The Catholic University of America

Computer Ethics

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While you are a student at the Columbus School of Law and make use of the School or the University's computing equipment, you will be expected to be familiar with and to abide by the following Statement of Ethics:

Statement of Ethics in the Use of Computers

The provision of computing resources at the Columbus School of Law requires strictly legal and ethical utilization by all users. The computing facilities of the Columbus School of Law are limited and should be used wisely and carefully. The following list, while not intended to cover all conceivable situations, outlines some of the responsibilities that accompany computer usage whether it is on Personal Computers or computer networks of which the University or the Columbus School of Law are members. All users are expected to abide by these regulations.

General Responsibilities
  1. Each user must use resources for the purpose(s) for which they are intended. The Columbus School of Law and University supported computing includes unsponsored research, instructional and administrative activities, and must not be used for commercial purposes, monetary gain, or sponsored research.
  2. Users must not search for, access, or copy any directories, files, programs, disks or data not belonging to them unless they are given the specific authorization to do so. Programs, subroutines and data provided by the Columbus School of Law may not be taken to other computer sites without permission. Users may not use programs obtained from commercial sources or other computer installations unless written authority to use them has been obtained or the programs are within the public domain. Users may not use the Columbus School of Law's equipment or software to violate the terms of any License Agreement.
  3. Users should not encroach on others' use of the Columbus School of Law's computer resources. This includes such activities as tying up computer resources for excessive game playing or other trivial applications; sending frivolous or excessive messages or e-mail, locally or over the networks that the Columbus School of Law or the University are members.
  4. Users must not attempt to install software or modify systems facilities or attempt to crash any system, nor should they attempt to subvert the restrictions associated with any user accounts or passwords, the networks of which the Columbus School of Law or the University are members.
Central Computing Responsibilities
  1. Users must use only those computer accounts which have been authorized for their use. The negligence or naivete of another user in revealing an account or e-mail name and password is not considered authorized use.
  2. Users are responsible for all use of their computer accounts. They should make appropriate use of the system-provided protection features and take precautions against others obtaining access to their computing resources. Users should change their passwords frequently and should avoid using English words. We urge you to use a combination of letters and numbers for the best possible security.

Network Responsibilities
  1. Computer networks are to be used consistent with the goal of facilitating the exchange of non-commercial information in support of the Columbus School of Law's mission of education and research.

  2. The networks to which the Columbus School of Law is connected each have their own regulations for legal and ethical use. Users are expected to become familiar with and abide by them. Abuse of computing privileges will be subject to disciplinary action, possibly resulting in the loss of computing privileges. The Columbus School of Law reserves the right to examine all computer files. Abuse of networks or of the computers at other sites connected to the networks will be treated as abuse of computing privileges at the Columbus School of Law.

    It should be understood that this policy does not preclude the enforcement of the laws and regulations of the District of Columbia or the United States of America.

    Any questions concerning the ethical or legal use of computing facilities should be directed to the Director of Computer Services for the Columbus School of Law, 319-4444, Suite 315.

    Disclaimer

    Each student remains responsible for the integrity of their own data files. Neither the OCS, the Columbus School of Law, nor the University shall be liable in any way for damaged or corrupted data. Each user is responsible for maintaining sufficient data backup. This typically means having a second copy of each file on a diskette separate from the original file. Diskettes can be damaged and rendered partially or completely useless by such common items as dirt, microwave ovens, telephones or other electric or magnetic fields. Diskettes used on a daily basis should be replaced once a month to maintain diskette data storage integrity.
    Questions or comments: Computer Services