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The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics



And lo, the chairman of the Computer Ethics Institute did appear behind a glowing bundle of fiber-optic cables and said unto the multitude of users who had gathered in his office, "Yea, verily I say unto thee, follow ye these commandments of computer usage, lest thine employment be terminated and thine posterior incarcerated."


  1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
  2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
  3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
  4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
  5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
  6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
  7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without proper compensation.
  8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
  9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program thou art writing or the system thou art designing.
  10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that are considerate and respectful of fellow humans.

(The Ten Commandments reprinted from the Computer Ethics Institute).

Thus spaketh the chairman. And it came to pass that the commandments were obeyed... and there was much rejoicing throughout the network. And users throughout the land did prosper and were productive, even unto three o' clock on Fridays.

The Computing Connection, Vol 3, No 2, January 1993
D. W. Mattson Computer Center, Tennessee Technological University


This page maintained by: Lauren Neal
For additional information, contact Lauren Neal, LNeal@tntech.edu
Last updated: December 11, 1998