items of interest

with contributions from M. J. Zuckerman, Will Rodger, Brian O'Reilly, Chris Barett

The US Department of Justice has allocated $300,000 for teaching cyberethics, primarily to young people. The effort is to help computer users understand that even though they may be "invisible" online, they are still responsible for their actions.

"'The standards of conduct that guide our lives are premised on the notion that we are going to have face-to-face relations with people,' says Paul Thompson, philosophy professor at Purdue University ... 'But in the virtual world, that reinforcement dissipates.'"

Even though most young people are not hackers, the courses in ethics will help to develop a consciousness of individual responsibility and respect for other people's privacy.

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