Section
700-16, Policy on Conflicts of Interest Created by Consensual Relationships Section 700-17, Guidelines for Sexual
Harassment Complaint Resolution Section 800-15, UCI Guidelines for
the UC Electronic Communications Policy Section 800-16, World Wide Web Policy
The University of California,
Irvine (UCI) provides computing resources and worldwide network access to members
of the UCI electronic community for legitimate academic and administrative pursuits
to communicate and to retrieve and disseminate information. All members of the
UCI community (faculty, staff, students, and authorized guests) sharing these
resources also share the rights and responsibilities for their use.
A. Rights and Responsibilities
Worldwide, open access electronic
communication is a privilege and continued access requires that users act responsibly.
Users should be able to trust that the products of their intellectual efforts
will be safe from violation, destruction, theft, or other abuse. Users sharing
computing resources must respect and value the rights and privacy of others, respect
the integrity of the systems and related physical resources, and observe all relevant
laws, regulations, and contractual obligations. Users are responsible for refraining
from acts that obstruct the access of others to these resources, waste limited
resources, harm resources or information, or violate the rights of others. To
help protect files, users are responsible for setting passwords appropriately
and for keeping passwords confidential by not giving them to another person.
Most UCI owned computers
are under the control of system administrators or managers, who are required
to respect the privacy of computer system users. However, they may access user
files or suspend services on the systems they manage without notice as required
to protect the integrity of computer systems or to examine accounts that are
suspected of unauthorized use or of having been misused, corrupted or damaged.
This includes temporarily locking vulnerable accounts, removing hung jobs, reprioritizing
resource-intensive jobs, etc.
In addition to campus
and UC policies such as the Electronic Communications Policy, many UCI departments
have their own computing and networking resources and policies. When accessing
computing resources, users are responsible for obeying both the policies described
here and relevant departmental policies. Students are also responsible for obeying
the policies described in the UC
Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations, and Students. In
addition, all users are responsible for obeying policies of off-campus network
services accessed using UCI resources.
B. Examples of Misuse
Examples of misuse include,
but are not limited to:
Knowingly running, installing,
or giving to another user, any program on any computer system or network with
the intended purpose of damaging or placing excessive load on a computer system
or network used by others. This includes, but is not limited to, computer
viruses, Trojan horses, worms, bots, spamming, and password cracking programs.
Attempting to circumvent
data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes without prior written
consent of the appropriate authority. This includes creating and/or running
programs that are designed to identify security loopholes and/or intentionally
decrypt secure data.
Using computers, electronic
mail or any other form of computer network based communication to act abusively
toward others or to provoke a violent reaction, such as stalking, acts of
bigotry, threats of violence, or other hostile or intimidating "fighting
words." Such words include those terms widely recognized to victimize
or stigmatize individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, disability, and other protected characteristics.
Posting on electronic
bulletin boards, Web pages, or any other computer network based dissemination
channel, any materials that violate University policy or codes of conduct.
Attempting to monitor
or tamper with another user's electronic communications or reading, copying,
changing, or deleting another user's files or software without the explicit
agreement of the owner.
Violating copyright
laws or restrictions.
Violating terms of applicable
software licensing agreements.
Using campus networks
to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access to any computer system.
Using a computer account
or obtaining a password without appropriate authorization.
Facilitating or allowing use of a computer account, password, and/or network access or resources by any unauthorized person.
Employing, either directly
or by implication, a false identity when using an account or other electronic
resources. This includes sending unauthorized mail that appears to come from
someone else as well as posting or otherwise disseminating materials which
misrepresent the identity of the sender.
Disguising, misrepresenting,
or concealing the identity of a computer system connected to the network.
Performing an act without
authorization that will interfere with the normal operation of computers,
networks, or peripherals, or will interfere with others' ability to make use
of such resources.
Using an account for
any activity that is commercial in nature not related to work at UCI, such
as consulting services, typing services, developing software for sale, advertising
products, and/or other commercial enterprises for personal financial gain.
Distributing, posting,
or otherwise making available to those not authorized any confidential, sensitive,
or private information.
C. Consequences of Misuse
Misuse of computing, networking,
or information is unacceptable, and users will be held accountable for their conduct.
Serious infractions can result in temporary or permanent loss of computing and/or
network privileges and/or Federal or State legal prosecution. Appropriate corrective
action or discipline may be taken in conformance with applicable personnel policies,
student policies, collective bargaining agreements, and procedures established
by the Academic Senate. (In extreme cases, corrective action may include dismissal.) California
Penal Code, Section 502 makes certain computer abuses a crime, (such as illegal
reproduction of software protected by U. S. copyright law) and penalties can include
a fine and/or imprisonment. Files may be subject to search under proper authorization.
Minor infractions of this
policy, such as poorly chosen passwords, use of resources in a manner which
impedes but does not totally block their use by others are typically handled
internally to the department in an informal manner. More serious infractions
such as abusive behavior, account invasion or destruction, attempting to circumvent
system security, etc. are handled formally through the Office of the Dean of
Students or by other appropriate officials.