The ethical principles that apply to everyday community life also apply to the Newark STEM Ecosystem (Newark STEM) Online Community of Practice and its member interactions. Every member of the Newark STEM online community has two basic rights, privacy and a fair share of resources. It is unethical for any person to violate these rights.
Along with these rights comes a responsibility to respect the intellectual work and property of others. Without this respect, academic discourse and enterprise cannot flourish.
Privacy
- All data belongs to someone. Data shall be assumed to be private and confidential unless the owner has explicitly made it available to others.
- Network traffic shall be considered private.
- Messages transmitted to other users shall always identify the sender.
- Obscenities or threatening material shall not be transmitted.
Resources
- Entry into any computer system or network by individuals not specifically authorized (by group or personally), or attempts to circumvent protective mechanisms shall be viewed as trespassing.
- No one shall deliberately attempt to degrade or disrupt system performance or to interfere with the work of others.
- Commercial activity or unsolicited advertising is prohibited.
- Be cognizant of and observe the acceptable use policies of other networks outside Newark STEM.
Online Etiquette
Newark STEM will follow the basic guidelines and norms of good online etiquette.
Netiquette: General Rules of Conduct
When communicating on the internet, you should always remember that you are communicating with people and not simply with computers or smartphones. As in the real world, rules of etiquette are necessary on the internet. Netiquette is therefore important to avoid adverse consequences.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Hate speech: Newark STEM WILL NOT tolerate any speech that may be considered hate speech or that works to undermine any group or individual based on personal choice, physical characteristic or affiliation. We strive for a diverse, inclusive, equitable community of practice focused on promoting STEM for all.
- Follow basic rules of social norms of behavior: Refrain from insulting, provoking, threatening or insulting others. Respect the opinions of your chat counterparts and express constructive criticism. You can be prosecuted for insulting people online.
- Consider others as people: Your messages are going to other people, not a computer. The internet can save and share everything. A screenshot or a copy of your message can be quickly created, and still exists even if you delete your messages afterward.
- Respect the privacy of others: Do not forward information, post content, or share information that has been sent to you without first obtaining permission from the original sender.
- Respect the time and bandwidth of others: Please be aware that as a volunteer group we are all giving a small piece of our time to this community. We all have other jobs and responsibilities so not everyone can act and react as quickly to posts, messages, issues, requests or problems. Be patient, respectful, and forgiving.