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

Are your projects always (or almost always) late and over budget? Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations, filled with tips and techniques for organizational leaders. Order Now!

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Ethics at Work:

When You Aren't Supposed to Say: III

Most of us have information that's "company confidential," or even more sensitive than that. Sometimes people who want to know what we know try to suspend our ability to think critically. Here are some of their techniques.

Some Truths About Lies: III

Detecting lies by someone intent on misrepresentation is an important skill for executives, managers, project managers, and just about anyone involved in knowledge-oriented organizations. Here's Part III of our little collection of lie detection techniques.

The Costanza Matrix

The Seinfeld character "George Costanza" is famous for having said, "It's not a lie if you believe it." What if you don't believe it and it's true? Some musings.

Availability and Self-Assessments

In many organizations, employees develop self-assessments as a part of the performance review process. Because of a little-known effect related to the Availability Heuristic, these self-assessments can be biased against the employee.

Red Flags: III

Early signs of troubles in collaborations include toxic conflict, elevated turnover, and anti-patterns in communication. But among the very earliest red flags are abuses of power. They're more significant than other red flags because abuses of power can convert any collaboration into a morass of destructive politics.

See also Ethics at Work and Ethics at Work for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming January 22: Storming: Obstacle or Pathway?

The Storming stage of Tuckman's model of small group development is widely misunderstood. Fighting the storms, denying they exist, or bypassing them doesn't work. Letting them blow themselves out in a somewhat-controlled manner is the path to Norming and Performing. Available here and by RSS on January 22.

And on January 29: A Framework for Safe Storming

The Storming stage of Tuckman's development sequence for small groups is when the group explores its frustrations and degrees of disagreement about both structure and task. Only by understanding these misalignments is reaching alignment possible. Here is a framework for this exploration. Available here and by RSS on January 29.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenjTnUayrCbSnnEcYfner@ChacdcYpBKAaMJgMalFXoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info