Policy on copyright, research, plagiarism, privacy, and citizenship
The Office of Information Technologies Policy Office has identified five areas of digital literacy: copyright, research, plagiarism, privacy and citizenship. If you have questions about these or other IT policy-related topics, please feel free to email the Director of IT Policy, Tracy Mitrano, or call her at 607-254-3584.
When students with peer-to-peer file share programs (such as BitTorrent, Gnutella, and LimeWire) installed on their computers register with the Cornell network they face a number of liabilities, as these programs can automatically transmit copyright protected media to the Internet through the Cornell network. Content owners such as the Recording Industry of Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Business Software Alliance target higher education networks when they scan these peer-to-peer systems for potential violations, and send notices to the campus network to "take down" the material when violations are found.
In the case of a first notice, the university forwards the notice to students with a strong recommendation that they take an on-line tutorial program designed to teach them more about the laws, technologies and liabilities of digital copyright. In the case of a second notice, the student is referred to the Judicial Administrator. Third cases, which are very rare, are also adjudicated by the Judicial Administrator, and in most cases result in the suspension of the student's access to the network for four weeks.
In some cases content owners have also chosen to sue alleged infringers of copyright, and have done so by sending "settlement letters" to the university for forwarding to the student. Should your son or daughter receive such a letter, it is very important that they share that information with you immediately.
Talk to your student
Help avoid these liabilities by having a conversation with your student about whether they have file share systems installed on their computer, if they understand how those systems work, and what liabilities can be incurred as a result.
How students use the Internet for academic pursuits is of rising concern among educators, and Cornell is no exception. The University Library sponsors an Information Competency Institute that develops programs to help students understand the distinctions between using popular search engines on the Internet, such as Google.com, and collegiate level research using on-line library sources.
Integrity is a fundamental value of the Cornell community and Cornell takes academic integrity very seriously. Cornell’s Code of Academic Integrity states:
"…absolute integrity is expected of every Cornell student in all academic undertakings. Integrity entails a firm adherence to a set of values, and the values most essential to an academic community are grounded on the concept of honesty with respect to the intellectual efforts of oneself and others."
Students are expected to do and take responsibility for their own work and to acknowledge their use of others’ work.
Talk to your student
We urge you to discuss with your student the importance of ethical conduct and academic integrity and to encourage them to read Cornell's Code of Academic Integrity.
Facebook.com is the most popular social networking site among college students and will almost certainly be used by your student to identify his or herself to other Cornell students.
Talk to your student
Before your student starts using a social networking site, have a conversation about how they represent themselves on such sites and the potential repercussions of posting personal material.
Given the amplification and scope of the Internet, off-hand comments shared between two friends in real space takes on a whole different meaning when posted on-line and read by the entire world! Be sure that your student does not set him or herself up for a potential defamation or libel suit by carelessly broadcasting rumors or making denigrating comments about other people.
Talk to your student
With respect to "gossip" sites, remind your student that the "golden rule" applies in cyberspace just as much as in the physical world—perhaps even more so. Adverse light directed at a member of the campus community sheds a poor light on us all.
