Education leaders are re-examining acceptable use policies in light of the increasing use of highly mobile information technologies. While acceptable use policies were developed to manage and control behaviour, a digital citizenship policy takes a more comprehensive approach by recognizing the important role of education in preparing digital…

Two computer viruses that have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage over the past four years are the Melissa and the Sasser virus. In March of 1999, the Melissa virus first appeared on the Internet and spread rapidly throughout computer systems in the United States and Europe. The virus made its way through 1.2 million computers in the…

For the last year the authors have been gathering examples of how perceived "threats of security" are hampering the integration of technology in teaching and learning. They hope that educators will examine both the challenges of increased security demands and ways in which security might enhance, rather than detract from, the use of technology for…

Practical information on the necessity for community colleges, instructors, and students to understand and abide by the copyright laws is essential. Whether developing, structuring, maintaining, or presenting courses, or instructing students on the development of their own papers, one must be knowledgeable about plagiarism, the Fair Use Act, and…

In an era of digital technologies, school districts find themselves on a cutting edge, one that slices both ways. Technological tools like the Internet, e-mail, networked computers and such have revolutionized the way children are taught and schools are run, but they also have created new management challenges and ethical issues that many school…

The Internet is the world's largest knowledge common and the information source of first resort. Much of this information is open and freely available. However, there are organizations and companies today that are trying to close off the Internet commons and make it proprietary. These are the "copyright controllers." The preservation of the…

The purpose of this book is threefold: (1) to inform Internet users of the legal ramifications of their on-line activities; (2) to help administrators handle specific situations or complaints regarding Internet activity; and (3) to provide guidance for the formulation of acceptable computer use policies on campuses. The chapters are: chapter 1,…

With the 1996 defeat of the Communications Decency Act, under which providing offensive material on computer systems accessible to children would have become a felony, no legal guidelines exist for library use of the Internet. Libraries can avoid becoming the center of an Internet controversy by encouraging parental involvement; by protecting…

This pamphlet analyzes some of the legal issues colleges and universities face in regard to faculty and student access to computers and the World Wide Web, evaluates current legal developments, and offers guidelines for developing policies for computer access. It examines sample acceptable-use standards, procedures for suspending or terminating a…