GREEN INTERNET CULTURE

The recent scandal on the distribution of pornographic photos of celebrities gives us much food for thought about the importance of values. Our values are the guiding lights that shape our judgments, behaviours and actions. Ultimately they exhibit what kind of person we are. By owning a set of clearly defined values, we are free from peer pressure to imitate others and temptations to follow the trend. The more positive our values, the better protected we are from bad influences. Modeling ourselves based on positive moral values helps us listen to our conscience, distinguish right from wrong, and act sensibly and responsibly, leading us to become a dignified person of integrity.

Without doubt, information technology (IT) has become part of our life in the 21st Century and the Internet plays an essential role in it, offering a plentiful resource of information and knowledge. Owing to its inter-connectivity, everyone is linked up, either directly or indirectly, to this information highway, no matter whether one is an IT user or not. When properly used, the Internet is a powerful and invaluable tool. On the other hand, it could do more harm than expected due to its high distribution speed and globalization. The scandal exposes many loopholes in the regulation of the Internet applications and brings about discussions on a number of issues.

One of the values we all treasure is freedom. Honestly speaking, we all want to be free. In our society, we are free to choose, to act and to speak as we please, enjoying various rights and privileges. However, this gift of freedom is offered to you on condition that you observe the governing law and order. Whilst you enjoy your rights, you are held responsible for them. Whilst you enjoy your privilege of choice, you are indebted to your conscience. The Internet is causing the world to become a global village where everyone is free to communicate and make friends with one another, irrespective of time and place. You are free to express your opinions and publish your ideas on the web. However, you do not have the right to use it to post materials that cause damage to other people, hurting their feelings and reputation. If you do so, you are liable to charges for defamation or vilification. Therefore, before you upload anything to the web, think twice and act responsibly.

As you browse through web pages, you come across a lot of materials including computer programs, articles, graphics, photos, video clips and sound tracks. They are all copyrighted. When you use them, you should observe the rules and regulations set by their owners. It is an infringement to the copyright law if you take them as your own in your productions. If you want to include them in your work, you should cite them as references with due acknowledgment of their sources. Besides, you do not have the right to distribute copyrighted materials by uploading or posting them to other websites or sell them without the authorization of the owners. Always remember taking away other people’s property, whether real or virtual, without their consent is stealing. Moreover, as a decent and educated person, you should refrain from circulating and viewing pornographic materials. Keeping nude photos of children and distributing pornographic materials is an offense against the law and those found doing so are prosecuted. Don't be misled by the saying that distributing such materials among friends is legal. According to the law protecting the rights of children, once you show indecent materials to people under the age of 18, you have already violated the law and is liable to 7 years' imprisonment.

The Internet is often regarded as a virtual world. Many people create false identities using fake names or gender. Some consider that the law and order governing the real world may not be applicable while they are in cyberspace. Even though they do bad things such as hacking, spreading viruses and phishing, they think that nobody knows who really they are. However, they do not realize that they can be traced by their IP addresses provided by the Internet service providers. Therefore don't be so foolish as to commit crimes on the Internet and hope that you can avoid punishment. In order to protect yourself from any fraudent activities on the Internet, do not submit your personal data, including your name, address, HKID number, credit card information, to those websites you have no knowledge about. Besides, never post any important personal data on your homepage or blog. You should also observe the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Undeniably by being an Internet user of social networks such as ICQ, MSN, Facebook or Friendster, one's social circle can be expanded remarkably and is no longer localized. When you communicate with others, you should observe social etiquette and tolerance of different cultures by showing respect and refraining from inflaming others. Never make a face-to-face date with acquaintances on the Internet as their trustworthiness and sincerity has yet to be assessed.

From time to time, many new and powerful online applications are released. You should exercise self-discipline and prevent yourself from indulging in them, especially the online games, forums and instant messaging, as they cannot replace your social life in the real world. Playing with the computer for a long period of time not only affects your study but also causes physical and mental health problems. Don't be a slave to your computer.

As a responsible and civilized global citizen, we have the duty to maintain a healthy IT culture. The first step is to pledge ourselves in the promotion of Green Internet Culture（網上綠文化，由青年做起）advocated by u21.hk of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups by being a self-disciplined, responsible and smart Internet user. Sign your pledge today as I did on the website http://www.u21.hk.