Ethical Considerations in use of ICT platforms and tools PDF

Ethical Considerations in use of ICT platforms and tools Intellectual property & Copyright Issues What is Intellectual property (IP)? Intellectual property (IP) refers to unique and original works, such as ideas, inventions, art, writings, processes, company and produc...

Ethical Considerations in use of ICT platforms and tools Intellectual property & Copyright Issues What is Intellectual property (IP)? Intellectual property (IP) refers to unique and original works, such as ideas, inventions, art, writings, processes, company and product names, and logos. Intellectual property rights are the rights to which creators are entitled for their work. Certain issues arise surrounding IP today because many of these works are available digitally and easily can be redistributed or altered without the creator’s permission. A copyright gives authors, artists, and other creators of original work exclusive rights to duplicate, publish, and sell their materials. A copyright protects any tangible form of expression. Copyright A common infringement of copyright is piracy, where people illegally copy software, movies, and music. Many areas are not clear-cut with respect to the law, because copyright law gives the public fair use to copyrighted material. The issues surround the phrase, fair use, which allows use for educational and critical purposes. This vague definition is subject to widespread interpretation and raises many questions: Should individuals be able to download contents of your website, modify it, and then put it on the web again as their own? Should a faculty member have the right to print material from the web and distribute it to all members of the class for teaching purposes only? Should someone be able to scan photos or pages from a book, publish them on the web, and allow others to download them? Should someone be able to put the lyrics of a song on the web? Should students be able to take term papers they have written and post them on the web, making it tempting for other students to download and submit them as their own work? These issues with copyright law led to the development of digital rights management (DRM), a strategy designed to prevent illegal distribution of movies, music, and other digital content  Ensuring Originality in Content Creation by Avoiding Plagiarism. In the modern era of digital content, where knowledge is power, there has never been a greater need to create original, innovative content. When the distinction between inspiration and infringement is blurred, plagiarism and copyright infringements can pose major issues for individuals, companies, and content creators. Definition Plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas without giving proper credit. In other words, because you are not giving attribution to the owner of the original work or idea -- you are presenting the idea or thought as your own. Plagiarism is a violation of academic norms but not illegal; copyright violation is illegal but quite common in academia. Plagiarism is an offense against the author; copyright violation is an offense against the copyright holder. In traditional academic publishing, they are usually not the same person, because copyright transfer agreements (CTAs) are so common. Plagiarism applies when ideas are copied; copyright violation occurs only when a specific fixed expression (e.g., sequence of words, use of an image) is copied. Avoiding plagiarism is about properly apportioning intellectual credit; copyright is about maintaining revenue streams. Examples of Plagiarism Quoting someone's words from the Internet, a printed article, or an interview, without acknowledging the author. Copying part of the content of a work into one's own paper without citing the source. Copying or buying a paper and handing it in as one's own. Falsely creating a citation that doesn't exist. Failing to credit and cite someone else's thoughts or ideas when paraphrasing. Paraphrasing in a way that relies too heavily on another's language or syntax. What happens when you Plagiarize? Plagiarism has wide-reaching consequences which can include everything from academic expulsion to legal and financial issues. Furthermore, it damages an individual's reputation and integrity. For these reasons, it’s crucial to check for plagiarism at every stage of your writing and publication process – not just when the work is done. Additionally, it takes credit or profit away from the original creator of the work which may mean more trouble if the source takes legal action against you. Steps To Avoid Plagiarism 1. Cite your sources properly. This means giving credit to the original author by citing your sources. Make sure to use the correct citation style and include all necessary information. 2. Use plagiarism detection software. There are many tools available online that can help you detect plagiarism in your content. Use them to double-check your work and ensure that it's original. 3. Paraphrase effectively. Paraphrasing means restating someone else's ideas in your own words. However, it's essential to make sure that you're not just changing a few words here and there. Instead, try to rephrase the content in a way that's truly your own. 4. Create original content. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to create original content! Use your own ideas, research, and voice to create something unique and interesting. 5. Ask for permission to use others' work. If you want to use someone else's content in your work, asking for permission first is important. This shows respect for the original author and ensures you're not plagiarizing their work accidentally.  Content Accuracy and Integrity Content accuracy and integrity refers to the accuracy and completeness of data. Security controls focused on integrity are designed to prevent data from being modified or misused by an unauthorized party. Integrity involves maintaining the consistency and trustworthiness of data over its entire life cycle. Data must not be changed in transit, and precautionary steps must be taken to ensure that data cannot be altered by unauthorized people. Content accuracy and integrity today is a concern because many users access information maintained by other people or companies, such as on the Internet. Do not assume that because the information is on the Web that it is correct. Users should evaluate the value of a Web page before relying on its content. Be aware that the company providing access to the information may not be the creator of the information. Accurate and reliable information must come from dependable sources. A reliable source will provide a “thorough, well-reasoned theory, argument, etc. based on strong evidence.” Widely credible sources include: Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles and books Trade or professional articles or books Magazine articles, books and newspaper articles from well-established companies Other sources like websites and blog posts can be reliable but require further evaluation. Steps to Evaluate the News 1. Determine what type of article you are reading. Is it an editorial or opinion piece? These articles reflect the author’s personal beliefs and point of view. Untrustworthy sources can blur the line between reporting the facts and expressing opinions. 2. Verify what you are reading. Leave that site and look up the information on other sites. Is the general consensus agreeing with the original resource, or are you finding conflicting reports? 3. Find the original sources. Many fake or biased sites use previously published stories that have been edited and manipulated to fit their biased views. Look at what links and sources are used. This is also very helpful when it comes to quotations. Quotes can be easily manipulated by dropping leading sentences and using them out of context. 4. Check out the author and date. Is the author credible? Are they real? Also check the contact us page. Trustworthy news sites will provide information about their organization and provide a clear way to contact them. Be sure to check the date of the story as well. Reposting old news stories doesn’t mean they’re relevant to current events. 5. Share Responsibly. This goes beyond just not sharing news stories until you have determined they are genuine, but also not sharing fake news. When you share a piece of fake news you are raising its publicity and advertisement revenues. 6. Beware of native advertising. Native advertisements are designed to look like the rest of the page but are actually paying for their content to be displayed. They are trying to get readers to mistake their links as legitimate news to get more traffic to their site