of Ethics Online Collection: None
Code of Ethics
The ethical principles which apply to everyday community life also apply to computing. Every member of Carnegie Mellon has two basic rights: privacy and a fair share of resources. It is unethical for any other person to violate these rights.
Privacy
-
On shared computer systems every user is assigned an ID. Nobody else should use an ID without explicit permission from the owner.
-
All files belong to somebody. They should be assumed to be private and confidential unless the owner has explicitly made them available to others.
-
Messages sent to other users should always identify the sender.
-
Network traffic should be considered private.
-
Obscenities should not be sent by computer.
-
Records relating to the use of computing and information resources are confidential.
Resources
-
Nobody should deliberately attempt to degrade or disrupt system performance or to interfere with the work of others.
-
Loopholes in computer systems or knowledge of a special password should not be used to alter computer systems, obtain extra resources, or take resources from another person.
-
Computing equipment owned by departments or individuals should be used only with the owner's permission.
-
University resources are provided for university purposes. Any use of computing for commercial purposes or personal financial gain must be authorized in advance. Many of the agreements that the university has specifically forbid this activity.
-
Computing and information resources are community resources. Theft, mutilation, and abuse of these resources violate the nature and spirit of community and intellectual inquiry.
System Administration
-
On rare occasions, computing staff may access others' files, but only when strictly necessary for the maintenance of a system.
-
If a loophole is found in the security of any computer system, it should be reported to the system administrator and not used for personal gain or to disrupt the work of others.
-
The distribution of programs and databases is controlled by the laws of copyright, licensing agreements, and trade secret laws. These must be observed.
