Computer & Networking Ethics

Computer & Networking Ethics

All department users are bound by the following ethics code, even if they didn't sign the document.

Basic rules for users of METU computer and network resources can be summarized as:

  1. Users should respect spirit of academia. Computing and network resources are intended for research and educational purposes. Using them in any other purposes like commercial purpose is not allowed.
  2. Resources are shared by a large number of users. So all means of unnecessary usage of resources (printer, disk, network etc.) is considered an invasion of other people's rights. Taking advantage of other user's ignorance to access their accounts is also considered unethical. Also proper usage of systems require that you do not perform ANY of the following:
    • Plugging out power and/or network cables from lab computers
    • Removing hardware from lab computers
    • Shutting down lab computers
    • Plugging your own computer to department's wired network
    • Sending unnecessary, rude, and/or meaningless posts to newsgroups
    • Sending junk mail
    • Creating useless processes
    • Giving physical harm to resources
    • Crashing a working system
    • Using file sharing applications on lab computers or wireless network
  3. Users should respect the privacy of other people. Attempts to unauthorized access to any persons account, files, mail etc. is strictly forbidden. Attacks threatening privacy and security of other network users and outside networks like password cracking, gaining unprivileged access may harm all network users in C. Eng. or METU. These attacks are punishable by law.
  4. Users are responsible for all activities carried out by using their account. Users should take care of their accounts' security. So users should protect his/her password and never let anybody know his/her password. Choosing passwords which are difficult to predict (names, dates, meaningful English or Turkish words are very easy to predict) and changing password periodically are required for establishing the security of your password.
  5. Users should follow administrative announcements at newsgroup announce. admin regularly, and behave according to those announcements all the time.

I read all of the above and agree to obey them:

Name:

User code:

Date:

Signature: