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Lesson: Ethics & Safe
Practices
You arrive at work and use your company’s computer to check your personal e-mail.
You also have several bids on eBay, so you take time now to check them. You work for
an hour and then chat with friends online. Throughout the day, you only put in five hours
of work, however, you are being paid for eight hours.
A co-worker questions you about your bad habits and you might say, “So what!
Everyone in the office is doing it.”
Now, look at it from the point of the owner of the business. How would you feel? You
are paying people to work, and they aren’t working. What would you say? What would
you do?
These are ethical issues people face every day. Ethical and moral issues not just in the
computer world but for everyday living on and off the computer!
Learning Outcomes
1
Understand the ethical issues of computing at work, school, government, home,
and in social interaction.
2
Understand the legal issues when using computers.
3
Consider options to protect identity online.
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Use safe practices when online.
5
Understand personal responsibilities.
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Understand global responsibilities
1: Understand the ethical issues of computing at work,
school, government, home, and in social interaction.
The information age we live in raises all sorts of questions. What can you do on a
company’s computer while at work? Are making copies of music, software, or movie
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DVDs legal? What about school assignments? If someone has posted his or her ideas
on the Internet, does that mean you can use that information any way you want?
Some questions raised in the computer age are an issue of ethics, while others are an
issue of law. Ethics is defined in the dictionary as “a standard of right and wrong; a
system of conduct or behavior, moral principles” (Geddes & Grosset, 2002).It is vital that
you understand both the law and the ethical standards relating to computer use,
because not understanding them can get you in trouble.
Take a look at scenario 1:
Two friends go to a music store and they both find a CD they really like. They decide
that to save money, they will split the cost of buying the CD and then just make a copy
so they can both have one.
What do you think is wrong here? Having trouble deciding? You are not alone! The
right decision would be to save your money so both of you could buy your own CD.
Take a look at scenario 2:
Rob Pegoraro wrote an article called “Sound Ethics: What to Do with Music CDs after
Ripping Them?”
Sound Ethics: What To Do With Music CDs After Ripping
Them? http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2009/03/sound_ethics_what_to_do_with_m.html
***NOTE: Ms. Revoir has edited this article to fit the subject of this lesson.
At a gathering of friends Saturday night, the host made an unusual request: If anybody
wants to expand their music collection, take a look at the CDs here -- I've copied them
all to my computer, and whatever you don't take is going to Goodwill on Monday.
Something like 200 discs were piled up in corners of the host's den, and one or two of
the guests started inspecting those stacks to see if they could unearth any keepers.
I held back, mainly because with more than enough CDs at home already I didn't feel
like spending half an hour pawing through somebody else's collection when I could
catch up with friends instead. But there was also this: Since my friend hadn't mentioned
anything about deleting his digital copies of any albums I might walk off with, I'd be
taking a non-trivial amount of music without paying for it. (Note: I'm going to leave his
name out of this. But he does write a blog of his own, so I will understand if he argues
his case there.)
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As I was mulling over that thought, one of the other guests chimed in, saying he'd done
almost the same thing -- except instead of donating his CDs to charity, he'd sold most of
them on eBay.
Question: What would you do -- or what have you already done -- in this situation?
As you can see, even adults have trouble making the right decisions! The right decision
for the adults would be to destroy the CDs that are no longer being used.
Let’s look at scenario 3:
A busy college student gets behind in her studies. She is working part time and simply
does not have time to write an English paper that is due the next day. As she is looking
online, she finds an article that goes right along with the topic her professor assigned.
She is able to save hours by simply copying the information and using it word for word
in her paper. She submits the paper without giving credit to the original author.
These three scenarios are examples of either breaking the law or displaying low ethical
standards, the consequences of which can be serious. Advances in technology force
society to consider new legal and ethical questions.
2: Understand the legal issues when using computers.
Copyright Laws
The US Constitution grants
Congress the power to enact
laws that protect the rights of
inventors, musicians, authors,
scientists, and so forth.
Congress first used this power
in 1790 when it passed the
first copyright laws designed to
protect the rights of those who wrote books and created maps. The two sets of laws that
are the most applicable to us today are the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
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The Copyright Act of 1976
The Copyright Act of 1976 is a law that protects the intellectual property of others from
being used without permission. Intellectual property is defined as any creative work that
a person develops. It could be the written word, as in a book or magazine article; it can
be visual, as in photographs, paintings, drawings, and sketches; it can be music, as in
CDs and sheet music; or it can be a combination of these, as in movies and plays.
When you buy a book, CD, or
DVD there is usually a notice
on it that looks like the one in
the picture on the right:
Notice the statement “all
rights reserved.” This means
the owner of the copyright
has the following rights:
1. the right to reproduce
the work
2. the right to create derivative works based on an original work
3. the right to distribute (sell, rent, or lease) copies of the work to the public
4. the right to perform the work publicly
5. the right to display the work publicly
6. the right to broadcast the work publicly
Think about the scenario where two friends buy one CD and make a copy to save some
money. If you look at the first item in the list, under copyright law you will notice that
copying a CD is illegal.
If a high school wanted to put on a play but not pay the royalty fees, could they just
change the script a little and call it their own work? What if they do not pay the royalty
fees and put the play on for free? Both could be considered illegal. As you can see from
the list above, copyright laws can be violated even if money is not involved.
Why is this important today? Imagine for a moment that you are an aspiring author. You
make many sacrifices, researching and working for years on your first book until it’s
finished. The publisher raves about how great it is and how many copies you will sell.
You think you are going to be rich. However, before it is even on sale, a copy of your
book gets stolen and another company prints it and begins selling it. Now all the money
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you were going to bring in is going to someone else who did not even work for it! Would
you be motivated to write another book? Probably not! One purpose of copyright laws is
to help give motivation and financial incentives for people to create music, books, plays,
paintings, and so forth. Knowing their creations will be protected reassures authors and
inventors that they will be given credit for their hard work.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
New technologies brought with them new questions about copyright. As music began to
be shared over the Internet, a company called Napster was created to allow users to
upload and download their favorite music files for free. The artists who created the
songs did not receive compensation for their work and it became clear that these new
questions needed to be resolved. But since the Copyright Act of 1976 did not cover
music shared over the Internet, Napster and businesses like it were not technically
violating any copyright laws, so they quickly became popular.
At the same time, two new problems caught the attention of the Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA). While screening first-run movies, unethical people
would secretly record the movie. These illegally made copies were then placed on the
Internet for anyone to download and watch free of charge.
The other problem the MPAA detected was that encryption codes on commercially
distributed DVDs had been cracked. Encryption codes are small software programs at
the beginning of music CDs and movie DVDs that prevent people from copying the
media. Encryption did not work because people were able to create software programs
to crack and disable the encryption codes.
Finally, computer software companies, such as Microsoft, noticed that their software
CDs were being copied and distributed without permission or payment. Because the
Copyright Act of 1976 did not include these issues, they had no way to protect their
products legally or to take offenders to court for stealing their products.
This free flow of traditionally copyrighted materials cost software companies, artists, and
producers millions of dollars. Questions were raised: Who owned the work put out on
the Internet? Was anyone in violation of copyright laws? If so, was it the person who
uploaded the file, the person or company who stored the file, or the person who
downloaded the file? Did the Copyright Act even apply to intellectual property placed on
the Internet?
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Companies needed the law to be changed in order to continue making a profit from their
copyrighted material, so they worked to help lawmakers create what became the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act. This law defines more clearly that the rights of copyright
holders extend to the Internet. It also put in place stiff penalties for violations of these
laws. For example, downloading copyrighted material from peer-to-peer networks can
now result in fines ranging from $30,000 to $150,000. (Copyright.gov) The Digital
Millennium Copyright Act also made it illegal to bypass encryption codes and to
distribute software designed to crack security codes on CDs, DVDs, and software.
As a result of the new law, the courts ordered Napster to remove all copyrighted songs
in their databases. Since then, Napster (now part of Rhapsody), Pandora, and other
businesses like it can only distribute media over the Internet for a fee. This fee is then
paid to the recording artists.
The Fair Use Act
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise
up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men
are created equal”” (King, 1963)
Great men and women say many profound things.
How sad it would be if we only heard great things
once. As you write research papers and
speeches, quoting someone as powerful as Dr.
King can add substance and interest to your work.
The Fair Use Act is a law that allows people to
use small portions of someone else’s work for the
purposes of “criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research”
(Copyright.gov, 2015.) Teachers and students frequently apply the Fair Use Act when
reproducing a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson or assignment. This use is not
an infringement of copyright as long as the quote or idea is appropriately cited. The
doctrine of fair use applies if the material quoted is being used for nonprofit purposes
and if only a small portion of the work is used. Additionally, the use of the material
cannot affect the ability of the copyright owner to market the material.
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Not all intellectual property has a copyright on it. In some cases, individuals and
businesses choose to allow more access to their materials than traditional copyrights
would allow. These different options are discussed below.
Freeware
Freeware is classified as software that is distributed for free and can be used as long as
you want. However, there are some limitations about how freeware can be used, which
vary from program to program. Some popular examples of freeware include Mozilla
Firefox, iTunes, and Windows Live Messenger.
Shareware
Unlike freeware, shareware is only temporarily free. A creator of shareware will allow
you to use the software free of charge for a trial period, such as thirty days. After the
trial period, you are asked to pay for the software if you want to keep using it. Most
shareware will stop working after the trial period. This is done to encourage you to buy
the software. Many computer games are offered in shareware versions so you can try
them out before buying them.
Public Domain
Intellectual property that is not protected by copyright law is considered to be “in the
public domain,” which means that anyone may use it. Copyright law only protects works
for seventy years after the death of their creator, so work that was done before 1945 is
now available to anyone. More recent work also enters public domain if it is published
by the US government or if the creator cannot prove that he or she created the material
and when it was created. You must always give credit to the sources of works you use,
even if the work is in the public domain.
Open Source
When Microsoft created their Windows operating system, there were no programs like
Word, Halo, Photoshop (apps), etc. available to run on Windows. Microsoft had to
publish some of its operating system code as an open source. This allowed
collaborating groups (other companies) to use that source code to develop application
software to run on Windows. This is still how other companies develop computer games
that run in Windows. The common definition is that it is code shared for the purpose of
collaborating on software projects. This idea has now expanded to sites like Wikipedia
that are the result of many people contributing information to a single project.
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Employee Productivity
As helpful as computers and technology may be, they also bring with them some
serious challenges for businesses. For example, increased access to the Internet and
all of the diversions it offers has hurt the productivity of some businesses. Work
productivity decreases during big events, such as the Olympics, Christmastime, the
presidential election, the Super Bowl, and so on because workers easily get distracted
and surf the Internet.
Remember the story at the beginning of this lesson about you spending your work time
playing on the Internet? Unfortunately, that scenario has become very common in the
work place. At Christmastime, employees spend a lot of time shopping for Christmas
gifts online; just before Valentine’s Day, employees often order candy and flowers from
their computers at work; and during the Super Bowl, employee productivity drops to an
all-time low as seen in the headlines below. All this adds up to lost productivity, or in
other words, lost money for a company.
“How much productivity is really lost the Monday after Super Bowl? By Megan Ribbens,
February 4, 2013 http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/02/how-much-productivity-is-reallylost.html
The Monday after Super Bowl Sunday typically is highlighted by a lack of productivity in
the workplace.
According to statistics from
outplacement firm Challenger, Gray
& Christmas, employers lose $820
million to $850 million in lost
productivity, and Harris
Interactive reports that about 1.5
million people call in sick and about
4.4 million will be late to work the
day after the Super Bowl.
Businesses even lose up to $1.1 billion per week due to fantasy football, AOL Jobs
reports.
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It may sound like a lot, but according to AOL Jobs, employers lose more money per
year when workers go to the bathroom, eat lunch out of the office or just spend time
talking about their weekend.
Here’s the breakdown from AOL Jobs:

Employees who go to the bathroom cost an estimated $180 billion a year in lost
productivity.
The employer is not begrudging that you take bathroom breaks. But many people
don’t go right back to work. Instead, they swing by a friends desk and chat for a
while or they go online and shop, check sports scores, pay their personal bills
electronically, and read and answer personal email. Some even spend time chatting
with family and friends on their work computer.

Employees who eat lunch out of the office cost $500 billion in lost productivity per
year.
Yes, you are given lunch breaks but many who leave the office for lunch leave early
and return late. When they return they check email, stocks, eBay, etc.

Employees who talk about their weekends cost $12 billion in lost productivity.
Just look at the lost “productivity” here in our classroom because of all the socializing
that’s going on!
Company Resources
Resources are the consumable goods that a company needs to function, such as paper,
printer toner (ink), copy machine paper, copier ink, paper clips, pencils, and tape. These
are just a few of the resources lost each year as a result of employee theft.
Stolen pencils might not seem like a serious problem, but let’s say that your company
has fifty employees. Each week forty employees take a pencil home. Some employees
take the pencil because they think the company owes it to them. Some employees take
the pencil home by mistake. At any rate, forty pencils go missing each week. Over the
course of a year this begins to add up:
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40 pencils × 52 weeks = 2,080 pencils per year
That’s a lot of pencils!
Now add a similar loss of paper, toner, photocopies, paper clips, sticky notes, and so on
and very soon the dollar amount lost is staggering.
Also remember that company resources include the computer systems, like e-mail and
Internet access. Surfing the Internet for pornography, online gambling, online games,
chatting, and online dating during company time takes an employee away from his or
her work and can tie up the company’s resources and prevent others from being able to
complete their work.
Piracy
Piracy is the unauthorized and illegal reproduction,
sale, and distribution of any copyrighted work. In
some cases, a company could be held legally
responsible if one of its employees used company
resources for piracy.
Hacking
Hacking is breaking into another person’s or
another company’s computer system. In the world today, ideas and information can
mean big money. If an unethical employee steals those ideas or information, the
company can suffer financially.
Each year a news story appears where a student
hacked into a university’s computer system to
change his or her grades. This is illegal!
Consequences range from getting kicked out of
school (expelled) to going to jail and paying
restitution (money).
Acceptable Use Policies
As a good student, employee, and citizen, you will
be expected to maintain a high code of ethics as
you use technology. Remember that ethics are
defined as “a standard of right and wrong; a system
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of conduct or behavior, also referred to as moral principles.” Schools and companies
almost always set the ethical standards and policies for their organization by creating
some form of an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). In most places that you work or before
you are given access to any kind of computer system, you are required to sign an AUP.
This policy is a guideline or code of conduct for students or employees. Simply stated,
the policy is a list of rules of what you can and cannot do with school or company
resources. Although your teacher may not have called it an acceptable use policy, you
have probably seen one. Teachers often present a disclosure document or a syllabus at
the beginning of class each semester which details the rules and the grading methods
for the course. This is one form of an AUP.
This sample AUP shows my rules for computer use in my classroom.







No pornography.
No gambling.
No online shopping, selling, trading, or dating.
No Internet surfing unless it is part of a specific learning assignment.
No music or music videos at any time.
No games unless they are part of a specific learning assignment such as learning
to create software called programming.
No personal e-mail such as Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL mail, etc.
Although each organization has its own specific set of standards and policies, there are
usually some common elements to an AUP.
1. a general statement about the purpose of providing access to the computer
network or to the Internet
2. a statement about etiquette (called netiquette) on the Internet and e-mail; policies
about being courteous in communications, avoiding illegal online activities, not
using the system for personal activities, and so forth
3. a section that emphasizes the importance of not violating copyright law
4. a statement about the consequences of violating the AUP; depending on the
organization, consequences may range from suspension of computer privileges
to expulsion from school or being fired from a job
The AUP protects the student or employee and also the school or company. One way it
does this is by making the rules clear and fair for everyone.
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Some companies do not mind if employees use their computers for personal use, and in
other companies it is a serious offense. One role of an AUP is to clearly state what can
and cannot be done with company resources. This helps students and employees
because they are not left wondering what is and is not allowed.
Privacy
How does the amendment above apply today? Could a company that tracks your
shopping habits be violating your rights? How do privacy rights apply at school and
work? When discussing privacy, we are actually talking about two issues; privacy at
home, and privacy at work and school.
Privacy at Home
You have the right to keep certain types of
personal information about yourself private. One
example is your finances. When you go to your
family doctor, you do not want him to know
exactly how much money you have in your bank
account before he will treat you. What if you do
not have enough money to pay for his services at
the moment? But you are ill and you need him
now! When you apply for a job, you may not
want your future employer to know that you race motorcycles on weekends. What if
your future employer thinks this activity will cause injuries that will prevent you from
coming to work and therefore does not hire you? This type of personal information is
protected by law and you are not required to reveal it.
But not all information about you is protected. When you shop online at Walmart for
example, Target may end up knowing what you bought. Every day, data is collected
about our surfing habits, shopping habits, eating habits, and so forth. Most of this data is
collected without our knowledge. This is called consumer profiling. There is nothing you
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can do legally to stop people from collecting this type of information about you. Their
right to collect data is protected under the First Amendment.
Privacy at Work and School
Suppose it is after work hours and you decide to stay late and surf the Internet, maybe
do a little shopping, put something up for sale on eBay, chat with friends, and check an
online dating website. Your company’s AUP states that doing this is against policy, but
it’s after hours, and you figure no one will know. The next day you are called into your
boss’s office and given a warning. How did your boss know, and isn’t this a violation of
your privacy since it was after hours?
On your own computer at home, you can do those types of things, but it is a different
story at work. As discussed above, the loss of
productivity due to employees using the Internet
for personal reasons is staggering and costly.
Schools and businesses could also face legal
action if you get into pornography or commit a
crime using company or school resources.
“That’s not fair,” you say. You don’t get into any
of those things. The AUP makes the rules fair for
everyone by insisting that everyone follows the rules. And since the computer
equipment is owned by the company, the company has the right to set the rules. The
employees don’t!
Monitoring
The Bill of Rights does not prevent an employer from keeping tabs on what employees
are up to. Employers can monitor telephone calls, e-mail usage (both company e-mail
and private e-mail if you access your private email using company equipment), what is
on your computer screen, and the documents you create. Deleting your personal emails, phone messages, or Internet history does not always mean they are not available
to your employer or school administrator. Employers can monitor employees through
electronic devices, cameras, and sound equipment. They are also able to restore
deleted items if they need to and use network services to trace where you have been
online. Being monitored helps employees and students stay on task. Remember that
whether you are at school or work, almost nothing is private!
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Cookies
One way information is gathered about you is through something called cookies. This is
a small software program that is installed on your computer through the Internet. Most
of the time, you do not even know that it is there. It sits quietly working, tracking your
every move. Data is gathered about where you work, how much you earn, traffic tickets
you receive, your education, insurance, property ownership, medical and hospital
information, where you bank, your family history, your favorite hobby or sport, and so
much more. This data is then sold to others who use it to send you junk mail, increase
the number of pop-ups you see when browsing the Internet, or send you to web pages
you really did not want to go to. Whether or not this is legal depends on the types of
information being gathered and also the reasons, or intentions, for which it will be used.
It is quite possible to have hundreds of cookies on your computer. One or more from
every website you have visited.
Intent
The question of whether or not collecting data is legal comes down to intent. How will
your personal data be used? If the intent is to try to sell you something, or to sell your
information to someone else, then collecting your personal data is legal. However, if the
intent of data collection is to steal your identity or some other malicious intent, then
personal data collection is illegal.
3: Consider options to protect identity online.
You are identified not only by your first,
middle, and last name, but also by your
social security number. This is a number
that was assigned to you shortly after
your birth.
Your social security number is very valuable and should be protected. Do not give your
social security number to just anyone. If someone asks you for your social security
number, talk to your parents and let them help you make the decision about giving your
number out.
There are a number of ways your identity can be stolen. By stealing your bank account
or credit card numbers, people can spend money in your name and leave you to pay the
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bills. Information about you can be found on bank statements, credit card applications,
medical bills, and other mail that has been sent to you.
An additional danger comes in the form of “free” offers. These often appear in small
windows known as pop-ups. These free offers promise everything from ringtones to a
trip on a cruise ship but require you to buy several other products to receive your “free”
gift. Even when you buy these other products, companies often make it difficult to claim
your prize. The danger here comes when they are not interested in the money from
having you buy their products, but they really just want your personal information.
This is a perfect setup to take your personal information since in a business transaction,
you are often asked to reveal personal information such as your name, address, phone
number, and credit card number. Remember, do your online shopping only on secure
websites.
What steps can you take to prevent identity theft?
1. Guard your personal information such as your social security number and
medical insurance information. Keep cards with these numbers on them in a safe
place.
2. Before throwing away documents with your personal information on them, use a
paper shredder to shred the documents.
3. Use passwords on all your accounts, including your credit card accounts, and
your bank and phone accounts. Experts advise that to be truly secure, a
password should be unpredictable and never written down. For computer
passwords, many recommend a minimum of eight characters, with at least one
capital letter, one number, and one symbol.
4. Memorize your computer logins and do not share them with others.
5. Memorize your PINs and passwords to bank accounts and ATM machines. Do
not carry them in your purse or wallet.
6. When shopping online, use a secure website. As you are submitting your
purchase information, look for a lock icon on the browser’s status bar to ensure
the information you provide is secure during transmission. This is a computer
industry standard indicating the website is a secure site for using your credit
card. If you do not see the lock, check the URL box. If the address begins with
https://, it is a secure website. The ‘s’ in the http indicates that your information
will be encrypted before sending it on the Internet. Remember, the encryption
means that the information is broken up and coded before sending. Anyone
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intercepting the packet of information will not be able to read the coded
information. Only the authorized receiving computer can remove the encryption
and put the information together into readable form again.
7. Avoid scams where you receive unsolicited e-mail asking for your personal
information. This is known as phishing.
There are many websites with excellent information on how to prevent identity theft. I
have given you the URLs for some that I think are very good. However, no one is 100
percent safe these days. Learn what to watch for and stay vigilant!
And remember, websites move or are removed from the Internet. So if these links do
not work, use your search skills to find other articles.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
http://creditidentitysafe.com/identity-theft-prevention
How to Prevent Identity Theft
http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Identity-Theft
Steps to Prevent Identity Theft, and What to Do If It Happens
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/your-money/identitytheft/02idtheftprimer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
How to Prevent Identity Theft
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-prevent-identity-theft/
Stranger accesses home computer, spies on Utah County family
October 27, 2014 ©KSL
ELK RIDGE, Utah County—If you have a computer with a camera on it, it could
happen to you. Before you know what’s going on, a stranger is peering inside
your home.
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It happened to Jennifer Bylund, a mother of two who lives in Elk Ridge. With a
sparse population and wide open spaces, it’s not exactly a crime-ridden
community.
But Bylund discovered criminals don’t always knock down doors to infiltrate our
lives.
“I didn’t know he could get in that easily. It’s scary,” she said.
As she sat in front of her computer monitor, with her children nearby, she
watched in horror as a stranger turned on the camera and spied on her from her
computer.
“He saw my kids, he saw my home,” she said. “Yeah, I was shocked, I was
shocked that somebody could actually do that.”
“It’s a blatant invasion of privacy is what that is. They’re looking into your home,”
said FBI special agent James Lamadrid.
The FBI says there are thousands of similar complaints across the country.
“It’s very simple, it’s very straightforward; they want your money,” he said.
Bylund was victimized by a tech support scam. She’d responded to a pop-up ad
that warned about problems with her computer.
“Because I was paying my bills, it made me worried, so I gave them a call,” she
told KSL Investigator Debbie Dujanovic.
Besides sending phony pop-ups, scammers call potential victims and pretend
they’ve detected suspicious activity that must be addressed immediately.
Concerned computer owners then often grant a scammer remote access to their
computer, believing there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
“I allowed him to get on. All he needed was my email address, my birthday and
my first and last name,” said Bylund.
As victims watch the monitor, the FBI says scammers remotely access the
computer and may do things that convince the victim there’s a problem.
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“They change the font from white to red, which is very simple to do, and
everyone thinks red is bad so when you get that on a computer you think, ‘Oh my
goodness, something is wrong with my laptop,’” Lamadrid said.
The scammer will turn on the camera as a way to scare a victim to purchase
bogus security software.
Bylund didn’t fall for it, and after the man asked her for her credit card number to
cover his $200 repair fee, she hung up. But by then the scammer had full access
to her computer, including personal information, family photos, and the camera
that was still on.
She turned off the computer and took it to a real computer expert to make sure it
was safe to turn back on.
She doesn’t know whether the scammer downloaded her personal information for
later use, but she does have her family’s privacy back.
“What world do we live in where people can actually look into our houses and
see our families without our permission. It’s really sad,” she said.
Contacted by computer? File a complaint at IC3.gov.
Contacted by phone? File a complaint at FTC.gov.
Protecting your family
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Don’t click on suspicious links. This could download malware or lead to
phony pop-up warnings of suspicious activity.
Don’t share personal information, passwords or grant remote access to
someone who contacts you out of the blue.
If you’re concerned about someone gaining remote access to the camera
on your computer, place a sticky note over the lens.
Keep anti-virus software updated.
Scan your computer for viruses.
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4: Use safe practices when online.
So far, you have learned about the different ways that harm can come to your
documents and your hardware through the sharing of files, e-mail, and various
resources on the Internet. You learned that your computer hardware and software are
not safe unless you take steps to protect them. What about your own personal safety?
The Internet was designed to allow for free exchange of information and ideas. Along
with this free exchange of information and ideas there are safety issues that you must
be aware of when using the Internet.
Children
The Internet is a great place if used wisely. Unfortunately, there is also much that is
harmful to children and people in general. A great website for kids to learn how to stay
safe is www.netsmartzkids.org.
Shopping
When shopping online, look for the padlock. This
represents a secure web site and it is safe to enter your
credit card information. Also, look for the https://. The s in
the URL means that the web site has taken measures to
encrypt your information to keep it safe from theft.
E-mail
Don’t share your e-mail with just anyone! Companies collect and sell e-mail addresses
to other companies for the purpose of sending spam.
Also, it is not wise to share your email address with people you have met online through
chat or games. People you meet online may not be who they say they are. Finally, if
you receive an inappropriate email from anyone, please let your parents know. Cyber
bullying is becoming a big issue for people. If you are being bullied, don’t suffer in
silence! Tell someone, tell a trusted adult such as a parent, a teacher, a school
counselor, etc.
Check out these websites for more information:
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The FTC, or Federal Trade Commission, is a government website with great
information:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0346-tech-support-scams
A couple of years ago, I received a phone call from someone claiming to be from
Microsoft. He said I had a serious issue with my computer and he was calling to fix it. It
turned out that he planted something on my computer that stole my personal
information. Here is information on what to do if someone calls you claiming to be from
a ligitmate business like Microsoft or eBay or Amazon, etc.:
http://blogs.microsoft.com/cybertrust/2014/02/19/5-things-youneed-to-know-about-tech-support-scams/
Chat Rooms
In chat rooms, messages are keyed in using the keyboard in real time. This means that
you are talking to someone who is on the Internet at the same time you are. Some chat
rooms may show information about a person, or a profile of each person, currently in
the chat room with you. But profiles can be falsified. Do not assume that what you see
and read in someone’s profile is true. The person may tell you he or she is sixteen years
old when he or she may actually be sixty-six years old. If you chat with someone you
met online, do not assume they are telling you the truth. A chat room is a perfect place
to exaggerate or to be someone else for a while. Anyone can fake it in a chat room.
Along with being wary of talking with unknown people, be aware that some people hang
out in chat rooms, but rarely join the conversation. These people can read what is
written and may be looking for opportunities to take advantage of you. But there are
ways to safeguard yourself. One important thing to remember is to never tell people
your personal information (address, phone number, last name, school you attend,
school mascot, part of the country or state you live in, etc.). Be cautious of those
attempting to get such information from you.
Another way to remain anonymous is by choosing a chat name that does not reveal too
much. When selecting a name, think about what your login name says about you. For
example, “Tinkerbell 16” could tell a criminal that you are a girl and that you are
probably a teenager. Protect yourself by knowing your friends’ usernames and stick to
chatting with them.
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Anytime you are having a conversation that makes you feel uncomfortable, leave the
conversation. And do not hesitate to involve adults for help, like a parent or a teacher. It
is much safer to set up a private room where you invite only your friends. Always check
the username before inviting that person in. When in doubt, refuse entry to the person.
Proper netiquette rules apply in all chat rooms. Netiquette is a combination of net
(meaning Internet) and etiquette (meaning proper behavior). Be courteous; watch your
language and the tone of voice in your writing. Sarcasm is particularly hard to recognize
online, so be careful not to write something sarcastically if you think it might be taken
seriously. Most importantly, do not write anything that is offensive or degrading.
Online Dating
Like chat rooms, online dating services can also be very dangerous because it is easy
for people to exaggerate the truth or mislead and take advantage of others. Generally,
these sites only allow people who are over the age of eighteen to join. Never agree to
meet someone alone whom you have only met online and make certain your parents or
guardians know about any relationships that develops online.
Gambling
The Internet has made it so people can bet on just about anything and everything, from
cockroach races to whether your first baby will be a boy or a girl. Many states have
outlawed any sort of gambling, including online gambling, altogether. In states where
gambling is legal, most have made it illegal for anyone under eighteen years old.
All too often, people who do gamble become addicted, and the effects can be
devastating. I watched a very close family member get drawn into a gambling addiction
over several years that eventually became one cause of his divorce. He reached a point
where he could not think clearly and chose gambling over providing food for his family.
Unfortunately, it was common for him to drop $1,000 on gambling while his wife and
children were going without food, warm clothing, or a working car.
A study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors reports that people who use the
Internet to gamble are more likely to have “problematic” or “pathological” gambling
problems compared to those who gamble in casinos (Ladd & Petry, 2002).
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Pornography
While the Internet has made available all sorts of great information, it has also brought
some harmful things as well. Unfortunately, pornography has become a very real
danger on the Internet. Viewing pornography will lead to horrible consequences.
A few years ago, I worked with a young man who had a wife and two very young
children at home. He used company equipment to download pornographic material. His
work suffered, his attitude toward his coworkers changed, and his overall attitude
toward life changed, making him a difficult person to work with. After several warnings
and being sent to counseling, he would not quit viewing pornography. He ended up
being fired. Like gambling, pornography can become an addiction. This addiction can
destroy careers, families, and self-esteem. Addictions can be overcome, but it may take
years of hard work and at great cost.
The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 has strict penalties for people who
create, store, or distribute pornography that involves minors. Remember that a minor is
anyone under the age of eighteen. Even if minors agree to being photographed or if the
picture was taken by another minor, it is still a violation of the law. Forwarding obscene
pictures or even having them on a computer or cellphone can also result in legal
trouble. If a school finds out that some of its students are involved in pornography, those
involved will likely face harsh penalties that may include suspension or expulsion. In
addition, the problem is not just a school problem; the law requires that the school hand
the students involved over to police.
Although it is illegal to market pornographic materials to minors, these materials are so
prevalent online that you will still need to take some steps to avoid them. The first and
most important step is to involve your parents or guardians. They should know what
sites you are visiting and what other people are sending to you. Most search engines
have a preference setting which can be set to filter out a good portion of inappropriate
materials. There are also online filtering programs available (click the link below for a
free filtering program) that will block sites with improper content. If you receive
inappropriate material through your e-mail or on a cellphone, you should immediately
speak with a parent, guardian, or school official.
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
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5: Understand personal responsibilities
So, just what is your personal responsibility? The online community created a new word
for this called netiquette. At no point is it ever appropriate to spam, flame, cyberbully,
libel, or slander another individual or company! Understand the vocabulary words below
and don’t do them!
Phishing
Wikipedia.org says: “Phishing is the attempt to acquire
sensitive information such as usernames, passwords,
and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly,
money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an
electronic communication.”
In other words, the e-mail or pop-up ad is asking for your information. A couple of years
ago, a pop-up ad appeared on my students’ computers in my classroom. The ad said
“Congratulations, you won!” When a student clicked on the button, a screen appeared
that asked for his name, address, and phone number. He never received the prize that
was offered in the ad.
Since then, phishing scams have gotten more and more sophisticated. Always be
extremely cautious about everything online.
Spamming
Spam is unsolicited and unwanted e-mail
messages—lots and lots of junk e-mail.
Chances are that you get spam in your e-mail
all the time. Some spam can have filthy subject
lines and messages. When you are on a
network, your network administrator will filter
most of the messages; however, some may still
make it through to your Inbox.
On your home computer, all you can do is click
the spam or junk mail button to put the message into your Spam folder or you can
delete message. Unfortunately, you still see the subject line before deleting and can be
left with an ugly picture in your mind. You can also call your ISP and make a complaint.
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If you do call your ISP, you will need to keep the offending e-mail message so you can
forward it on to your ISP. Then you can permanently delete it.
Flaming
Wikipedia.org says: “Flaming is a hostile and insulting interaction between Internet
users, often involving the use of profanity.” It is never appropriate to post insulting and
abusive comments about others online!
Cyberbullying
The anonymity of cyberspace sometimes makes people say hateful or hurtful things that
they normally would not say if the person were standing right in front of them.
Cyberbullying happens when people gossip, pass rumors, threaten, or harass using
technology. Through the use of computers, Internet, and cellphones, people sometimes
forget that they are talking to or about real people with feelings.
Cyberbullying is a huge issue
facing schools today. All
schools have a zero-tolerance
policy regarding it. If you are
being bullied by someone, be
sure to keep the texts, e-mails,
or messages and show them to
an adult. Many times bullies
are not punished because
victims do not tell on them. You
can stop being a victim. Tell someone! Many kids think making fun of others or passing
rumors online is not a big deal. In some cases, this could be considered libel, which is
against the law and can carry stiff penalties.
If you are part of the problem, stop! Pretend that the person you are bullying is someone
in your family. How would you feel if your little sister were the victim?
Being a teenager is hard. Do not make it harder for someone else.
Check out this video: Cyberbullying: You Can’t Take It Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLP3TIl_Hek
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Check out NetSmartz Workshop
http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm
Cyberbullying is using a computer and the Internet to harass, threaten, embarrass, or
humiliate another person. Most people are familiar with face-to-face bullying. At school
or work, people can get away from bullies by going home. Not so easy now with
cyberbullying. Every time someone turns on a computer and enters the Internet, there is
the possibility of encountering a cyberbully. This is a growing problem nationwide. If you
are being bullied, tell a parent! Tell a teacher! Tell a school administrator!
Tell
someone! You do not have to live with it! Check out the website below for more
information on cyberbullying.
http://teenadvice.about.com/od/schoolviolence/a/cyberbullying1.htm
Libel
Written words or images which degrade or
injure another person’s reputation or good
name are called libel. You may have heard it
phrased as defamation of character. The law
says that it must have been published, false,
and injurious before you can sue another
person.
Slander
Slander, on the other hand, is the oral or verbal defamation of someone’s reputation.
Telling one or more people an untruth about another person is slander, and it is morally
and legally wrong!
6: Understand global responsibilities
Censorship
Wikipedia.org says: “Censorship is the
suppression of speech, public communication or
other information which may be considered
objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically
incorrect or inconvenient as determined by
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governments, media outlets, authorities or other groups or institutions.”
A couple of years ago, I went to China.
Whenever something came on TV (we
were watching CNN) that the government
didn’t like, our TV screen in the hotel
would go black. A few seconds later or
when the story was over, the picture would
appear again. This was censorship.
Filtering
Filtering is allowing in only information or websites that are needed for the job and
excluding information and websites with questionable content. You may have
experienced this at school. For example, YouTube and Facebook may be unavailable
because your school district has filtered it out.
Intellectual property
Wikipedia.org says: “Intellectual property is a
legal term that refers to creations of the mind.
Examples of intellectual property include music,
literature, and other artistic works; discoveries
and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols,
and designs. Under intellectual property laws,
owners of intellectual property are granted
certain exclusive rights. Some common types of intellectual property rights are
copyright, patents, and industrial design rights; and the rights that protect trademarks,
trade dress, and in some jurisdictions trade secrets.”
Piracy
The illegal copying and use of computer
software and digital media such as music and
movies is called piracy. According to the
software license agreement, computer software
developers give you the right to make a backup
copy of the software CD in the event the
original CD is damaged. Where people get into
trouble is the illegal sharing of software,
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games, music, and movies. Do not make a copy and loan or give it to your friends! If
they like the game, music, or movie that much, they need to buy their own copies!
Copyright
Wikipedia.org says: “Copyright is a form of intellectual
property and is the legal right created by law that
grants the creator of an original work the exclusive
rights to its use and distribution with the intention of
enabling the creator to receive compensation for their
intellectual effort.” For example: A photographer owns
the intellectual property rights of the pictures he took,
even if the pictures were of you.
Licensing
I purchased some computer software a few
months ago. Before I broke the seal that kept the
box closed, I noticed some writing that said, “By
opening this product I was agreeing to the terms of
the software license.” In other words, once the seal
was broken I was under contract with the company
to comply with their license agreement even if I
had not read the license agreement.
Most software license agreements will tell you that
you can install the software on computers that you personally own. That means that you
cannot install it on your friend’s computer even if you use his computer some of the
time. Read the license agreement even if you don’t understand all of it now.
Creative Commons
Creative commons are additions to copyright licenses that provide rules for the public
use of copyrighted intellectual property. It helps the copyrighted owner of the property
maintain control of the property while giving others license to use and develop his or her
own products. If you have been in a school play or performed in a school choir, you
used material (script or sheet music) that allowed you or the director “creative
commons” to modify your performance from the original.
Ms. Revoir will show a video called CyberSafety by Films Media Group (19 minutes)
sometime during this unit.