Computer Use Policy

Computer Use Policy

Purdue University Global

Computer Use Policy

This policy sets out the standards of ethical computing expected from each employee in the company. Ethical computing is a term used to describe “doing the right thing” while interacting with cyberspace. .

To pass off and steal the ideas and words of someone else without properly crediting the source is the act of plagiarism. To intentionally or unintentionally violate the exclusive rights of a copyright owner is the act of copyright infringement. . Plagiarism shows direct copy of authored whereas copyright infringement shows similarities of authored work. In recent news, 18 officials have been punished by the Communist Party of China disciplinary department for producing forged ideological reports, in which have been found as full plagiarized content. The act of copyleft is to make a program free and require all modified and extended versions of the program to be free also.

To copy software without authorization is the act of software piracy. . Software piracy can carry fines up to $250,000 and a jail sentence up to five years.

To use another person’s unsecured wi-fi connection without proper authorization is the act of “piggybacking” or “mooching”. Internet connection sharing can carry fines up to $10,000 and jail time for up to three years.

While using social media, common issues may arise from employees. For example, some may be inclined to spread the word about great things going on with the company. This could put the company at risk of violating customer trust. . There’s also a big risk of employees disclosing material information about the company and risking myriad legal implications . It has been mentioned in recent news, that thirteen Virgin Airlines crew members were fired after publicly discussing aspects of their job on Facebook, where they shared the number of times certain airplane engines had been replaced and the cabins were infested with cockroaches.

Since the computer network and the computer an employee uses are company owned, the company has the right to monitor the usage of the computers . An example of employer monitoring includes the Ashley Madison scandal. After 36 million email addresses were compromised by hackers who infiltrated Ashley Madison, more than one-quarter of employers have fired employees for misusing their work email addresses and work computers to visit the site . In cases of keylogging, employers do have the right to use keylogging software to track internet usage, but not to access private info. In a California federal court case, Brahmana v. Lembo, the court did not find the employer in violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to monitor its employees’ internet usage .

References

Beal, V. (2018). Software Piracy. Retrieved from Webopedia: https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_piracy.html

Foundation, F. S. (2018, January 1). What is Copyleft? Retrieved from GNU Operating System: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/copyleft.en.html

Giuliano, J. (2009, June 12). ‘Keylogging’ to check Internet usage: Is it legal? Retrieved from HRMorning: http://www.hrmorning.com/internet-usage-the-legality-of-keylogging/

IGI-Global. (2018). What is Ethical Computing. Retrieved from IGI Global Disseminator of Knowledge: https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/ethical-computing-continues-from-problem-to-solution/42502

infringement, c. (n.d.). Retrieved from West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. (2008): https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/copyright+infringement

LaMance, K. (2018, March 6). Wi-Fi Connection Laws. Retrieved from Legal Match: https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/wi-fi-connection-laws.html

Love, D. (2011, May 11). 17 People Who Were Fired For Using Facebook. Retrieved from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-fired-2011-5

PrivacyRightsClearinghouse. (2017, December 17). Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring. Retrieved from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: https://www.privacyrights.org/consumer-guides/workplace-privacy-and-employee-monitoring

Times, G. (2018, April 30). Local Sichuan officials punished for plagiarism in annual ideological reports. Retrieved from Global Times: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1100138.shtml

Turnitin. (2017, May 18). What is Plagiarism? Retrieved from P.org: www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism

Vinjamuri, D. (n.d.). Ethics and the Five Deadly Sins of Social Media. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2011/11/03/ethics-and-the-5-deadly-sins-of-social-media/#78485aab3e1f

Willens, M. (2015, August 18). Thousands Of Ashley Madison Clients About To Learn (The Hard Way) That Most Employers Monitor Email. Retrieved from International Business Times: http://www.ibtimes.com/thousands-ashley-madison-clients-about-learn-hard-way-most-employers-monitor-email-2063792