URL Manipulation and the Slippery Slope: The Case of the Harvard 119 Revisited

While computer ethics and information security courses try to teach computer misuse and unauthorized access as clear black and white examples, when examining the use and potentially misuse of URLs the discussion becomes less clear. This paper examines a number of computer use ethical scenarios focusing on the modification of URLs within Web browsers. Using the documented case of applicants to several Ivy-league schools as a discussion point, this paper presents a survey of U.S. students enrolled in information security and computer ethics classes, asking at what point does modifying the URL become hacking, and at what point does it become unethical. The findings of this study are discussed.