ETHICS AND ETIQUETTS

Ethics in cyberspace

Cyberspace is a global community of people using computers in networks.

In order to function well, the virtual communities supported by the Internet
depend upon rules of conduct, the same as any society. Librarians and information
technologists must be knowledgeable about ethical issues for the welfare of their
organizations and to protect and advise users.

What is ethics?

Ethics is the art of determining what is right or good. It can also be defined
as a general pattern or way of life, a set of rules of conduct or moral code. Ethical
guidelines are based on values. The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
is one national organization which has developed a statement of its values. Every
member of ACM is expected to uphold the Code of Ethics and Professional
Conduct which includes these general moral imperatives:

1. contribute to society and human well-being

2. avoid harm to others
3. be honest and trustworthy
4. be fair and take action not to discriminate
5. honor property rights including copyrights and patents
6. give proper credit for intellectual property
7. respect the privacy of others
8. honor confidentiality.

The very nature of electronic communication raises new moral issues.

Individuals and organizations should be proactive in examining these concerns
and developing policies which protect liabilities. Issues which need to be
addressed include: privacy of mail, personal identities, access and control of the
network, pornographic or unwanted messages, copyright, and commercial uses of
the network.

An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is recommended as the way an

organization should inform users of expectations and responsibilities. Sample
AUPs are available on the Internet at gopher sites and can be retrieved by using
Veronica to search keywords "acceptable use policies" or "ethics."

The Computer Ethics Institute in Washington, D.C. has developed a "Ten

Commandments of Computing":

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.

2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not
paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without
authorization or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Though shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are
writing or the system you are designing.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that show consideration and
respect for your fellow humans (Washington Post, 15 June 1992: WB3).

The University of Southern California Network Ethics Statement

specifically identifies types of network misconduct which are forbidden:
intentionally disrupting network traffic or crashing the network and connected
systems; commercial or fraudulent use of university computing resources; theft of
data, equipment, or intellectual property; unauthorized access of others' files;
disruptive or destructive behavior in public user rooms; and forgery of electronic
mail messages.

What should an organization do when an ethical crisis occurs?

One strategy has been proposed

1. Specify the FACTS of the situation.

2. Define the moral DILEMMA.
3. Identify the CONSTITUENCIES and their interests.
4. Clarify and prioritize the VALUES and PRINCIPLES at stake.
5. Formulate your OPTIONS.
6. Identify the potential CONSEQUENCES.

Other ethical concerns include issues such as

1. Influence: Who determines organizational policy? Who is liable in the

event of lawsuit? What is the role of the computer center or the library in
relation to the parent organization in setting policy?
2. Integrity: Who is responsible for data integrity? How much effort is made
to ensure that integrity?
3. Privacy: How is personal information collected, used and protected? How
is corporate information transmitted and protected? Who should have
access to what?
4. Impact: What are the consequences on staff in the up- or down-skilling of
jobs? What are the effects on staff and organizational climate when
computers are used for surveillance, monitoring and measuring? As the
schools incorporate Internet resources and services into the curriculum and
the number of children using the Internet increases, other ethical issues
must be addressed. Should children be allowed to roam cyberspace
without restriction or supervision? How should schools handle student
Internet accounts? What guidelines are reasonable for children?
 Organizations need to be proactive in identifying and discussing the
ethical ramifications of Internet access. By having acceptable use policies and
expecting responsible behavior, organizations can contribute to keeping
cyberspace safe.

Introduction to Network Etiquette

The Internet is a relatively new medium--different from any means of

communication that humankind has previously known. Some people have
compared it to TV, a mass medium, while others have noted its shared qualities
with the telephone, a non-broadcast, two-way medium. Most computer users,
however, conceive of the Internet as an amalgam of both these types, though it is
different enough so as to not quite fit into any existing class. Even though the
Internet is not yet very well defined, it is evolving at an incredible pace. At the
most rudimentary level, the Internet consists of millions of computers around the
globe connected together by wire, fiber optics, and satellite. These connections
allow information to be quickly and easily exchanged between people and
machines anywhere in the world. The network itself, however, acts only as a
medium for applications designed to utilize it. Among the more common of these
are electronic mail and the World Wide Web, though the Internet can be utilized in
many more sophisticated ways.

E-mail, formally known as "electronic mail", works very similarly to U.S.

Postal mail, only without any paper or human labor involved. It serves as a way of
sending text or other data from one person to another via the Internet. The World
Wide Web, more commonly known as "The Web", is a scheme that unites the
informational resources of educational institutions, public and private
organizations, and businesses from around the world. While not as widely used or
as commonly available as e-mail, more and more computer users are discovering
this unique way of information interchange.
 In structure, the Web is as amorphous as the network itself; it is really
nothing but a huge mass of documents located at various institutions around the
world. Because these documents are all interconnected, inter-indexed, and inter-
referenced, one can easily access information from several different countries in
the period of a few moments. The Web and the Internet upon which it lives exist
independent of geographic and political boundaries.

Because the Internet is such a new and unique medium, people are having
difficulty making rules for its use. Out of sheer necessity, the users of the Net
have, over the period of time since the network was born, tended toward certain
rules of network conduct. This code of network ethics has been given many
names over the years--the one that has seemed to stick, however, is "netiquette", a
conjunction formed from "network etiquette."

The interesting and unique thing about netiquette in contrast to a hard-and-

fast system of rules is that it allows room for interpretation. From the point of
view of a Wabash Man, netiquette can be seen as a corollary of the Gentleman's
Rule: "A Wabash Man, while using the Internet, shall conduct himself as a
Gentleman and Responsible Citizen" There is nothing to stop someone from
abusing the network. As with your daily actions with those around you, you will
have to face the consequences of your behavior.

If years of network use have produced anything resembling a system of

order, it is surely embodied in what is here explained as netiquette. Adherence to
the guidelines below will make your use of the Internet infinitely more enjoyable
and productive.

Assume Publicity

Whether you are composing an e-mail message or writing your own

WWW document, it is wise to assume that everyone in the world will read your
words. Though e-mail is sent to only one person, it is very easy to forward an e-
mail message to hundreds or thousands of people. Unless you have complete trust
that the recipient of your mail will keep it confidential, assume complete exposure
to the rest of the world.

The same rule applies to WWW documents, only to a greater degree.

Anything put up on the Web is openly available for anyone in the world to see.
That not only includes your professors and peers, but also the government, your
future employers, students from other countries, your professors, etc. It is wise to
be cautious with what you put on the Web. Since the people out in Cyberspace
have only a small bit of information by which to judge you, it only makes sense to
make the information as appropriate, representative, and informative as possible.

The Emotion Barrier

One of the biggest drawbacks of communicating electronically is the

difficulty of communicating emotions through text. While our Wabash education
has taught most of us how to convey academic or technical ideas in written form
without incurring gross misinterpretation, it not necessarily prepared us for the
challenge posed by the Internet's barrier to non-verbal communication. It takes a
little more verbal finesse to accurately relay emotion, mood, and tone. Virginia
Shea, in her article "Core Rules of Netiquette," expresses this idea: "When you
communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the
opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate
your meaning; words--lonely written words--are all you've got. And that goes
for your correspondent as well. (58)" Derivatives of e-mail, which include
USENET newsgroups, mailing list discussion groups, and bulletin boards, are all
plagued by the emotion barrier. Overcoming it can be the biggest challenge of
anyone attempting electronic communication.

If someone sends you an e-mail message that strikes you as just a little too
critical, or you read a message in a newsgroup that seems a little too offensive,
chances are that you're misinterpreting the intent of the sender. Perhaps the
message that you are taking so seriously was intended to be taken sarcastically--or
perhaps you have stumbled upon a newsgroup where no-holds-barred messages
are tolerated, or even expected. Either way, it does no good to pour fuel on the fire
of what could potentially become a "flame war," where a few people engage in
pointless verbal warfare, usually as the result of a misinterpreted message or an
undiscriminating author.

Remember the Human

One of the most common sources of intentionally offensive exchange on

the Internet is those users who are unaccustomed to the anonymity the medium
allows. In the Cyberworld, you are known by nothing other than your e-mail
address. Many people interpret this as a free license to verbally assault anyone
who rubs them the wrong way--knowing that any retaliation will be confined to
the verbal realm as well.

Since the Internet is so flexible, however, those who really know how to
use it can wreak "virtual havoc" upon your "virtual world." While they may not be
able to hunt you down and dismember you, or even send you a letter bomb via
U.S. Mail, it is not all that difficult for a hacker seeking revenge to effectively
disable your link to the Net. One example? Imagine finding 10,000 new messages
in your e-mailbox every day. Sound like a good time? Such a cruel form of
revenge is surprisingly feasible--without all that much effort on the part of the
infuriated avenger.

So what's the moral of this story? Simply stated, behave on-line as you
would in person. Watch what you type and how you word potentially volatile
statements. Assume that what you say will be taken in the worst possible way, and
that if someone is upset enough by it, it will come back to haunt you.

Freedom of Choice

The most unique feature of the Internet is its user dependency. Since it is
without shape or form, it can become whatever the user makes it--from an
academic research tool to a source of digital pornography. In order to get
anywhere on the Web you must choose where you wish to go. There is a plethora
of information available online--way more than one person could ever read. Using
available methods of searching the Internet and choosing certain pathways over
others means that you are in control of what you see and hear. It is for this reason
that the Internet has been allowed to exist uncensored for so long--and will remain
so as long as its users understand its distinctive user-driven nature. There has been
a lot of talk among politicians as to whether of not the Internet should be censored
by the government. As of the writing of this document, the government has not
yet intruded. Because there is a substantial amount of questionable material
available on the Net, however, it is up to the discretion of the individual as to
whether or not he wants to access it. There is a simple solution to avoiding the
cruder portions of the Net: don't look for them. Information is not going to just
randomly pop up on your screen without you making a concerted effort to look
for it.

Conversely, when posting to a discussion group or when writing anything,

which is intended, for an unknown audience, it is expected that you will be
discriminating in what you say. Profanity and pornography are by no means
illegal on the Net, though they are usually considered rude and inappropriate.
Again, though you won't receive a ticket from the Internet Police, you may bring
upon yourself unwanted repercussions. Just imagine the Dean viewing everything
that originates from your computer and judge what is appropriate in that context.

Respect Others' Time and Energy

Surprisingly, it's possible to post a well-written, completely inoffensive

message to a discussion group and still receive a negative response. It is very
important to keep in mind that people are busy--not everyone wants to spend his
time reading about your life or what is of concern to you. Other people are
similarly wrapped up in their own affairs. When posting to discussion groups, or
when sending e-mail to those you don't know, try to be as focused as possible.
While a mindless verbal rambling may be just the thing to send to your girlfriend
at DePauw, chances are it won't be received well by a newsgroup that is read by
thousands of people.

Form Matters

As was mentioned earlier, you never know who will be reading what you
write. The president of the college, or the President of the U.S., may decide to
listen in on a newsgroup to which you post. Or perhaps someone will forward one
of your e-mail messages to a potential employer. Either way, we would all like to
think that we make a good impression. In the virtual world, though, an impression
isn't made by a nice suit and a clean shave--you could be naked for all those out in
Cyber world care. Your writing, on the other hand, will be highly scrutinized. If
you write well, you will likely come off as educated, intelligent, and respectable.
If you compose hastily and sloppily, however, your audience may perceive you,
perhaps inaccurately, as uneducated and unintelligent. If you want to make a good
impression on those out in the Cyber world, it's a good idea to make your writing
look as professional as possible.

There are, of course, cases where careful composition is not necessary. A

brief note to a friend may require only enough literacy to get your point across. In
such cases, it is usually acceptable to leave out punctuation and disregard
capitalization, simply so that your intended audience realizes the casual nature of
the message. Beware, however, that any reader will likely take your message as
seriously as you make it look. If you don't bother to make your message
intelligible, chances are he won't take its contents very seriously. On the other
hand, if you take a few minutes to compose thoughtfully, your reader may pay a
little extra attention to what you have to say.

Be Forgiving

Finally, after all this advice on how to project yourself, here's a little on
how to receive others: first and foremost, be forgiving. Just as you are trying to
balance your valuable time with a desire to get your point across as respectably as
possible, so are others doing the same? Sometimes it's all-too-tempting to tear
someone apart for an obvious grammatical error, misspelling, or blatant display of
stupidity. What we must keep in mind, though, is that what we are reading is only
one small piece of the person on the other end, who is typing away just like we
are. Perhaps he was uninformed--or in a hurry--or simply made a mistake.
Regardless, each person is deserving of more than one chance before judgment is
passed. If someone initially strikes you as inept, allow him another opportunity to
confirm your judgment. And if you can't suppress a response, a kind word or two
of advice in a helpful tone will leave a much better impression than a verbal
barrage will. Always give the benefit of the doubt, and be kind with criticism.

Rules for Behavior in the Internet Culture

In a few short years, the Internet has developed its own "virtual" culture,
with its own standards of behavior and appearance. If you are new to the Internet,
watch how others behave in chat rooms, asynchronous discussion forums and
private email messages. The following standards enjoy widespread acceptance.

• Be polite, thoughtful, and ethical and law abiding. The Internet is a

public place. Act accordingly.
• When you send email, always include a subject line that tells the
recipient what's in your message. Keep your subject lines short; learn to
think like a newspaper headline writer. And use the active voice.
• Include only one major subject in each email message. Don't put a
major project report in the same message with chit-chat about yesterday's
barbecue.

• Use paragraph headings. If the main idea in your message has more than
one part, do your reader a favor by introducing each part with extra space
and a heading.
• Manage who receives your messages. When you mail to one person, use
private email. When you send a message to a group, post it to a discussion
forum or "cc" your private message to the whole group. Send a message
only to those who really NEED to see it. This reduces the workload for
everyone. Consider using the "blind copy" or "BCC" field when sending
to a group, especially if it includes people you don't know; this function
keeps everyone's email address private and prevents scavengers from
collecting group members' addresses and selling them to companies that
send junk email (commonly called SPAM).

• Avoid embarrassment. Let's say Bob sends a message to Carol, who

forwards it to you. You click on "Reply," thinking your response will go to
Carol. But it doesn't; it goes to Bob. Not a serious problem, unless your
response (intended only for Carol) reads: "What's wrong with this Bozo,
anyway?" Avoid the inevitable soap opera by always double checking your
"To:" line before you send a message. Better still, make a habit of never
sending a message that might offend.
• Always check the FAQs before posting a question to a discussion
forum. Don't waste other people's time. Before you ask others for help,
make sure your answer isn't already clearly posted.

• Avoid using all uppercase letters. ALL CAPS LOOKS LIKE

SHOUTING TO THE READER! If you are aiming for emphasis and
differentiation, use color, bold, italic, _underlines_ or *asterisks* or extra
white space. Even if you intend to shout, *never* use uppercase for more
than a few words; it's just too hard to read.

• Watch your language. Informality is one thing, but multiple typos,

misspellings, and sloppy construction are just plain rude. And, profanity,
however common in the spoken world, looks glaringly out of place in
print. Most email software has built-in spell checking. Use it.
• Always respond promptly. If you have no answer, send a reply anyway,
saying, "I'll get back to you on this." (Then flag the message so you don't
forget!) If you must, say, "Sorry, I can't help you." In any case, kindness
dictates that you never ignore a message sincerely sent.

• Limit your messages to one or two screens. If your message goes longer
than two screens, go ahead and make it as long as you want, because no
one's reading it anyway.

• Be clear about your feelings. Use emoticons when appropriate. Keep in

mind that irony, sarcasm, and other modes of "double meaning" almost
never "work" online.

• Always re-read your message before you send it. Change anything your
recipient might misunderstand. Check spelling when it could affect your
meaning.

• Include your name at the end of every message you send. Phone
numbers are also a good idea. If you like to include an inspirational quote
at the end of your messages, keep it short and to the point, and change it
frequently.

• Give explicit agreement and disagreement. No one can see you nodding
your head and grunting (or shaking your head) at your computer screen.
Say, "I understand," "I agree," "That hasn't been my experience."

• Reinforce and encourage. In the absence of visual cues, people are

sometimes left wondering. Say, "Well put," "Good point," "What a useful
idea."

• Avoid sending junk mail, chain letters or jokes to a busy person. An

email recipient is a captive audience, forced to open every message to find
out what's inside. For someone with dozens of messages to open, every
 extra click is a pain in the neck. If you must send jokes, do so through a
list service such as groups.yahoo.com or topica.com, so your recipients
can easily "unsubscribe."

• Respect the privacy of others. Never forward a message to a third party

without permission from its author.

Let apparent provocation go by without offense or attachment.

Because body language, tone, and connotation are absent in computer-

mediated communication, you may hear words in a way the writer did not intend.
Remember the correspondent who received a missive that said, "I resent your
message." S/he responded with a flaming, "How dare you!" only to discover that
the sender had intended to say "ree sent," not "ree zent." If a message triggers
negative emotions in you, you may be more tempted to fire back an angry retort
because the recipient isn't right in front of you.

Always assume the best, responding in a positive way and not at all until
you recover your emotional neutrality. Write your "flame" message, if you must,
but don't send it. Let a day pass, reread your message and then decide how to
respond.

If you must have a confrontation, do it in the real world.

The written word is simultaneously permanent and open to interpretation.

Hide behind it at your own peril. Instead, pick up the phone or pay a visit.

The Intellectual Property Issue

The rapid growth of multimedia and its distribution through the Internet
has created a high level of uncertainty regarding interpretation of established
intellectual property law. The courts are still in the process of interpreting
trademark, patent and copyright laws to apply them to new products and services
such as movies, tapes, CDs, software programs, and finally the Internet and other
electronic media. It is still unclear in many areas how trademark, copyright and
patent law will evolve so as to promote the progress and transfer of knowledge
and technology. There is no doubt that law in this area will change radically in the
next few years. And it seems highly likely that the ownership rights of the
individual will only be strengthened by this challenge.

It is the opportunity and responsibility of everyone to act ethically in

accordance with both the letter and the spirit of law. The safe thing for all
concerned is to commit to the protection of our own and others’ intellectual
property rights. If we respect each other's intellectual property rights we insure
mutual benefit from the expansion of knowledge within our society. Always
assume that original works are the intellectual property of their author(s) unless
otherwise stated in writing.

The collaborative spirit of the Internet needn't be compromised either.

People who receive grants or are on salary or are otherwise unconcerned with
making a living can still give their intellectual property away. But for those who
don't have a grant or a salary or a trust fund, the Internet can be an important
source of income. It makes it possible for thousands of free agents to thrive and
contribute in ways they otherwise couldn't afford to.

Intellectual Property Rules of Thumb

• You don't need permission for documents or images that are in the public
domain. But be certain a document or image is in the public domain before
you use it.
• Freeware can be distributed without paying a fee, but most freeware is still
copyrighted and you are expected to abide by the license that is imbedded
in the product regarding distribution and modifications.
• Shareware is not free. You get to try it out, but after the trial, you are
expected to pay.
 • Permission to use copyrighted materials is usually easy to get and often
free or cheap. Give yourself a budget and decide what you are willing to
pay. If you don't want to pay, don't use the copyrighted material. But
always ask for permission.
• Web sites are intellectual property. If you want to link to information on
someone else's Web site, get permission first, unless it is clear that they
don't mind. Most professionals place a "Copyright" link on their home
page that tells you the circumstances under which it is ok to link to them
or use their information or images see for example
http://www.futureu.com/http:www.futureu.com/trademark.html

Emoticons and Abbreviations

A picture is worth a thousand words. So is a smile. But how do you smile,

or express any emotion, in an online environment where words are the primary
means of communication? Cyber-veterans use emoticons, the simple symbols
they have invented to represent feelings.

Emoticons are made by combining two or more symbols, letters or

numbers from the standard computer keyboard into a kind of pictograph turned on
its side. Thus, a colon stands for a pair of eyes, a dash is the nose, and some other
symbol becomes the mouth, creating a face that expresses visually what would
take many words to say.

Take a few minutes to study the emoticons shown below. Also notice the
list of abbreviations that are standard usage in the computer world.

EMOTICONS

Smiles = :-) or :->

Big smile or hahaha! = :-D
Tongue in cheek = :-J
Unhappy or sad = :-(
Really unhappy = :-c
 Very sad = (:-(
Forlorn = :-<
Smirk = :-l
Disgusted = :-|
Not funny = :/)
Shouting = :-O
"Oh, nooooo!" = :-o
Censored = :-#
Kiss = :-x

ABBREVIATIONS:

By the way = BTW

In my humble opinion = IMHO
In other words = IOW
Laughing out loud = LOL
On the floor laughing = OTF
Grin = <g> <G>
Big Grin = <grin> or <bg>

Note that most modern discussion forums and even most instant
messaging systems allow you to type a few emoticon keystrokes which are then
automatically replaced with a graphic image.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Areas of Cyberlaw: Consumer Protection

• Consumer Protection
• Privacy
• Intellectual Property Law
• Criminal Law
• Contract Law, Jurisdiction and Taxation

Electronic commerce raises many issues of consumer protection that have legal
implications. Marketing and advertising, for example, are covered under the
Competition Act. The Act, enforced by the Competition Bureau, is applicable to
electronic commerce. Privacy of consumers' personal information is another
important legal issue of great importance to e-commerce.

In the document Application of the Competition Act to Representations on the

Internet, the Competition Act is related specifically to the Internet. Excerpts of
that document follow:

The Act contains criminal and civil provisions prohibiting misleading

representations and deceptive marketing practices in promoting the supply or
use of a product or any business interest.

In the online environment, as in other forms of distance selling such as

catalogue or mail order, consumers cannot physically inspect products available
for sale, and therefore rely significantly upon representations. Accordingly, to
ensure compliance with the Act, all representations about a product, including
accompanying text, pictures, illustrations and audio, should be crafted to ensure
that they do not mislead consumers about any aspect of the product or service
being marketed.

The Act specifically prohibits deceptive telemarketing and schemes of pyramid

selling, and sets out the responsibilities for operators and participants in multi-
level marketing plans. Other prohibited deceptive marketing practices include
advertising at a bargain price a product that is not available in reasonable
quantities; selling a product at a price above the advertised price; and
conducting a contest, lottery, or game of chance or skill, without making fair
 and adequate disclosure of, among other things, facts that materially affect the
chances of winning.

Representations about the nature or attributes of a business or its affiliates can

result in non-compliance with the Act if the representations are false or
misleading. Representations about a business can be particularly influential in
situations where the consumer's only contact with the business is through the
Internet. The Bureau recommends that the businesses ensure that:

• The website in question does not create a false or misleading impression as to

the physical location or identity of the business.
• The use of text, graphics, logos, marks, seals or trustmarks, accreditations or
other representations do not create false impressions of affiliation, sponsorship,
endorsement or popularity.
• The representations do not mislead consumers as to the type of organization
making the representations or as to the purpose of the representations.
• The representations do not mislead consumers as to the relationship between the
party making the representation and the supplier of the product or service.