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2009-09-10 Responsible Use of Computing Resources and Internet Conduct
MEMORANDUM
To: NJIT Students, Faculty, and Staff
From: David F. Ullman, Associate Provost for Information Services & Technology and CIO
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2009
RE: Responsible Use of Computing Resources and Internet Conduct
I would like to remind all members of the NJIT community that the university's Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Computing Resources are available online at: http://www.njit.edu/policies/policy_computingresources.php.
Please take a few moments to review and refresh your understanding of this policy. In particular, please note:
- Computing resources are to be used for university-related activities, consistent with the mission of NJIT. All NJIT policies extend to use of computing resources; as do local, state, and federal laws.
- All users should exercise discretion and common sense when designing web pages, screen savers, surfing the Internet in public areas, displaying content that is viewable by others, and participating in online forums, discussions, and social networking sites. Avoid content that at best would be considered inappropriate and offensive to members of the university community, and at worst, may be grounds for harassment and in violation of university policy and other laws.
- All users are responsible for ensuring that reasonable measures are used to protect and maintain security on accounts issued to them. Accounts and passwords issued to individuals should not be shared, and passwords should be changed regularly. Under separate cover, I will provide some advice on protecting your accounts from the growing number of cyber scams and phishing attempts.
- Information stored within individual computing accounts is generally considered private, although account contents, including e-mail communications, may constitute public records subject to "right to know requests" as well as subject to production in the context of legal proceedings. If the university contacts you in the context of any such matter, you will be legally required to preserve and save any electronic files and communications related to the matter.
- While the university does not routinely audit or inspect accounts, it maintains the right to do so in the course of a business audit or as initiated by a good faith investigation into a violation of law or university policy. The university does reserve the right to inspect, remove, copy, lock out, use or alter any data or file or terminate a network connection, which contains evidence of a violation of these guidelines or other applicable university policies, or laws.
- All users shall abide by all copyright and trademark laws relating to the use of computing resources. In particular, the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials via "peer to peer file sharing techniques" may subject users to criminal and civil penalties.
Finally, I want to caution all members of the university community while participating in the growing number of social networking sites available on the Internet. They offer exciting opportunities to develop communities of interest where one can communicate, collaborate, and develop new relationships - academic, personal, and professional. Unfortunately, in some instances, they also offer a forum for fraudulent, predatory, and harassing behavior. Use common sense when participating in such venues and exercise caution when sharing personal information on yourself and others.
Students finding themselves the victim of any form of cyber-harassment should contact the Dean of Students' office. Faculty and staff should contact the Human Resources office.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you.