POLICY & PROCEDURE Computer Use 2005 |
ISSUE DATE: 1-24-2005 |
|
EFFECTIVE DATE: 3-1-05
_____________________ Mayor Michael McGlynn |
All City Departments |
REVISION DATE: 2/17/05 |
POLICY
That all City of Medford personnel use computers, computer applications, computer programs, Internet resources and network/Internet communications be utilized in a responsible, professional, ethical, and lawful manner.
POLICY REVIEW
This policy will be reviewed by the City Solicitor and Personnel Director or any person so designated by the Mayor on an annual basis to ensure that it is legally sound and reasonably enforceable.
III. POLICY TRAINING
All full-time administrative staff, support personnel, student interns, volunteer staff and/or any other persons so authorized to use the City computers will become familiar with and adhere to the provisions of this policy and subsequent notifications pertaining to this policy by internal mail, email, and postings.
IV. POLICY GUIDELINES
Prohibited Behavior/Material
1. All City of Medford personnel are prohibited from using the department’s computers (including personal computers connected to the network or telephone dial-up lines) by knowingly transmitting, receiving and/or storing any offensive communication and/or offensive computer file that is:
a. Discriminatory or harassing;
b. Derogatory to any individual or group;
c. Obscene, sexually explicit or pornographic;
d. Defamatory or threatening;
e. In violation of any license governing the use of software; or copyrighted material.
2. That all City of Medford personnel are forbidden from disseminating any child pornography or other pornography to anyone by any means.
3. That all City of Medford personnel are expected to demonstrate responsibility and not abuse the limited use privilege of work related Internet use.
4. That all City of Medford personnel are hereby informed that there is no expectation of privacy in the computer systems, files, directories, folders or other data storage areas in all of the properties belonging to the City of Medford.
5. That all data files, electronic information, data created and/or communicated to and from the City of Medford using any computer belonging to the City of Medford is subject to occasional audit checks, security assessments and forensic examinations.
6. That the City of Medford in order to ensure the continuity and safe operations of its network and computer resources under its control may for cause, employ intercept, capture and detection programs that search for patterns of abuse, security risks, illegal activity and any violation of this policy.
7. Unless otherwise authorized by this policy, all City employees are prohibited from engaging in or attempting to engage in:
a. Monitoring or intercepting the files or electronic communications of other employees or third parties;
b. Hacking or obtaining access to systems or accounts (internal or external) they are not authorized to use;
c. Using other people's network log-in accounts, email addresses and passwords;
d. Breaching, testing, or monitoring a computer or tampering with system configuration and/or network security measures.
e. Installing any software program, application or hardware without first obtaining authorization from the City of Medford Personnel Director or his designee, except for software programs upgrades received from governmental entities.
8. That all City of Medford personnel should not send
e-mail or other electronic communications that can hide the identity of the sender or represent the sender as someone else to include forms of spoofing, masquerading and/or anonymous remailing/WEB surfing services.
9. That all City of Medford personnel should not abuse programs and/or abuse computer resources that can be used in a manner that is likely to cause major network congestion or significantly hamper the ability of other City of Medford personnel to access and use the system;
10. That all City of Medford personnel should respect and comply with all copyright and software licensing agreements and are forbidden to use, copy, retrieve, modify or forward copyright protected materials except as permitted by law.
11. That all City of Medford personnel refrain from using encrypted programs and encrypted communications, unless authorized by the Mayor.
12. That all City of Medford personnel restricts access (electronically and/or physically) to their computer systems to ensure adequate security and prevent destruction or tampering with the computers, including computer laptops if provided.
13. That all City of Medford personnel conduct a visual and operational inspection on all equipment and media associated with their computer systems and if there appears to be any damage, tampering or malfunctioning of the equipment to report it as soon a possible to the Management Information System Employee or the Mayor’s designee.
14. That all City of Medford personnel will not reassemble and/or disassemble computer equipment belonging to the City of Medford without express permission from the Management Information System Employee or the Mayor’s designee.
15. That all City of Medford personnel are aware of certain State Public Record Laws, which require that any official department correspondence may fall under “public records” including government records generated, received, or maintained electronically, including computer records, electronic mail, video and audio tapes (unless it is exempted by law).
16. That all City of Medford personnel have read, understand, and agree to comply with the foregoing policies, rules, and conditions governing the use of the department’s computers and that those who abuse the privileges and guidelines set forth in this policy will be subject to corrective action, including but not limited to possible termination of employment, legal action, and criminal liability.
| 
