Unit 08: Computer and Internet Etiquette

As people continue to use technology in their everyday lives, from communications to

making transactions online, many have forgotten their proper etiquette when using their
computer systems and when interacting using the Internet. Internet etiquette, also known as
“Netiquette,” is essential in a civilized work environment or personal relationship. Even
though you aren't with others in person, you should remember that they're still there, on the
other end of your communication. With the age of technology, threats to a computer system
is now more rampant, there is cyberbullying, hacking, harassment, and other fraud
techniques. There is no official list of netiquette rules or guidelines, the idea is to respect
other users and those online.

General Guidelines for Computer Etiquette

1. When communicating with people online, remember how you want to be treated,
that’s probably how others want to be treated too, with respect.
2. Always be aware that you are talking to a person, not a device. Be courteous.
3. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.
4. Know where you stand. Netiquette varies from domain to domain. What is acceptable
in a chat room may not be appropriate in a professional forum so “lurk before you
leap”.
5. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.
6. Spelling and grammar count! Always check, recheck your posts and keep your
language appropriate.
7. Keep under control the posts or content that invoke rage, sadness, humiliation, self-
doubt, and others.
8. Respect other people’s privacy. Ask consent for everything! From posts sharing, to
citations, to using of materials and more.
9. Help out those people who are new to the technology.
10. Read, and research before asking. Try not to waste other people’s time.
11. Some emotions and meanings do not transmit very well in an email or a post.
However, do not use all caps if you want to communicate strong emotion. All caps
will make you look like you’re shouting. Don’t overuse smileys and emoticons
because they make you look unprofessional. Constructing your sentences carefully
and editing what you write before hitting send is often enough.
12. Remember that your posts and account can be easily traced back to you even if you
write under an alias or a made-up handle. You leave data footprints whenever you’re
online. These are stored and can be retrieved. Even when using incognito. Always be
a decent and responsible netizen.
Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people – If it is unethical to harm people
by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a program that handles the
timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if it is bad to steal and destroy other
people’s books and notebooks, it is equally bad to access and destroy their files.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work – Computer viruses are
small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by destroying their files,
taking huge amounts of computer time or memory, or by simply displaying annoying
messages. Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses is unethical.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s computer files – Reading other
people’s e-mail messages is as bad as opening and reading their letters: This is
invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public files should be judged the
same way as breaking into their rooms and stealing their documents.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal – Using a computer to break into the accounts
of a company or a bank and transferring money should be judged the same way as
robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws against it.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness – The Internet can spread untruth
as fast as it can spread truth. Putting out false "information" to the world is bad. For
instance, spreading false rumors about a person or false propaganda about historical
events is wrong.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid –
Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book: Obtaining illegal
copies of copyrighted software is as bad as photocopying a copyrighted book. There
are laws against both. Information about the copyright owner can be embedded by a
process called watermarking into pictures in the digital format.
7. Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization or proper
compensation – Multiuser systems use user id’s and passwords to enforce their
memory and time allocations, and to safeguard information. You should not try to
bypass this authorization system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the
authorization is unethical.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output – For example, the
programs you write for the projects assigned in this course are your own intellectual
output. Copying somebody else’s program without proper authorization is software
piracy and is unethical. Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be
protected by copyright laws.
 9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the
system you are designing – You have to think about computer issues in a more
general social framework: Can the program you write be used in a way that is harmful
to society? For example, if you are working for an animation house, and are
producing animated films for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the
animations include scenes that can be harmful to children? In the United States, the
Communications Decency Act was an attempt by lawmakers to ban certain types of
content from Internet websites to protect young children from harmful material. That
law was struck down because it violated the free speech principles in that country's
constitution. The discussion, of course, is going on.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for
your fellow humans – Just like public buses or banks, people using computer
communications systems may find themselves in situations where there is some form
of queuing and you have to wait for your turn and generally be nice to other people in
the environment. The fact that you cannot see the people you are interacting with does
not mean that you can be rude to them.

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