20 Oct., 1999 UAF Computing & Networking Policies

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UAF Computing & Networking Policies

Reasons for policies Who makes & enforces them Overview of issues based on common

questions Your responsibilities for safe computing Your questions & discussion

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Rules or common sense responsibility?

Manage university resources for•Reliable access•Reasonable allocation of resources

Facilitate your work•Communication & collaboration•Safe work environment

20 Oct., 1999 UAF Computing & Networking Policies

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External Authorities

Criminal law enforcement•Cracking or disrupting networks•Use for fraud, threats, …•Litigation or threat of it•Copyright enforcement

Use restrictions of funding agencies or network providers

20 Oct., 1999 UAF Computing & Networking Policies

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University Authorities

Board of Regents Policies UA System and UAF Networking and Computing Departmental management

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Scope & impact of authorities

Scope of authority ––––>Federal & StateBoard of Regents& UA System UAF Admin UAF computing& networking Department and/orsupervisor

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What network abuses can disconnect me?

Disruption of network: equipment, software, or intentional

Legal requirement Unusual volume degrades others’ use Always attempt voluntary resolution

before disconnecting!

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What about personal use?

Incidental personal use generally OK, e.g., - personal e-mail, - browse news, - order book

Caveats• no business, political campaigning, or illegal

activities!• Cannot represent personal communications as

official university• Department may have more restrictive rules

20 Oct., 1999 UAF Computing & Networking Policies

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What about pornography?

Content-based restrictions generally unsupportable, but

Illegal pornography is illegal! Other pornographic material

may still be regarded as harassment or creating a hostile work environment

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Your files generally not subject to open records act unless they are indeed the records of official actions.

E-mail and other files on shared systems generally have presumption of privacy - but about as secure as a post card!

Are my e-mail messages or other files private?

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“When can techies see my files?”

Information Resource folks may for valid technical or management reasons• Incidentally as part of normal management

of shared resources (e.g., mis-addressed e-mail)

• As needed to diagnose failures Content remains confidential unless

explicitly escalated by senior officer

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Clearly work-related files (department correspondence or budget documents) – at any time.

Where expectation of privacy exists, need a reasonable basis for looking.

“When can my boss demand to see files?”

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With a search warrant Or a subpoena

When can the cops see my files?

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A few materials are illegal to send•threats, secrets, illegal pornography

Additional materials might well constitute harassment, hostile work environment, or at least be disruptive & unprofessional•hate speech, intimidation, pornography

What restrictions are there on “offensive” materials?

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What are my responsibilities for safe computing?

Respect rights of others•Civility; respect for others’ privacy

Common-sense restraint •Work-related use; identify yourself

Recognize inherent limits to privacy Back up your work

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Encryption makes messages tamper-proof and unreadable without a key

Good way to protect sensitive material and to guarantee authenticity

Need development of a key infrastructure to manage keys

PGP available now

What about encryption?