Forum of Incident Response & Security Teams/Forum_of_Incident_Response_and_Security_Teams_FIRST_October_1994.iso/ethics/princton.txt

Text File | 1994-07-08 | 9KB | 224 lines

[Ed. note: Additions since original Fall 1992 publication of
the Guidelines are marked with *****.]

1992-1993 Guidelines for use of Campus and Network Computing Resources

Princeton University makes available computing and
network resources which may be used by University
undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and
staff. The resources administered by the Office of
Computing and Information Technology (CIT) are
intended to be used for educational purposes and to
carry out the legitimate business of the
University. Appropriate use of the resources
includes instruction, independent study, authorized
research, independent research, and the official
work of the offices, departments, recognized
student and campus organizations, and agencies of
the University.

The computing and network resources of the
University may not be used by members of the
University community for commercial purposes or for
financial gain.

***** added October 15, 1992
The privilege of using the campus and network
computing resources provided by the University is not
transferrable or extendable by members of the Univesity
community to people or groups outside the University.

Those who avail themselves of the campus and
network computing resources are required to behave
in their use of the technology in a manner
consistent with the University's code of conduct.
As stated in Princeton University Rights, Rules,
Responsibilities:

"Respect for the rights, privileges, and
sensibilities of each other is essential in
preserving the spirit of community at Princeton.
Actions which make the atmosphere intimidating,
threatening, or hostile to individuals are
therefore regarded as serious offenses. Abusive or
harassing behavior, verbal or physical, which
demeans, intimidates, threatens, or injures another
because of his or her personal characteristics or
beliefs is subject to University disciplinary
sanctions...."

As also noted in Rights, Rules, Responsibilities:

"Unauthorized or fraudulent use of the University's
computing resources is a serious violation of
University regulations. Duplicating software which
is protected by copyright or trade secret law is a
violation of the law."

The University has subscribed to the statement on
software and intellectual rights distributed by
EDUCOM, the non-profit consortium of colleges and
universities committed to the use and management of
information technology in higher education, and
ITAA, the Information Technology Association of
America, a computer software and services industry
association:

"Respect for intellectual labor and creativity is
vital to academic discourse and enterprise. This
principle applies to work of all authors and
publishers in all media. It encompasses respect for
the right to acknowledgement, right to privacy, and
right to determine the form, manner, and terms of
publication and distribution.

"Because electronic information is volatile and
easily reproduced, respect for the work and
personal expression of others is especially
critical in computer environments. Violations of
authorial integrity, including plagiarism, invasion
of privacy, unauthorized access, and trade secret
and copyright violations, may be grounds for
sanctions against members of the academic
community."

The framework of responsible, considerate, and
ethical behavior expected by the University extends
to cover use of campus microcomputers and
workstations, general-use computers such as phoenix
and PUCC, use of campus network resources, and use
of networks throughout the world to which the
University provides computer access. The following
list does not cover every situation which pertains
to proper, or improper, use of the resources, but
it does suggest some of the responsibilities which
you accept if you choose to use a University
computing resource or the network access which the
University provides.

1.  If you have any computer account, you are
responsible for the use made of that account. You
should set a password which will protect your
account from unauthorized use, and which will not
be guessed easily.  If you discover that someone
has made unauthorized use of your account, you
should change the password and report the intrusion
to a CIT Information Center. You should change your
password on a regular basis, to assure continued
security of your account.

2.  You must not intentionally seek information
about, browse, obtain copies of, or modify files,
passwords, or tapes belonging to other people,
whether at Princeton or elsewhere, unless
specifically authorized to do so by those
individuals. (Note: if an individual has explicitly
and intentionally established a public server, or
clearly designated a set of files as being for
shared public use, others may assume
authorization.)

3.  You must not attempt to decrypt or translate
encrypted material, or obtain system privileges to
which you are not entitled. Attempts to do any of
these will be considered serious transgressions.

4.  If you encounter or observe a gap in system or
network security, you must report the gap to the
Manager, CIT Information Centers. You must refrain
from exploiting any such gaps in security.

5.  You must refrain from any action which
interferes with the supervisory or accounting
functions of the systems or that is likely to have
such effects.

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

7.  You must avoid tying up computing resources for
excessive game playing or other trivial
applications;  sending frivolous or excessive mail
or messages locally or over an affiliated network;
printing excessive copies of documents, files,
images or data. You must refrain from using
unwarranted or excessive amounts of storage;
printing documents or files numerous times because
you have not checked thoroughly for all errors and
corrections; or running grossly inefficient
programs when efficient ones are available. You
must be sensitive to special need for software and
services available in only one location, and cede
place to those whose work requires the special
items.

8.  You must not prevent others from using shared
resources by running unattended processes or
placing signs on devices to "reserve" them without
authorization. Your absence from a public computer
or workstation should be no longer than warranted
by a visit to the nearest restroom. A device
unattended for more than ten minutes may be assumed
to be available for use, and any process running on
that device terminated. You must not lock a
workstation or computer which is in a public
facility. You must also be sensitive to performance
effects of remote login to shared workstations:
when there is a conflict, priority for use of the
device must go to the person seated at the keyboard
rather than to someone logged on remotely.

9.  The University presents for your use many
programs and data which have been obtained under
contracts or licenses saying they may be used, but
not copied, cross-assembled, or reverse-compiled.
You are responsible for determining that programs
or data are not restricted in this manner before
copying them in any form, or before reverse-
assembling or reverse-compiling them in whole or in
any part. If it is unclear whether you have
permission to copy such software or not, assume
that you may not do so.

10. If you create or maintain electronically-stored
information which is important to your work or to
the University in general, you are responsible for
making frequent backups of the information.

11. Messages, sentiments, and declarations sent as
electronic mail or sent as electronic postings must
meet the same standards for distribution or display
as if they were tangible documents or instruments.
You are free to publish your opinions, but they
must be clearly and accurately identified as coming
from you, or, if you are acting as the authorized
agent of a group recognized by the University, as
coming from the group you are authorized to
represent. Attempts to alter the "From" line or
other attribution of origin in electronic mail,
messages, or postings, will be considered
transgressions of University rules.

12. If you create, alter, or delete any electronic
information contained in, or posted to, any campus
computer or affiliated network it will be
considered forgery if it would be considered so on
a tangible document or instrument.

13. You must not create and send, or forward,
electronic chain letters.

14. You should be aware that there are Federal,
State and sometimes local laws which govern certain
aspects of computer and telecommunications use.
Members of the University community are expected to
respect these laws, as well as to observe and
respect University rules and regulations.