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- June 27, 1989
- Draft Draft Draft
- Cover page
-
- UNM ETHICS CODE FOR COMPUTER USE
-
- The Computer and Information Resources and Technology (CIRT)
- and other UNM units provid computer services to a large number of
- faculty, staff, and students, as well as outside clients of the
- University. All computer users have two basic rights -- privacy
- and a fair share of resources. All computer users have the
- responsibility to use the CIRT systems in an effective, efficient,
- ethical, and lawful manner. The ethical and legal standards that
- are to be maintained are derived directly from standards of common
- sense and common decency that apply to the use of any public
- resource within the university.
- The following conditions apply to all users of UNM systems.
- Violations of any of the conditions are considered unethical and
- possibly unlawful. UNM views the use of computer facilities as a
- privilege, not a right, and seeks to protect legitimate computer
- users by imposing sanctions on those who abuse the privilege.
- Eliminating computer abuse provides more computing resources for
- users with legitimate computing needs. UNM's computing policy is
- based on the laws of the State of New Mexico and United States
- Copyright Law. In addition, UNM imposes certain restrictions
- which are not specifically covered by either law. Besides
- setting guidelines for appropriate use of computers, UNM's policy
- outlines the disciplinary procedures that will be imposed on
- computer users who violate the policy. In accordance with estab-
- lished University practices, violations may result in disciplinary
- review which could result in expulsion from the University or
- dismissal from a position, and/or legal action.
- Computer users agree to abide by the following conditions,
- which apply to all computers and network interconnections owned or
- administrated by UNM including university-wide microcomputer
- facilities.
-
- Page 1
- COMPUTER USERS AGREE TO RESPECT THE INTENDED USE OF ACCOUNTS
- ESTABLISHED FOR THEIR USE
-
- Accounts are considered the property of the University of New
- Mexico. Authorization for the use of the accounts is given by the
- Schools, Colleges, and other units of the University for specific
- academic purposes. Accounts have tangible value, as do computer
- hardware, software, and storage media. Consequently, attempts to
- circumvent the accounting system, to use an account without
- authorization, or to use accounts for other than their intended
- purposes are all forms of attempted theft. Attempting to defeat
- the security systems of any UNM machine is forbidden. It is
- unethical to violate the rights to privacy and resources granted
- others. UNM reserves the right to lock an account from a computer
- user if impropriety is determined.
-
- If an account does not have sufficient resources to complete
- assigned work the proper action to take is to notify the course
- instructor who can arrange for additional resources, if necessary.
- UNM reserves the right to terminate a computer user's session if
- s/he is acting in an irresponsible or unlawful manner. Similarly,
- any process that is deemed harmful will be cancelled. UNM also
- reserves the right to cancel, restart, or hold a job or program to
- improve system performance if necessary. Game playing is not
- allowed on the system during any academic semester. At other
- times the availability of games are automatically regulated and
- may be played when other use is low.
-
- COMPUTER USERS AGREE TO RESPECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE SYSTEM
-
- Computer users shall not intentionally develop or use programs
- which harass other computer users of the facility or infiltrate
- the system and/or damage the software or hardware components of
- the system. This includes all network links. Computer users
- shall not use network links for any use other than outlined in
- network guidelines (e.g., BITNET, Internet). The accidental or
- intentional discharge of any unauthorized or destructive program
- is subject to prosecution by all appropriate agencies, without
- protection from the University. UNM recognizes the value of
- academic game development, research on computer security, and the
- investigation of self-replicating code. Individuals researching
- these topics must contact the appropriate UNM system administrator
- regarding the effects of their work on the systems.
-
- The well-being of all computer users depends on the availability
- and integrity of the system. Any defects discovered in system
- accounting or system security are to be reported to the appropri-
- ate system administrator so that steps can be taken to investigate
- and solve the problem. The integrity of the system is maintained
- by password protection of accounts. A computer user who has been
- authorized to use an account may not disclose its password or
- otherwise make the account available to others who have not been
- authorized to use the account.
-
- Use of the electronic communication facilities (such as MAIL or
- PHONE, or systems with similar functions) to send fraudulent,
- harassing, obscene, indecent, profane, or intimidating messages is
- prohibited. Also, the electronic communication facilities are not
- to be used for the transmission of commercial or personal adver-
- tisements, solicitations, promotions, destructive programs, or any
- other non-university use.
-
- COMPUTER USERS AGREE TO RESPECT
- THE PRIVACY OF OTHER COMPUTER USERS
-
- Computer users shall not intentionally seek or provide information
- on, obtain copies of, or modify data files, programs, or passwords
- belonging to other computer users without the permission of those
- other computer users and the appropriate authorization.
-
- The systems provide mechanisms for the protection of private
- information from examination by others. Attempts to circumvent
- these mechanisms in order to gain unauthorized access to private
- information will be treated as actual violations of privacy and a
- breach of ethical standards. Searching through directories to
- find unprotected information likewise is a violation. Information
- you have not been invited to use is not yours to access.
-
- Accounts are the property of the University of New Mexico and are
- to be used for University purposes only (University accounts may
- not be used for personal matters). Computer users, when re-
- quested, are expected to cooperate with system administrators in
- any investigations of system abuse. Failure to cooperate may be
- grounds for cancellation of access privileges. UNM recognizes
- that files and mail messages are confidential. Appropriate UNM
- employees may access computer users' files during normal mainte-
- nance and will report unlawful activities to the proper authori-
- ties.
-
- COMPUTER USERS AGREE TO RESPECT THE RULES AND REGULATIONS
- GOVERNING THE USE OF FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
-
- Each UNM site has rules and regulations which govern the use of
- equipment and facilities at that site. Violation of these rules
- and regulations is grounds for disciplinary action. Each site has
- operators, consultants, and/or supervisors who have been given the
- responsibility to supervise the use of that site. Computer user
- cooperation with these individuals, and adherence to UNM policies
- is expected at all times. Students are encouraged to utilize CIRT
- and other UNM consulting services; however obtaining program code
- from CIRT or other staff when forbidden by an instructor is
- prohibited.
-
-
- COMPUTER USERS AGREE TO THE PROPRIETARY
- RIGHTS OF SOFTWARE
-
- All software protected by copyright shall not be copied except as
- specifically stipulated by the owner of the copyright. Protected
- software is not to be copied into, from, or by any UNM facility or
- system, except by license. This means that such computer and
- microcomputer software may only be copied in order to create
- backup copies, if so licensed. The number of copies and distribu-
- tion of the copies may not be done in such a way that the number
- of simultaneous users in a department exceeds the number of
- original copies purchased by that department.
-
-