LESSON 6

The Netiquette
and the
Computer Ethics
OBJECTIVES

After successful completion of this module, the student can be

able to:

⮚Discuss the importance of being a responsible netizen by

following the rules of common courtesy online and the
informal “rules of the road” of cyberspace;
⮚Consider one’s and others’ reputation when using the
Internet;
⮚Determine and avoid the dangers of the Internet; and
⮚Be responsible in the use of social networking sites.
 What is
Netiquette?
Netiquette – is
network etiquette, the
do’s and don’ts of
online communication.
Netiquette is concerned
with the "proper" way to
communicate in an
online environment.
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette

1. The Golden Rule (treat others as

you would like to be treated)
2. No Flaming (Flame is a personal
insult communicated through the
internet)
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette

3. Don’t type in all CAPS (people

may misinterpret)
4. Don’t SPAM (it is any unsolicited
e-mail from unknown sources)
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette
5. Don’t talk with people you do not
know (do not arrange to meet
anyone you meet online)
6. Obey Copyright Laws (Don’t steal
someone else’s idea, property and
rights)
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette
7. Use proper Grammar and
Spelling (errors diminishes the
credibility of the message)
8. Be Honest/Be Yourself (tell the
truth, do not pretend to be
someone else)
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette

9. Follow the TOS (TOS – Term of

Service) (Rules and Policy of the
sites)
 10 Best Rules of Netiquette

10. RESPECT DIVERSITY IN

VIEWPOINTS - Be constructive and
respectful when sharing opinions,
beliefs, and criticisms, or responding to
those of others in the conversation)
PROTECTING REPUTATIONS ONLINE

In the past, doing something

embarrassing was not much of a
big deal. It happened; people
would laugh at it, and they would
move on.
 PROTECTING REPUTATIONS ONLINE

Nowadays, embarrassing moments

are captured using any device you
could imagine. What is worse is that
people can easily upload it to the
Internet, where it can be stored
forever.
 PROTECTING REPUTATIONS ONLINE

This could impact not only your

reputation but also the people
around you. What is worse is that
people tend to ignore this fact, and
suffer from it later in their life.
 PROTECTING REPUTATIONS ONLINE

Once you post something over the

Internet, search engines keep them in
their archives for search results. This
makes anything you post to last
forever even if you delete it in your
page.
PROTECTING REPUTATIONS ONLINE

Something you and your friends

find funny today may be
something that could harm
someone’s reputation later.
 THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!
1. Before you post something on the web,
ask these questions to yourself: Would you
want your parents or grandparents to see
it? Would you want your future boss to see
it? Once you post something on the web,
you have no control of who sees your
posts.
 THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!

2. Your friends depend on you

to protect their reputation
online. Talk to your friends
about this serious
responsibility.
 THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!

3. Set your post to “private.” In

this way, search engines will
not be able to scan that post.
 THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!

4. Lessen the use of names.

Names are easy for search
engines to scan.
 THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!

5. If you feel that a post can

affect you or other’s reputation,
ask the one who posted it to
pull it down or report it as
inappropriate.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

1. Understand. This means

that you can express
something using your own
words, but you should give
credit to the source.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

2. Be responsible. Even if a
material does not say that it is
copyrighted, it is not a valid defense
against copyright. Be responsible
enough to know if something has a
copyright.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
3. Be creative. Ask yourself whether
what you are making is something that
came from you or something made from
somebody else’s creativity. It is important
to add your own creative genius in
everything that will be credited to you.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

4. Know the law. There are some

limitations to copyright laws. For
instance in the Philippines,
copyrights only last a lifetime (of
the author) plus 50 years.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

5. Give credit. If you are going to

use the information from a source
for educational purposes, give
credit to the original author of the
page or information.
 COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
There are also provisions for “fair use” which mean
that an intellectual property may be used without a
consent as long as it is used in commentaries,
criticisms, search engines, parodies, news reports,
research, library archiving, teaching, and education.
If you have doubts that what you are doing does not
fall under the policy of fair use, seek permission
first.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 1: Remember the Human When

communicating electronically, whether
through email, instant message,
discussion post, text, or some other
method, practice the Golden Rule: Do
unto others as you would have others do
unto you.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of

behavior online that you follow in real life
While it can be argued that standards of
behavior may be different in the virtual
world, they certainly should not be lower.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

"Netiquette varies from domain to domain."
(Shea, 1994) Depending on where you are in
the virtual world, the same written
communication can be acceptable in one
area, where it might be considered
inappropriate in another.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and

bandwidth Electronic communication takes
time: time to read and time in which to
respond. Most people today lead busy
lives, just like you do, and don't have time
to read or respond to frivolous emails or
discussion posts.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 5: Make yourself looks good in an online

world. One of the best things about the virtual
world is the lack of judgment associated with
your physical appearance, sound of your
voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you
post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a
clown outfit.)
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge. The Internet

offers its users many benefits; one is the ease
in which information can be shared or
accessed and in fact, this "information
sharing" capability is one of the reasons the
Internet was founded. So, in the spirit of the
Internet's "founding fathers," share what you
know!
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

What is meant by "flaming" and "flame wars?"
"Flaming is what people do when they express
a strongly held opinion without holding back
any emotion." (Shea, 1994). Don't feed the
flames; extinguish them by guiding the
discussion back to a more productive
direction.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS
Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy.
Depending on what you are reading in the virtual
world, be it an online class discussion forum,
Facebook page, or an email, you may be
exposed to some private or personal information
that needs to be handled with care. Just as you
expect others to respect your privacy, so should
you respect the privacy of others.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS
Rule 9: Don't abuse your power Just like in face-
to-face situations, there are people in
cyberspace who have more "power" than others.
They have more expertise in technology or they
have years of experience in a particular skill or
subject matter. Having more power than others
may have does not give you the right to take
advantage of anyone.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER ETHICS

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's

mistakes Not everyone has the same
amount of experience working in the virtual
world. And not everyone knows the rules of
netiquette. At some point, you will see a
stupid question, read an unnecessarily long
response, or encounter misspelled words.