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Policy 05.08 Use of Computers, Electronic Communication, Internet, and Network

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POLICY TITLE:

Use of Computers, Electronic Communication, Internet, and Network

POLICY NUMBER:

05.08

VERSION:

1.0

REVISED DATE:

March 05, 2018

REVIEWED DATE:

March 13, 2018

APPROVAL DATE:

March 22, 2018

EFFECTIVE DATE:

April 2, 2018

NUMBER OF PAGES:

4

A. OVERVIEW

1. Description and Purpose This policy outlines the City of Saint Paul (City) rules for acceptable use of the City-owned computers, email, telephones, voice mail, servers, and Internet (hereinafter referred to as City Network) by City employees, contractors, consultants, or others that have been authorized by the City Manager.

2. Applicability This Policy applies to all City employees, hereinafter referred to as Personnel.

3. Failure to Comply Failure to comply with this Policy may result in disciplinary action in accordance with any and all disciplinary policies of the City.

B. POLICY AND PROCEDURE

1. The City recognizes that use of the City Network has many benefits and can make workplace communication more efficient and effective. Therefore, employees are encouraged to use the City Network systems appropriately. Unacceptable use of the City Network can place the City and others at risk.

2. The City has established the following rules for employee, contractor, consultant, and others authorized to use of the City Network in an appropriate, ethical and professional manner.

a. All technology provided by the City, including computer systems, communications networks, company-related work records and other information stored electronically, is the property of the City and not the employee. In general, use of the City Network should be job-related and not for personal convenience.

b. Employees may not use the City Network to transmit, retrieve or store any communications or other content of a defamatory, discriminatory, harassing or pornographic nature. No messages with derogatory or inflammatory remarks about an individual’s race, age, disability, religion, national origin, physical attributes or sexual preference may be transmitted. Harassment of any kind is prohibited. See City Personnel Policy 05.14 – Anti-Harassment for more details.

c. Disparaging, abusive, profane or offensive language; materials that might adversely or negatively reflect on the City or be contrary to its legitimate business interests; and any illegal activities—including piracy, cracking, extortion, blackmail, copyright infringement and unauthorized access to any computers on the City Network—are forbidden.

d. Copyrighted materials belonging to entities other than the City may not be transmitted by employees on the City Network without permission of the copyright holder. Employees must respect all copyrights and may not copy, retrieve, modify or forward copyrighted materials, except with permission or as a single copy for reference only. Saving copyright-protected information to a network drive without permission is prohibited. Sharing the URL (uniform resource locator or “address”) of an Internet site with other interested persons for business reasons is permitted.

e. Employees may not use the City Network in a way that disrupts its use by others. This includes sending or receiving excessive numbers of large files and “spamming” (sending e-mail to thousands of users.)

f. To prevent contamination of the City Network by harmful computer viruses, downloaded files should be checked for possible infection through the Information Technology (IT) service provided. Also, given that many browser add-on packages (called “plug-ins”) may not be compatible with other programs and may cause problems for the systems, downloading plug-ins is prohibited without prior permission from IT.

g. Every employee of the City is responsible for the content of all text, audio or image files that he or she places or sends over the City Network. No e-mail or other electronic communications may be sent that hide the identity of the sender or represent the sender as someone else. The City’s identity is attached to all outgoing e-mail communications, which should reflect corporate values and appropriate workplace language and conduct.

h. E-mail and other electronic communications transmitted by the City’s equipment, systems and networks are not private or confidential, and they are the property of the City.

i. Internal and external e-mail, voice mail, and text messages are considered business records and may be subject to discovery in the event of litigation. Employees must be aware of this possibility when communicating electronically within and outside the City.

3. Downloading Software

a. Employee-users are prohibited from downloading software or other program files or online services from the Internet without prior written approval of the City Manager or his designate. Downloading of games from the Internet is prohibited. Downloading of any executable files or programs that change the configuration of an employee’s system by anyone other than information systems personnel is prohibited.

b. The employee-user should take extreme caution when downloading approved software or files from the Internet. All files or software should be passed through virus protection programs prior to use. Failure to detect viruses could result in corruption or damage to files or unauthorized entry into company systems and networks. Additionally, compliance with copyright and trademark laws when downloading material from the Internet is mandatory.

c. If the employee-user finds that any damage occurred as a result of downloading software or files, the incident should be reported immediately to IT.

4. Employee Personal Use

a. Limited personal use of the Internet is allowed and encouraged by the City. However, the employee-user is reminded that use of any and all City property is primarily for the purpose of City business. Any personal use of the Internet is expected to be on the user’s own time and is not to interfere with the person’s job responsibilities.

b. In addition, any posting to public forums, such as newsgroups or social media, or any transmittal of electronic mail (e-mail) through the Internet for personal use must include a disclaimer that the content and views contained therein are those of the employee-user and not the City. Such use of City-authorized Internet access should not cause any adverse publicity or embarrassment to the City. See City Personnel Policy 05.11 – Social Media and Blogging for more details.

c. The City prohibits the use of personal computers, tablets, etc. on the City Network.

5. Authentication Process

a. Before accessing the City Network, the employee-user must be authenticated through a City-assigned network username and password. The username and password are the responsibility of the individual to whom it is assigned.

6. Confidentiality

a. Employees should not expect that transmissions made through the City Network are confidential. City-issued usernames and passwords do not signify the confidentiality or privacy of City Network activities, and the City reserves the right to review any and all such activity at any time.

b. The only exception is files, databases, etc. within the Department of Public Safety. Refer to Department of Public Safety policy for more information.

7. Access by Others Through City-Issued Passwords

a. Any use of an assigned username and password by other individuals (e.g., family members) to whom the employee has given access to the City Network, is the sole responsibility of that employee.

8. Monitoring and Access

a. All City-supplied technology, including computer systems, equipment and company-related work records, belongs to the City and not to the employee user. Employees understand the City routinely monitors use patterns, and employees should observe appropriate workplace discretion in their use and maintenance of such City property.

b. The City reserves the right to retrieve and review any message or file composed, sent or received. Although a message or file has been deleted or erased, it is still possible to recreate the message. Therefore, ultimate privacy of messages cannot be assured to anyone. Although e-mail and voice mail may use passwords for security, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. It is possible for messages to be retrieved and viewed by someone other than the intended recipient. Furthermore, all employee passwords are known to and accessible by the City even in the absence of an employee.

c. The City reserves the right to examine, monitor and regulate e-mail and other electronic communications, directories, files and all other content, including Internet use, transmitted by or stored in its technology systems, whether onsite or offsite.

d. No employee may knowingly disable any network software or system identified as a monitoring tool.

9. Passwords

a. Passwords are an important aspect of computer security. They are the front line of protection for user accounts.

b. All system-level passwords (e.g., root, enable, NT admin, application administration accounts) must be changed on at least a quarterly basis.

c. All user-level passwords (e.g., e-mail, Web, desktop computer) must be changed at least every six months.

d. Passwords must not be inserted in e-mails or other forms of electronic communication.

e. Employees should not share City issued passwords with anyone, including administrative assistants or secretaries. All passwords are to be treated as sensitive, confidential City information.

f. Employees should not write passwords down or store them anywhere in your office. Do not store passwords in a file on any computer system (including personal digital assistants, smartphones or similar devices) without encryption.

g. If an account or password is suspected to have been compromised, report the incident to IT and change all passwords.

C. FORM(S)

1. None.

D. REFERENCE(S)

1. City Personnel Policy 05.14 – Anti-Harassment.

2. City Personnel Policy 05.11 – Social Media and Blogging.

E. DEFINITION(S)

1. None.

F. POLICY HISTORY

1. This is a new policy.