kadie@eff.org (Carl Kadie) (05/25/91)
jc@raven.bu.edu (James Cameron) writes: [...] >[...here's the ethics policy...] > > Boston University Information Technology ethics > > Conditions of Use and Policy on Computing Ethics March 26, 1990 [...] In the name of protecting privacy, the policy attacks privacy. It says the University has the power to "without notice, ... inspect ... any data [or] file" It imposes speech restricts that would be ridiculed if applied to the campus as a whole. It says the user may not "mak[e] accessible offensive [or] annoying material" It is incomplete, saying that that required behavior "is not limited to [] the following: [...]" It is circular. It prohibits users from misusing computer resources by "misusing system resources". It is ephemeral, saying that the University has the power "amend these Conditions and Policies at any time without prior notice." Imagine this policy generalized to the University as a whole: * The University has the power to, without notice, inspect any assigned office space or dorm room. * Members of the University community may not distribute or make accessible offensive or annoying material. * Members of the University community may be punished for infractions against rules that are not listed here. * Members of the University community must not "misuse University property", where "misusing University property" is defined as misusing University properity. * The University has the power "amend these Conditions and Policies at any time without prior notice." -- Carl Kadie -- kadie@eff.org or kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- But I speak for myself.