2.2: Using Information Ethically
- Page ID
- 290138
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Using information ethically means respecting the work of others and being honest about where ideas come from.
A form of academic dishonesty that occurs when you use another person's work or ideas without giving them credit.
When Should You Give Credit to Another Source?
Anytime you use information that is not your own, that is not well-known factual information, you should credit the source. For example, telling someone that the boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius is a simple fact. You would not need to give credit to a source for that. However, very few pieces of information used in academic writing are based on simple, well-known facts. If you quote information from another source, you should provide information crediting them; whether it is a website, person, or video. If you paraphrase (or rewrite in your own words) that information, you should still give credit to the original source.
When in doubt, you should give credit to the source!
Why Should You Cite a Source?
A formal process for giving credit to the original source of information, ideas, or words used in your work.
Citing sources is important for many reasons:
- Citing sources adds credibility to your claims by backing them up with other people's voices.
- Citing sources respects the work that another person did.
- Citing sources allows your audience to find and review those sources to get more information.
- Citing sources helps to avoid claims of plagiarism in classes. Committing plagiarism (or the theft of information) can cause grade penalties or other negative academic consequences.
Other Concepts in Information Ethics
There are a number of other concepts to consider with regard to ethically using information in your research and personal life.
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Plagiarism
Plagiarism is when you use someone else's work or ideas without giving them credit, like copying and pasting without saying where it’s from. Giving credit is important because it shows respect for the person who created it and shows honesty in your work. It also avoids accusations of academic misconduct in classes. -
Copyright
Copyright protects the rights of creators. Using someone’s work without permission breaks these rules. By respecting copyright, we support the creators who put effort into making things like music, images, and writing. -
Fair Use
Fair use allows you to use small parts of copyrighted work, like a short quote in a report. But taking too much can cross the line. Knowing what fair use allows helps us use resources fairly in school and other projects. -
Privacy
Respecting privacy means keeping personal details (like photos or phone numbers) private and not sharing them without permission. This keeps people safe and builds trust. -
Checking Facts
Sharing accurate information from trustworthy sources is important. If we pass along false information it can mislead others. We have an ethical obligation to try and share accurate information. -
Staying True to the Source
Don’t twist someone’s words to make it sound like they said something else. Being honest about what information really says is part of being trustworthy and ethical.
Ethical Considerations for Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence tools can be remarkably helpful in many ways. The can help with planning projects, summarizing information, and even explaining topics. In particular, AI can be useful to some neurodivergent people; providing more personalized learning experiences or helping to manage tasks or adapt their communication to a more neurotypical style. However, there are many concerns related to using AI tools as well.
Generative AI tools are known to sometimes make up or misrepresent information ("What are AI Hallucinations?"). AI tools can also be created in a way that embeds bias and discrimination ("Shedding light on..") within the results they produce. The servers and technology used to power AI can also have a significantly negative impact on the environment (Zewe). In terms of information ethics, there are a couple key concerns to address:
- Academic honesty: Copying any other person or source's content and submitting it as your own is a form of academic dishonesty called Plagiarism. AI generated content should not be copied directly, but instead used to help inform and refine your own work. Additionally, when it is used to help write something, it should be cited.
- Intellectual property and copyright: Generative AI can created content that closely resembles existing copyrighted works. Additionally, AI tools are often developed by scanning thousands of other people's existing works. This brings up important legal questions about the use of those existing works and whether or not creations closely resembling them (especially when considering AI-generated Art) is infringing upon the original creator's copyright.
Generative AI tools have even been targetted by a number of lawsuits:
- In 2023, an Australian mayor filed a defamation lawsuit against OpenAI (owner of ChatGPT) over ChatGPT claims that he had served time in prison for bribery.
- In 2024, five Canadian news outlets sued OpenAI (the owner of ChatGPT) claiming that OpenAI violated copyright law by using their articles to train its language model.
- In 2025, a man sued ChatGPT accusing the company of knowingly allowing it to display false results after it accused the man of killing his children.
Sources:
- "What are AI Hallucinations?". IBM.com. https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-hallucinations. Accessed April 1, 2025.
- "Shedding Light on AI Bias with Real World Examples." IBM.com. https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/she...world-examples. Accessed April 1, 2025.
- Zewe, Adam. "Explained: Generative AI's Environmental Impact." news.mit.edu. https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-...al-impact-0117. Accessed April 1, 2025.