Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
sume materials found on the Web are correct, unbiased, or
wellwritten.
With the time and cost associated with scanning and indexing
old materials, the Web does not include all historical materi
als. Also, current materials may not be posted on the World
Wide Web due to commercial or timing constraints.
Overall, documents on the Web have mixed quality, and some
materials may not be available.
The concepts of intellectual property and copyrights both apply
to materials found on the World Wide Web. Although you can read
materials you find, only the author and copyright owner can specify
the distribution of that material. You should not post material on
the Web or send it through email without written permission from
the author. Uncontrolled distribution of materials can deprive au
thors and musicians of the income they need to offset expenses and
support their livelihood.
Fair use does not imply free use; rather, distribution of materials
has ethical, economic, and legal ramifications.
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Terminology from This Chapter
academic honesty
bias
copyright
copyright owner
fair use
intellectual property
ownership
plagiarism
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Discussion Questions
1.
To learn about the effectiveness of software filtering prod
ucts, find some reviews that compare several products, locate
statements from Web pages of the developers, and obtain
statements about software filters from groups challenging
such products as a threat to free speech. What, if any, differ
ences do you find? Do any of the reports seem blatantly in
correct? Are any reports biased? If so, how; if not, how can
you tell?
2.
One might argue that traditional sources are subject to bias in
the same way that Webbased materials may suffer.
