[u][b]COMPUTER ETHICS ARTICLE[/b][/u]

Please read the following document about Computer Ethics; then complete the worksheet that follows. Remember, everyone must follow these rules when you are using the computer:



[u][b]Introduction[/b][/u]

As you might know, there has been a major technology disagreement since the 1990s.

Free music-sharing websites like LimeWire, BearShare, Shareaza, and Morpheus, allow people to download and listen to music and watch videos without having to pay for them. There are people (and maybe you are one of them!) who use their computer's CD or DVD burner to make copies of their friends' downloaded or store-purchased music and movies. In case you didn't know, this is called file swapping or sharing (an internet network on which users access each other's hard disks and exchange files directly over the Internet), or for a more technical term, peer-to-peer (P2P) networking. A peer-to-peer service is a network that enables computers to connect directly to each other in order to distribute and copy files. Software programs use these networks to search for and trade every kind of file. Examples of P2P services include eDonkey, KazaA, Limewire and DirectConnect. These programs can turn your computer into a directory and distributor of an unlimited variety of illegal material, viruses and worms. Free music-sharing is an illegal form of Piracy. Internet piracy is the downloading or distribution of unauthorized copies of intellectual property such as movies, television, music, games and software programs via the Internet. Illegal downloads occur in many forms including file sharing networks, pirate servers, websites and hacked computers.  Piracy is theft, and pirates are thieves, plain and simple. Downloading a movie off of the Internet is the same as taking a DVD off a store shelf without paying for it.



[b][u]Downloading Material from the Internet[/u][/b]

Copyrighted software provided at no cost to a user by an individual or company that retains all rights to the software is called Freeware. It is legal and ethical to download these programs from the Internet. To be put simply, it means the owners want people to have the software for free.



Other copyrighted programs are called Shareware. Program owners created these programs which will allow a computer user to download the program for free and use it for a certain amount of time. If they like the program, they need to pay the owner to continue to use it. Otherwise, after a certain length of time, the software will not work for the computer user.



[b][u]Copying Graphics/Pictures from the Internet[/u][/b]

There are many graphics and pictures available from the Internet. Most of these pictures can be copied for an individual's use. These pictures are said to be in the public domain (donated freely for public use and has no copyright restrictions). For example, pictures from the East Brunswick Public Schools web site are in the public domain, so it is ethical to copy these pictures. Other pictures and graphics are privately owned. For example, an artist might post pictures of his/her work on the Internet hoping to sell the work. It would be unethical to copy these pictures.



[u][b]Copying of Software[/b][/u]

It is legal to copy some software and distribute it to anyone who wants a copy. This software, as mentioned above, is called public domain software. Other software is copyrighted and may not be copied and given to others. Copying copyrighted software is unethical and illegal.



It is unethical and illegal to purchase one copy of a software program for several computers unless a site license is purchased. With a site license, a person, company, or school can copy software for the entire site. For example, schools often buy a site license for a software program that allows the school to use the software on all of its computers



[u][b]Plagiarism and the Internet[/b][/u]

The Internet is a great resource for students completing assignments and papers, but, just as copying material word for word from a book or encyclopedia (plagiarism) is unethical, so is copying material directly from the Internet.  Copying material directly from the Internet usually results in the student earning an F on his/her assignment.



[u][b]Privacy[/b][/u]

People must respect other people's privacy and confidentiality when working on computers, specifically when working on the Internet.  For example, some companies have confidential information about their employees and customers stored on their computers. It is unethical for an individual or individuals to try to get this confidential information.



[u][b]References[/b][/u]http://www.mpaa.org/piracy_internet.asp;

http://home.comcast.net/~leparcell.htm





1) A network that enables computers to connect directly to each other in order to distribute and copy files is called _________________.