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Town of Dennis Information Technology Policies Overview.. 3 User Responsibilities3 Unacceptable Uses3 Data Confidentiality4 Copyright Protection4 Computer Viruses4 Network Security4 Email4 No Expectation of Privacy5 Computer Usage Policy6 Email Usage Policy7 Legal Risks 7 Legal Requirements7 Best practices8 Writing Emails8 Replying To Emails8 Newsgroups8 Maintenance8 Personal Use9 Confidential information9 System Monitoring9 Email accounts9 Avoid Open Meeting Law Violations9 Public Records Requirement10 Internet Usage Policy11 Town of Dennis Information Technology Policies12 Declaration 12 If you have questions12 This document formalizes the policy for all employees regarding the use of information technology resources; including computers, printers and other peripherals, programs, data, local/wide area networks, email and the Internet. It is the responsibility of any person using the Town of Dennis system to read, understand, and follow this policy. In addition, users are expected to exercise reasonable judgment in interpreting this policy and in making decisions about the use of information technology resources. Department managers are responsible for ensuring employees follow these policies. Any person with questions regarding the application or meaning of this policy should seek clarification from appropriate management. Failure to observe this policy may subject individuals to disciplinary action, including termination of employment. Unless such use is reasonably related to a user's job, it is unacceptable for any person to use town equipment: - for any political purpose
- for any commercial purpose
- to send threatening or harassing messages, whether sexual or otherwise
- to access or share sexually explicit, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate materials
- to infringe any intellectual property rights
- to engage in non-business activities that unnecessarily tie up network traffic.
- to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access to any computer or network for any use that causes interference with or disruption of network users and resources, including propagation of computer viruses or other harmful programs
- to intercept communications intended for other persons
- to misrepresent either the Town of Dennis or a person's role at the town
- to distribute chain letters
- to play computer games/solitaire
- to access online gambling sites or
- to libel or otherwise defame any person.
In the course of performing their jobs, Town employees and contractors often have access to confidential or proprietary information, such as personal data about identifiable individuals or commercial information about business organizations. Under no circumstances is it permissible for employees or contractors to acquire access to confidential data unless such access is required by their jobs. Under no circumstances may employees or contractors disseminate any confidential information that they have rightful access to, unless such dissemination is required by their jobs. Computer programs are valuable intellectual property. Software publishers can be very aggressive in protecting their property rights from infringement. In addition to software, legal protections can also exist for any information published on the Internet, such as the text and graphics on a web site. As such, it is important that users respect the rights of intellectual property owners. Users should exercise care and judgment when copying or distributing computer programs or information that could reasonably be expected to be copyrighted. Users should exercise reasonable precautions in order to prevent the introduction of a computer virus into the local area or wide area networks. Virus scanning software should be used to check any software and/or data downloaded from the Internet or obtained from any source. Most desktop computers in town are connected to a local area network, which link computers within the town and outside vendors and resources. As such, it is critically important that users take particular care to avoid compromising the security of the network. Most importantly, users should never share their passwords with anyone else, and should promptly notify the MIS Director if they suspect their passwords have been compromised. In addition, users who will be leaving their PCs unattended for extended periods should either log off the network or have a password-protected screen saver in operation. Finally, no user is allowed to access the Internet or other external network via any means unless they have received specific permission from their department manager. When using e-mail, there are several points users should consider. First, because e-mail addresses identify the organization that sent the message (firstlast@town.dennis.ma.us), users should consider e-mail messages to be the equivalent of letters sent on official letterhead. For the same reason, users should ensure that all e-mails are written in a professional and courteous tone. Finally, although many users regard e-mail as being like a telephone in offering a quick, informal way to communicate, users should remember that e-mail can be stored, copied, printed, or forwarded by recipients. As such, users should not write anything in an e-mail message that they would not feel just as comfortable putting into a memorandum. Information Systems used by staff are the property of the Town of Dennis. All systems are to be used in conformance with these policies. The town retains control regarding the use of each user’s computer and all contents stored thereon, and the town may, at its’ discretion, exercise the right to inspect any computer, any data contained in it, and any data sent or received by that computer. Users should be aware that the MIS Director, in order to ensure proper network operations, routinely monitor network traffic. Use of town equipment constitutes express consent for the town to monitor and/or inspect any data that users create or receive, any messages they send or receive, and any web sites that they access. Town owned data and broadcast systems are provided for use by authorized staff and certain others exclusively for the business of the Town. Personal use of these systems should be limited to infrequent incidental use. Under no circumstance may the Town’s systems be used for business purposes of other organizations. The Town of Dennis provides users with a complete set of software applications needed to accomplish day to day business. Users may not install any personal software or software available via the internet without prior approval. Examples of this include email/web browser add-ons, web active wallpaper, calendars, weather, or other such programs. Users may not copy, store, display, distribute or otherwise use such programs without the prior permission of the Town Administrator and MIS Director. No computer system may be attached to the town network without prior approval. Privately-owned computer systems, when authorized to attach to the data network are subject to the same responsibilities and regulations as pertain to town owned systems. Unauthorized attempts to gain privileged access or access to any account or information not belonging to you is prohibited. No Town system may be used for unethical, illegal, criminal or commercial purposes. No town system may be used for playing computer games. No town system may be used for unauthorized on-line audio or video streaming. No town system may be used for participating in and/or sending nuisance messages such as jokes, chain letters, greeting cards, and obscene or harassing messages. No town system may be used for any peer to peer download of, music, video, data files, or software. Copying, storing, displaying, or distributing copyrighted material using town systems or networks without the express permission of the copyright owner, except as otherwise allowed under the copyright law, is prohibited. Under the Federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, repeat infringements of copyright by a user can result in termination of the user's access to town systems and networks. No Town system may be used through unauthorized access. No Town system may be used as a vehicle to gain unauthorized access to other systems. Do not use or install any file that is downloaded from the internet or anywhere else unless reviewed and approved by Information Technology. Any user who finds a possible security lapse on any Town system is obliged to report it to the MIS Director. Do not attempt to use the system under these conditions until the problem has been investigated. All users should be aware that security checks of town systems can occur at any time.
- toc The purpose of this policy is to ensure the proper use of the Town of Dennis’s email system and make users aware of what Town Hall deems as acceptable and unacceptable use of its email system. The Board of Selectmen reserves the right to amend this policy at its discretion. Email is a business communication tool and users are obliged to use this tool in a responsible, effective and lawful manner. Although by its nature email seems to be less formal than other written communication, the same laws apply. Therefore, it is important that users are aware of the legal risks of e-mail: · If you unlawfully forward confidential information, you and the Town of Dennis can be held liable. · If you unlawfully forward or copy messages without permission, you and the Town of Dennis can be held liable for copyright infringement. · If you send or forward emails with any libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks, you and Town of Dennis can be held liable. · If you send an attachment that contains a virus, you and Town of Dennis can be held liable. By following the guidelines in this policy, the email user can minimize the legal risks involved in the use of e-mail. If any user disregards the rules set out in this Email Policy, the user will be fully liable and Town of Dennis will disassociate itself from the user as far as legally possible. The following rules are required by law and are to be strictly adhered to: · It is strictly prohibited to send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. If you receive an e-mail of this nature, you must promptly notify your supervisor. · Do not forward a message received from non-town entities without acquiring permission from the sender first. · Do not send unsolicited email messages. · Do not forge or attempt to forge email messages. · Do not send email messages using another person’s email account. · Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator. · Do not disguise or attempt to disguise your identity when sending mail. Town Administration considers email an important means of communication and recognizes the importance of proper email content and speedy replies in conveying a professional image and delivering good customer service. Therefore the Town wishes users to adhere to the following guidelines: Write well-structured emails and use short, descriptive subjects. - Town Hall’s email style is informal. This means that sentences can be short and to the point. You can start your e-mail with ‘Hi’, or ‘Dear’, and the name of the person. Messages can be ended with ‘Best Regards’.
- The use of Internet abbreviations and characters such as emoticons or smileys however, is discouraged.
- Signatures must include your name, job title and company name.
- Use the spell checker before you send out an email.
- Do not send unnecessary attachments. Compress attachments larger than 200K before sending them.
- Do not write emails in capitals.
- Do not use cc: or bcc: fields unless the cc: or bcc: recipient is aware that you will be copying a mail to him/her and knows what action, if any, to take.
- If you forward mail, state clearly what action you expect the recipient to take.
- Only send emails of which the content could be displayed on a public notice board. If they cannot be displayed publicly in their current state, consider rephrasing the email or using other means of communication.
- Only mark emails as important if they really are important.
Emails should be answered within at least 8 working hours, but users must endeavor to answer priority emails within 4 hours. Priority emails are emails from citizens and business partners. Users must request permission from the MIS Director before subscribing to a newsletter or news group. Delete any email messages that you do not need to have a copy of, and set your email client to automatically empty your ‘deleted items’ on closing. Although the Town’s email system is meant for business use, the Town allows the reasonable use of email for personal use if certain guidelines are adhered to: - Personal use of email must not interfere with work.
- Personal emails must also adhere to the guidelines in this policy.
- Personal emails are kept in a separate folder, named ‘Private’. The emails in this folder must be deleted weekly so as not to clog up the system.
- The forwarding of chain letters, junk mail, jokes and executables is strictly forbidden.
- On average, users are not allowed to send more than 2 personal emails a day.
- All messages distributed via the company’s email system, even personal emails, are the Town of Dennis’s property.
Avoid sending confidential information by e-mail. If you do, you must secure the information by including it in a Microsoft Word or Excel file and protecting it with a password. Then provide the recipient with the password by means of other communication, for instance by telephone. You must have no expectation of privacy in anything you create, store, send or receive on the company’s computer system. Your emails can be monitored without prior notification. If there is evidence that you are not adhering to the guidelines set out in this policy, the Town reserves the right to take disciplinary action, including termination and/or legal action. All email accounts maintained on our email systems are property of the Town of Dennis. Passwords should not be given to other people and should be changed once a month. Email accounts not used for 60 days will be deactivated and possibly deleted. For those of you who work with elected or appointed boards, committees or commissions, the utilization of email is a very effective tool to communicate with your members on issues that are within the jurisdiction of that elected or appointed body or matters that may be scheduled before them. However, you must use caution to avoid using email that may unintentionally result in a violation of the Open Meeting Law (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 39, Section 23A). All matters resulting in a decision of a public body must be done so at a duly posted meeting of that body. Not only must the decision (vote of body) be made at a public meeting, but all such discussion relating to the matter must also be reserved for the meeting. Communication via email by members on issues to be voted on has been determined by various county district attorney’s offices as a violation of the Open Meeting Law, and repeated instances places the Town and that public body at risk of being fined by district attorney’s office. For more information on how to avoid Open Meeting Law violations as it relates to email communication, please contact the Town Administrator’s Office. It was said years ago that with the introduction of computers, we would be headed toward a “paperless society.” Email correspondence truly brings us closer to that reality. However, as with the Open Meeting Law requirements noted above, the Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State has ruled (with the concurrence of the Attorney General’s Office) that certain email correspondence are public documents in accordance with the definition of a “Public Record” as identified in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 4, Section 7, and Chapter 66, Section 10. Whether in electronic or paper format, certain documents, depending on the substance and content of the record, may or may not be deemed a public document. In almost every instance, communication involving a matter pending before a deliberative body is a public document that must be produced upon request. So before you start hitting the “delete button”, consider very carefully what your obligations are under the above noted statutes. Again, repeated instances of failing to save your email correspondences on substantive matters places you at public risk of violating the Public Records Laws of Massachusetts, subjecting you to being fined by district attorney’s office. For more information on how to avoid Public Records Law violations as it relates to email communication, please contact the Town Administrator’s Office. The Town of Dennis will make every reasonable effort to ensure the Internet is used responsibly and will take every reasonable step to control access to inappropriate material. The town expects all staff to use the Internet in an appropriate and responsible manner for business purposes only. No town system can be used to transmit, receive, submit, publish or otherwise access information deemed inappropriate, including, but not limited to, material that is defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, racially or gender offensive, unethical, sexually oriented, or illegal. - toc - Staff may not use the town's Internet account to conduct private, commercial, personal or illegal business. No activity promoting a political or religious point of view will be permitted.
- On-line game playing is prohibited.
- Unauthorized instant messaging programs and/or chat room use is prohibited.
- Internet sessions must be shut down when business is completed. Do not leave an internet connection open and/or minimized when not in use.
- Hacking [any attempt to gain prohibited access to or malicious attempt to harm or destroy data or to upload, download or otherwise create computer viruses] will not be tolerated.
- Staff is expected to conform to accepted social behavior in their use of the Internet ("netiquette"). Users are to respect copyrighted material and properly credit all works cited from Internet resources.
- Staff must immediately notify the MIS Director if a security problem is discovered. - toc
The Town of Dennis reserves the right to log network use, monitor files and file space, thus users should not expect their use to remain private. The Town of Dennis reserves the right to modify these guidelines at any time. - toc I have read, understand and acknowledge receipt of the Town of Dennis Information Technology policies. I will comply with the guidelines set out in this policy and understand that failure to do so might result in disciplinary or legal action. Signature: ________________________________ Date: __________________________ Printed Name: ___________________________________ Questions or suggested improvements on these policies and procedures or other computing matters should be addressed to Steven F. Buss, MIS Director, 508-760-6161, sbuss@town.dennis.ma.us. This handbook is posted on the towns web site and is reviewed every year. If you do not have any questions, the Town of Dennis presumes that you understand and are aware of the rules and guidelines of the Information Technology Policies and will adhere to them. | | |
