Ethics

Jules has walked away from a lab computer without logging off. Trish sits down and, still logged in as Jules, sends inflammatory e-mail messages out to a number of students and posts similar messages on the class newsgroup.

Sharon and Timothy are students at Big Suburban High School. They have designed a Web page devoted to their favorite rock band using their personal disk space on the school's Web server. They have posted song clips, lyrics, photographs of each band member, and articles they have found in various Web news sources. However, school authorities have asked them to shut down their site because of the obscene content of many of the lyrics. Sharon and Timothy object, noting that their First Amendment (free speech) rights are being violated.

Several students have discovered a web site that promotes anorexia as a lifestyle choice rather than an eating disorder. It includes tips for weight loss, pictures that glamorize the anorexic look, a discussion board members use to support one another, and other material that promotes “anorexic pride.” School counselors have asked that this site and others like it be blocked on the school network. They point out that anorexia is a deadly disease and that some students are particularly susceptible to this type of misinformation.

The school administration has decided to disable Facebook during the school day and during study hall. Discuss.