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Unit 2 Career Readiness
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
People are responsible for their online actions. Ethics are the
principles of what is right and wrong that help people make
decisions. Ethical actions apply ethics and moral behavior. Unethical
actions involve immoral behavior, crime, or other activities that go
against ethics. These actions can be punishable by law.
It is important to understand the difference between ethical and
unethical electronic activities. For example, it is sometimes diffi cult
to know where joking stops and bullying starts. Cyberbullying is
using the Internet to harass or threaten an individual. It includes
using social media, text messages, or e-mails to harass or scare a
person with hurtful words or pictures. A victim of cyberbullying
cannot be seen or touched by the bully. However, this does not mean
the person cannot be harmed by the bully’s actions. Cyberbullying is
unethical and can be prosecuted.
Another unacceptable behavior is fl aming. Flaming is insulting
someone and starting an argument on social media. Spamming
is also unethical. Spamming is sending unwanted mass e-mails.
Intentionally fl ooding an individual’s social media site or e-mail
inbox with unwanted messages is also a form of spamming.
Poor netiquette can also have legal ramifi cations. Slander is
speaking a false statement about someone that causes others to have
a bad opinion of him or her. Libel is publishing a false statement
about someone that causes others to have a bad or untrue view of
him or her. It is important to choose words carefully when making
comments about others, whether online or in person.
What you post on the Internet never really goes away. A digital
footprint is a data record of all of someone’s online activities. Even
if you delete something you have posted on the Internet, it is still
stored in your digital footprint. Always think before posting to social
media sites or sending an e-mail. What you post online today could
risk your future college and job opportunities.
Intellectual Property
The Internet provides countless sources for text, images, video,
audio, and software. Even though this material is easily found,
this does not mean it is available for you to use any way you
choose. Laws exist to govern the use of media and creative works.
The creators or owners of this material have certain legal rights.
Intellectual property is something that comes from a person’s
mind, such as an idea. Intellectual property laws protect a person’s
or a company’s inventions, artistic works, and other creative
works.
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