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University of Alberta Acceptable Usage Policy for Information Resources
The University of Alberta has a networked computing environment in which students, faculty, and staff may feel free to create and to collaborate with colleagues both at the University and at other institutions without fear that the products of their intellectual efforts will be violated, misrepresented, tampered, destroyed, or stolen. This intellectual environment is fostered by an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality that in part is encouraged by the information resource environment that exists at the University.

Information resources are defined as the data, computing infrastructure and business processes, which enable and are a product of the operations of the institution.

Authority to Use
The information resources at the University of Alberta are for your use as a student, faculty, or staff member of the University. It is a policy of the University that these information resources be used by you respecting the public trust through which they have been provided and in accordance with policy and regulations established from time to time by the University and its operating units.

The University agrees to make reasonable effort to provide you with resources appropriate to the tasks you have been asked to undertake, and that these resources will be available as required in accordance with service level agreements developed with the custodian of that resource. In return, you agree to use the resources provided to you for the purposes they were intended, knowing that you are accountable for their use and protection.

The information resources you use are provided for you by one of the University's teaching, administrative, or service units. In some cases you will be provided with a computer account on a University computer system; in other cases you will be provided with access to resources such as workstations or computing laboratories. You may be given access to the resources as an individual or as part of a group, such as a class. Under any of these alternatives, your responsibilities and the University's responsibilities are the same.

The University reserves the right to withhold access to the information resources provided to you if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that your continued access to the resources would pose a threat to the operation of the resources, the integrity of our data resource or the good name of the University. Where there is substantiated abuse of information resource access privileges, the University will consider the removal of your access to resources, balancing the perceived threat to the community and the inconvenience you will face. In the event that your access to any or all information resources is removed, the University will inform you of the options available to you to have that access reinstated.

Privacy
The University will treat your data and programs as both private and confidential and will not examine your information without just cause or due process, nor disclose that information to a third party unless it is for use in a disciplinary or criminal investigation. The University is bound by the requirements of FOIPP legislation.

The University will not normally monitor individual usage of any general computing facility, although all usage of a general facility may be monitored to enable accurate auditing. However, the University reserves the right to monitor and record the usage of any facility if threatening or abusive behavior has been reported and the University has the right to use information gained in this way in disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

To acknowledge the right of others to privacy, you agree to stay within the limits of your authorization to use the resources provided for your use, to copy information only from pre-authorized sources, and never to delete or change information without permission from its custodian. You will make every effort to ensure that personal data of staff and students is not accessed by non-authorized individuals.

Systems administrators and computer support staff form a special group since they are responsible for the support of the technology infrastructure and facilitating access to data. Inevitably such people will have access to confidential, sensitive data in production systems and may need to confer with other support staff in resolving any problems. All support staff are expected to use the same discretion and judgement required of other authorized staff and students in accordance with the University’s confidentiality agreement. Supervisors of such staff are accountable for ensuring these staff are aware of and observe their obligations.

Never consider electronic communications either private or secure. Remember that electronic mail messages can be saved indefinitely on the receiving computer, copies can be easily made and forwarded to others either electronically or on paper, and that messages sent to nonexistent or incorrect usernames are not returned directly to you but are delivered to a person designated as the Postmaster for either the remote or local site.

Ethical Use of Resources
You will refrain from illegal activity, including software piracy or unauthorized profit-making activities using University resources.

You will be sensitive to the public nature of shared resources and take care not to display on screens in such public locations images, sounds or messages which could create an atmosphere of discomfort of harassment for others. You will refrain from transmitting to others in any location inappropriate images, sounds or messages which might reasonably be considered harassing.

Electronic mail is a personal medium; it represents a conversation between you and another user. As such, the University will not attempt to monitor or regulate the content of your electronic mail. Notwithstanding this, within the broad context of free academic discussion and debate communications between members of the University community are expected to reflect high ethical standards and mutual respect and civility. It makes no difference whether the communication medium is face-to-face oral exchange, telephone or a local or a national computer network. The use of obscene, racist or sexist language, for example, clearly violates the ethical standards of our University community and is as inappropriate for computer-mediated communications as it is for other forms of University discourse.

Security and Integrity
The University is responsible for operating the computing resources it provides in a manner that offers you and others security and integrity of information.

The University reserves the right to inspect, copy, remove, or otherwise alter data files, system resources, or user files in the regular conduct of its duty to maintain efficient and well-run computing resources.

Entry into a system, including the network system, by individuals not specifically authorized shall be viewed as trespass. Attempts to circumvent the protective mechanisms of any University system shall be considered attempted theft or trespass. Deliberate attempts to degrade system performance or capability, or attempts to damage systems, software or intellectual property of others shall be viewed as criminal activity. Irresponsible use (that which needlessly affects a system’s performance or the work of others) will be treated as a mischief.

Investigation of abuses of computing privileges
System administrators of computing services have the responsibility to take remedial action in the case of possible abuse of computing privileges. Nothing in this policy diminishes that responsibility and system administrators, with the approval of their supervisor and with due regard for the right of your privacy and the confidentiality of your data, have the right to suspend or modify your computer access privileges, examine files, passwords, accounting information, printouts, tapes, and any other material which may aid in an investigation of possible abuse. Whenever possible, your cooperation and agreement will be sought in advance.

Investigation into suspected violation of this policy will be governed by the same regulations as other investigations on campus. For example, where academic offenses such as plagiarism or professional misconduct involve the use of information resources, the same faculty officers involved in a more traditional case will be involved in the computer-based case with computer specialists likely being used as resources.

Laws of the Land
The laws of Alberta and Canada apply equally to a networked computing environment as they do elsewhere.


This policy has been drafted and approved under the authority of the Vice President, Finance & Administration. Any questions regarding the application or interpretation of these Conditions of Use should be directed to the VP Finance & Administration. Other campus computing resources may establish additional rules and policies as they see fit. Such additions must be consistent with this policy, and may not be less restrictive.