Summary of the reading listed below about cyber ethics.
I use the internet three hours a day, seven days a week. At least four hours a day. I have a Facebook. I am instant messaging friends and family. I'm a big sports fan, so I'd like to keep up to date. I usually go on the internet and check with stuff like YouTube, and MySpace, Facebook. Downloading of information. Waste time. Listen to music. I usually play games with my mom. Do a lot of my banking online. There's massive parts of the internet I have yet to reach. Teenagers are exposed to different threats that maybe younger children are not exposed to. Harassment online has really gotten to the point where it's a serious problem. Copyright infringement. Downloading music and sharing movie files. Plagiarism issue has become just one that has escalated in leaps and bounds. I'd like to call the internet the world. It's just a huge, big place where people come and go. And there's illegal activity in the world-- in real life and the cyber world. So anything that can happen in real life also happens online. I think it's a really easy to get caught up in a sense that because it's online, it doesn't matter or it's not real. The things that you do online has consequences in your real life. Cyberethics I guess would be in the realm of-- Cyberethics. Well--
You know, I've never really thought about what internet ethics could be. Yeah, I gotta think about that, too. I don't know. Are there ethics on the internet? Personal ethics, of course-- it's going to be very important when you're dealing with cyberspace. Because it's such a free and open environment. Cyberethics is another very important topic, and I actually think that cyberethics is the real root that if we can get at, I think the cybersecurity ad the cyber safety issues will hopefully be strengthened. Cyberethics is being the real person online that you are offline, and recognizing that how you communicate with others has an effect.
And then not only that, the types of activities that you think might be fun and don't hurt someone else-- maybe hacking, maybe just downloading a file-- is basically stealing. I mean the question is would you go into the store and rip off clothes, or would you steal candy, or would you do something like that. And if the answer is no, then you should really think twice before you download music or if you try to hurt someone else on the internet.
I've heard about plagiarism, but I've never been involved in that. I don't know anybody that's been involved in that, so I don't know how big of a deal it is.
Plagiarism and cheating in school has been around forever, but new technologies have led to new ways of cheating.
We're seeing students using cameras on cell phones to make copies of tests, and text messaging answers. Downloading papers from a paper mill site. So it's things that we need to be aware of, but then we also need to understand the consequences of that. And to make good decisions for ourselves, and being able to handle the technology appropriately.
Depending on the school, if you are found guilty of academic dishonesty, you could not only fail the test, but the class. It can be on your permanent record, and sometimes even lead to expulsion. One of the newer trends an academic dishonesty is in plagiarism, where students are copying articles straight off the internet.
Plagiarism is becoming a big issue within schools right now. And I understand that teenagers wanted-- they use the internet a lot in order to do research. Just because you find an obscure website that has some great information on it doesn't mean that your teacher can't follow up on it and find that same website that you may have taken content from.
So it's really important that you don't just copy a website that you find. Because in the end it could really hurt you, and not only affect your grades in high school, but also affect your ability to get into a college or a junior college.
As editor of the school paper, I've come to notice that a lot of my young students need to go on the website for a lot of information on the internet and stuff like that, and sometimes they come up word-for-word that they got to have a fact checker for that. But we definitely try to discourage it as much as possible because obviously I'm going to get in big trouble if it happens. Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean you can take it word for word. It is somebody's work.
I think one of the hard parts for youth to recognize is the term intellectual property, and that someone has invested, and spent time and money and effort to create something. And they created that because they want to be associated with it. So intellectual property is something that we all want to protect. Our own and recognize how to protect others.
Intellectual property is just that. Property of the mind, and it includes content like art, music, movies, and games. Commonly shared on peer-to-peer programs.
Not all peer to peer sharing is legal. It's about the content. Some of the contents, like songs and so forth-- movies even-- are copyrighted, and of course no one wants their copyrighted materials to be traded without getting some kind of revenues.
Copyright protects artists, publishers, and other owners against unauthorized use. So downloading, uploading, and sharing music, movies, games without permission or payment is really stealing.
A lot of teenagers don't realize that is stealing, and the reason why is because there are companies that actually paid money to produce that content. And so just like someone who produces a product like clothing, or a book. It's the same sort of thing. And so when you're downloading that music from someone for free, you're stealing from a company.
Under federal law, first-time offenders who commit copyright violations that involve digital recordings can face criminal penalties of as much as five years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines. Another form of stealing, and, well, breaking and entering on the internet, is hacking. To gain control of a system, to edit, delete, install, or execute a file without the owner's consent.
Hacking is always wrong. You're really invading someone else's space. Maybe their privacy, maybe there's-- all their information that they have there. It's definitely always wrong.
And everyone should think about. Would I go on the street and mug someone, and take all their personal property? If you wouldn't-- if the answer to that is no, which I hope the majority of people that are watching this is no, then why would you do it on the internet?
I usually play games with my mom. She actually-- we play on Pogo a lot. Online gaming is very popular, and a lot of people play. However, there are a few ethical issues involved. There are many people addicted to online gaming. Some people become inclusive, their grades drop.
Also, gaining can take a toll on your money. Many online games require the players buy the game, subscription fees, accessories, tools and more. In connection with these games, you have the opportunity to chat with other players from all over the world.
But chatting can be dangerous. It may expose you to online predators, scam artists, and even harassment.
A lot of these online gaming rooms are sort of an environment where people are detached and they really abuse other people. And there's a lot of harsh talking. There's a lot of something that we call cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying is one of the biggest issues facing teens right now.
I have no clue what cyberbullying is to be honest with you. I would guess it's a little bit different than the playgrounds where I used to get picked on.
Unlike the old days when you could get away from a bully, so it happened either on the playground or it happened on the school bus or in a mall. Cyberbullying is 24/7. So what's going on digitally is continually really damaging.
Social networking websites have not only been used to communicate with each other. They've been used to extend bullying from a classroom to the online world. I can guarantee you a lot of kids come across, either harassment on the internet, or possibly even sexual solicitation from their peers.
People will go on these sites and say statements that really say terrible things about other people. Send harassing, threatening emails. Some students may be even scared to go to school.
Here's how it happens a lot. There'll be an instant message that has some rude words about someone. It can be forwarded, and then forwarded, and then forwarded-- or posted up on a social networking site available for everyone. So then the person who had unkind things said about them. It's now 24/7, spreading, and growing. And that person feels isolated and hurt.
A lot of people don't understand that what they put about a person on the social networking website really does affect them.
Kids who are cyberbullied-- they are three times more likely to exhibit serious signs of depression. Three times. That's a lot.
There was an actual case where a child was so abused on the social networking website that he actually committed suicide.
What people post online-- I think sometimes anonymity falls into this because they'll feel like, oh, I can do this online and no one knows who's really doing it. But actually, law enforcement has many ways to track and trace them.
There are steps to take if you are cyberbullied. If someone is harassing or stalking you online, one step you can take-- a lot of sites offer some kind of block or ignore feature. I know it's hard to ignore someone if they're annoying you and saying bad things about you, but it's really the best thing you can do. They're looking to get a rise out of you, and if you just ignore them a lot of times it'll go away.
If it really gets out of hand, there are more direct measures.
Report it. Every single company that hosts the information has a terms of service agreement. They don't want cyber bullies. They don't want unkind and rude people using their service.
Report any incident of online harassment to your internet service provider. If it's through a mobile phone, report the problem to your phone service provider. If the bullying includes physical threats, tell the police as well, and it's a good idea to hold on to any evidence.
Do hold on and show, or at least hold on so that you have some type of recourse to follow up with.
It's important to remember-- you don't have to handle cyberbullying on your own.
So one other thing you should do is tell a parent or a teacher or an adult you trust, and get them to help you.
When we're on the internet, we can create and develop an image by what we write about ourselves and about our perception of the world. And that's available to everyone the rest of your life. If you want to filter that, then think before you click and upload it. And then it's important that you recognize the information that you put up on the internet about your friends.
And what you say or what you put on possibly a social networking website, or on a chat room, really can hurt someone else.
There may be some pitfalls on the internet, frauds, false information, and some cruel behavior. But the cyber world could also be a really wonderful place.
The internet is a wonderful place. There is so much that can be done with information, and there's so much that's actually coming online that's being interconnected. The phones, the home.
The upsides? Oh, my goodness. Communication, accessing information-- I think the biggest one is access information.
To be able to go on the internet and get what I need like that as opposed to having to sift through book after book after book in the library going through old newspapers to try and find information. I can just get it right there. I mean that's perfectly. That's great for me. It makes my life much easier.
The best thing-- just keeping in touch with family and friends that are long distance.
Especially because my family members are dispersed everywhere now, so it's a big thing to keep in touch.
Being able to contact my relatives in New Zealand and England. All my friends back in California and Arizona.
The communication and information gathering, and accessing information to me is just amazing through the internet.