Ethics are a set of moral principles that govern an individual or a group on what is acceptable behaviour while using a computer. Computer ethics is a set of moral principles that govern the usage of computers. One of the common issues of computer ethics is violation of copyright issues.

Duplicating  copyrighted content without the author’s approval, accessing personal information of others are some of the examples that violate ethical principles.

Internet Ethics for everyone

Internet ethics means acceptable behaviour for using internet. We should be honest, respect the rights and property of others on the internet.

Acceptance

One has to accept that Internet is not a value free-zone .It means World Wide Web is a place where values are considered in  the broadest sense so we must take care while shaping content and services and we should recognize that internet is not apart from universal society but it is a primary component of it.

Sensitivity to National and Local cultures

It belongs to all and there is no barrier of national and local cultures. It cannot be subject to one set of values like the local TV channel or  the local newspaper  We have to accommodate multiplicity of usage.

While using e-Mail and chatting

Internet must be used for communication with family and friends. Avoid chatting with strangers and forwarding  e-mails from unknown people /strangers. And we must teach children  about  risks involved  in chatting and forwarding e-mails to strangers.

Pretending to be someone else

We must not use internet to fool others by pretending to be someone else. Hiding our own identity to fool others in the Internet world is a crime and may also be a risk to others. It’s our responsibility to teach children the same.

Avoid Bad language

We must not use rude or bad language while using e-Mail, chatting, blogging and social networking, We need to respect their views and should not criticize anyone on the internet and the same should be taught to children.

Hide personal information

We should teach children not to give personal details like home address, phone numbers, interests, passwords. No photographs should be sent to strangers and they should be asked to hide their personal details from strangers because it might be misused and shared with others without their knowledge.

While Downloading

Internet is used to listen and learn about music,It is also used to watch videos and play games  We must not use it to download them or share  copyrighted material. The same should be taught to children, and they must be aware  of the importance of copyrights and issues of copyright.

Supervision

You should know what children are doing on the internet and the sites they visit on the internet and should check with whom they are communicating. Restrict them browsing inappropriate sites. Parental involvement is essential when a child is using the internet  in order to make him  follow the rules.

Encourage children to use Internet

We must encourage children, students and others to gain the knowledge from the internet and use it wisely. Internet is a great tool where we can gather information which can be used for learning.

Access to Internet

The internet is a time-efficient tool for everyone that enlarges the possibilities for curriculum growth. Learning depends on the ability to find relevant and reliable information quickly and easily, and to select, understand and assess that information. Searching for information on the internet can help to develop these skills. Classroom exercises and take-home assessment tasks, where students are required to compare website content, are ideal for alerting students to the requirements of writing for different audiences, the purpose of particular content, identifying and judging accuracy and reliability. Since many sites adopt particular views about issues, the internet is a useful tool for developing the skills of distinguishing fact from opinion and exploring subjectivity and objectivity.

Ethical rules for computer users

Some of the rules that individuals should follow while using a computer are listed below:

• Do not use computers to harm other users.
• Do not use computers to steal others information.
• Do not access files without the permission of the owner.
• Do not copy copyrighted software without the author’s permission.
• Always respect copyright laws and policies.
• Respect the privacy of others, just as you expect the same from others.
• Do not use other user's computer resources without their permission.
  Use Internet ethically.
• Complain about illegal communication and activities, if found, to Internet service Providers and local law enforcement authorities.
• Users are responsible for safeguarding their User Id and Passwords. They should not write them on paper or anywhere else for remembrance.
• Users should not intentionally use the computers to retrieve or modify the information of others, which may include password information, files, etc..

Scenarios

Scene 1

Ravi asked kishore  if  he  could look at the essay written by him.He said sure and didn’t think much about it. After some days their essays were verified by the class teacher  who  asked kishore to stay after class. The teacher  pointed out that their essays were similar and asked for an explanation.
So always teach and guide children not to copy  content or information  from internet or from classmates.

Scene 2

Vicky has stepped out from the computer lab without logging off.  Bob sits on Vicky’s computer,   logins as Vicky,  sends false e-mail messages to a number of students and posts similar messages on the class newsgroup.
So teach children  that they must never misuse others computers and e-mail IDs to harm others and defame them.