Online Ethics

Whether the medium is email, text, social, Teams, or any of the dozens of text exchange platforms, they are all vulnerable to unethical usage. Cyberbullying is probably the most famous of all unethical online text activities. And whether an abusive message is sent in response to abusive text, or sent to harass someone, or sent to exact revenge, or to push someone over the edge, abusive text is over the line.

But it's possible to act unethically by doing nothing at all. For example, what I call abusive silence is choosing not to respond to someone's message, or delaying a response intentionally, to offend or to harm that person. Abusive silence is over the line. It's the equivalent of listening to someone who's speaking to you face-to-face, and then turning your back and walking away. The telephone conversation equivalent is hanging up while someone is speaking to you.

Abusive It's possible to act unethically
by doing nothing at allsilence is common in cases of cyberbullying because it provides a means of isolating someone from organizational activity. One seriously unethical example of abusive silence arises when it's combined with lying. When questioned later about the reason for failing to respond to a message, the perpetrator says, "Goodness, so sorry, I never received your message. I wonder what happened."

And there are ways to cross the ethical line that have nothing to do with forms of textual abuse. Here are a few examples.

Flooding

Creating or executing any program intended to flood someone's inbox is unacceptable. This practice is rare in in-house communications, but less rare in the wider world. It is over the line.

Forwarding to harm the sender

Forwarding a message without the sender's permission or knowledge, with the expectation of harming the sender or those affiliated with the sender, is over the line.

Forwarding messages is sometimes done as a way of reporting an infraction. In these cases, the message forwarded is the evidence of infraction. If you feel compelled to report an infraction, be certain to alert the sender to the fact that you have reported the act.

Plagiarism and meta-plagiarism

Copying the words of another and presenting them as your own is plagiarism. It's unacceptable in the commercial realm. But because the identical act in the context of online text communication would likely go undetected, many feel that plagiarism in online text is acceptable. It might go undetected, but it is over the line — in email, text, or anywhere else.

Meta-plagiarism is copying the concepts (but not necessarily the words) of another and presenting them as your own. That is also over the line — in email, text, or anywhere else.

Fomenting panic

It is dangerous to forward a message that warns of dire electronic peril — new malware or a security flaw are examples — if the warning is unwarranted. It can cause people to take steps that harm themselves or their organizations. Before distributing such information, always either (a) validate the warning with a legitimate authority and reference that authority, or (b) include a disclaimer clearly stating that you are unable to evaluate the validity of the claims in the forwarded message.

Spreading malware

Taking any action, with intent, that results in spreading malware is unforgivable. And knowingly using electronic media in a way that spreads malware is also unforgivable. Forwarding an attachment that you received unsolicited from a third party, without first verifying that the attachment is safe, is an example of conduct that is over the line. Failing to defend your computer or device from attack and infestation by electronic malefactors is another example.

Last words

This catalog isn't exhaustive. In the realm of unethical behavior, people can be endlessly creative. To deter this behavior, make the people in your organization aware of the tactics. That awareness alone can reduce the incidence of these behaviors.  Top    Next Issue

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