun when they allow people to vent their feelings, then return to the topic at hand. Others are simply insulting and can lead to flame wars.
Trolling (also known as flame bait): An inflammatory post that is designed to provoke a flame war or flame responses. Trolling is basically sending messages that contain statements intending to bait an argument or confrontation.
Most of the time, such messages are legal, even if they're a bother; sometimes, however, they're illegal. Messages that continue after the recipient asks that they stop are defined as a nuisance and are illegal. Nuisance messages that are threatening or intimidating are termed harassment and are even more illegal. It's interesting to note that nuisances and harassment are defined by the messages' receiver, not by the sender. That is, if you ask me to stop sending you messages, I have to even if I don't think there's anything wrong with my messages.
We cannot count on the legal system to be a complete and correct guide to moral behavior, either for us as individuals in society or as members of a profession. Nor can we expect the professional codes of ethics to be complete, consistent and correct for all situations. There is no formal monitoring for compliance and little penalty that can be assessed against violators. Goodness cannot be defined through a legalistic enumeration of dos and don'ts. People must be able to use their internal sense of ethics to fill the holes and resolve the conflicts that inevitably occur when following any code of ethics.
© Copyright, 2001, Utah State University
BACK TO BUFFY771:: I thought this information would help a little bit on USM, so maybe we could get along better.
Love ya tonz. Buffy771
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