Recreational Computing and Computer Privacy in the Workplace:
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
| Q. | As a University employee, do I have a right to use the University's Internet connection to pursue personal interests? |
| A. | Not exactly. Computer accounts provided to you by the
University are not personal accounts; they are intended for the
University's work. If you want a purely personal Internet account to use
at home, you can get one from a commercial Internet service provider.
However, many University departments do encourage their employees to use the Internet to educate themselves. This may include pursuing all kinds of personal interests -- provided time and equipment are available. As an employee, you are accountable for how you use your time on the job. You do not have a right to surf the Internet when the University is paying you to do something else. Nor do you have the right to use University equipment for personal net surfing when the University needs it for other purposes. These matters should be worked out between each employee and his or her supervisor. Note that you are never permitted to use University equipment for private money-making enterprises unless specifically authorized. |
| Q. | Are University employees allowed to view pornography on the Internet? |
| A. | It depends on what you mean by "allowed." The
computer network itself is unrestricted (except that some newsgroups are
not republished locally; they are still available through other
servers). However, what employees can do on the job is governed by
their supervisors.
There are many reasons why a supervisor may prohibit an employee from viewing pornographic material on a University computer. Perhaps the biggest of these is sexual harassment. Like pin-up posters, pornographic screen displays can create an intimidating environment for co-workers, particularly co-workers of the opposite sex. Doing this is flatly against University policy. In addition, using a University computer for recreation while on the job is, in general, a misuse of the employee's paid time and the employer's equipment. See the previous question for more about this. Finally, redistribution of pornography (even through web page links) is often illegal. |
| Q. | Can the University monitor an employee's computer usage? |
| A. | This is a difficult question. Computer system administrators are
required to respect individuals' privacy. However, computer network
usage is never a totally private activity. Files that you view and
download are temporarily stored on your PC, where they may remain for
unpredictable lengths of time. The existence of network connections --
though not the data transmitted -- is often recorded for network
management purposes.
An employee should not expect total privacy when using a machine owned by the University or connected to a network owned by the University. The University retains the right to examine equipment that it owns. This right is not to be abused; pointless snooping is prohibited, but investigation of security problems is explicitly permitted. Employees are especially cautioned not to store private personal data on networked University computers. A networked PC is, inherently, not a private machine. |
