(1) No one shall use any University computer or network facility without proper authorization. No one shall assist in, encourage, or conceal from authorities any unauthorized use, or attempt at unauthorized use, of any of the University's computers or network facilities.
Comment: Computers and networks are just like any other University facilities - they are to be used only by people who have permission.
Using a computer without permission is theft of services and is illegal under state and federal laws. In addition, the following specific computer crimes are defined by state law (Ga. Code 16-9-90 et seq.):
Computer theft (including theft of computer services, intellectual property such as copyrighted material, and any other property);
Computer trespass (unauthorized use of computers to delete or alter data or interfere with others' usage);
Computer invasion of privacy (unauthorized access to financial or personal data or the like);
Computer forgery (forgery as defined by other laws, but committed on a computer rather than on paper);
Computer password disclosure (unauthorized disclosure of a password resulting in damages exceeding $500 - in practice, this includes any disclosure that requires a system security audit afterward).
Misleading transmittal of names or trademarks (falsely identifying yourself or falsely claiming to speak for a person or organization by using their name, trademark, logo, or seal, Ga. Code 16-9-93.1).
Maximum penalties for the first four crimes in the list are a $50,000 fine and 15 years of imprisonment, plus civil liability. The maximum penalties for computer password disclosure are a $5,000 fine and 1 year of imprisonment, plus civil liability.
(2) No one shall knowingly endanger the security of any University computer or network facility, nor willfully interfere with others' authorized computer usage.
Comment: Many of the other regulations given here deal with specific acts of this kind. You should not assume that other malicious acts or deliberate security violations are permissible merely because there is no specific rule against them.
(3) No one shall use the University's communication facilities to attempt unauthorized use, nor to interfere with others' legitimate use, of any computer or network facility anywhere.
Comments: State and federal laws forbid malicious disruption of computers. The University of Georgia does not tolerate individuals who invade others' privacy, steal computer services, or commit misrepresentation or fraud; nor pranksters who attempt to disrupt computers or network facilities for any other purpose.
Also, you should be aware that ability to use a remote computer does not constitute permission. Some computer services are open to the public, and clearly identify themselves as such; examples are anonymous FTP sites and Gopher servers. But the mere lack of security measures does not mean that a computer is open to anyone who wishes to use it. The same goes for unauthorized use of communication paths, such as remote dialout modems and the like.
Unless you are the system administrator of the target machine, you are not permitted to run software that searches for means of obtaining unauthorized access, such as port scans, automatic login attempts, password crackers, and the like, whether or not you actually make unauthorized access after finding a way to do so.
Nor are you permitted to run software that burdens the network with unnecessary traffic, such as unnecessary repetitive pings and traceroutes,or any software intended to degrade the performance of the network or the target computer.
System administrators running either of these types of software for legitimate reasons shall, whenever possible, give advance notice to the administrators of all computers and networks affected and to EITS network management.
The use of ping, traceroute, and similar utilities to test individual connections for legitimate purposes is permitted and does not require advance notice to anyone.
(4) No one shall connect any computer to any of the University's networks unless it meets technical and security standards set by the University administration.
Comments: The applicable requirements depend on what kind of connection is being made. For example, dialing up with an ordinary asynchronous modem does not require any special authorization, but connecting to the campus-wide Ethernet cable does, because one improperly configured machine on a network can cause widespread disruption.
(5) All users shall share computing resources in accordance with policies set for the computers involved, giving priority to more important work and cooperating fully with the other users of the same equipment.
Comments: If you need an unusual amount of disk space, CPU time, or other resources, check with the administrators in charge of the computer rather than risk disrupting others' work. When resources are tight, work that is necessary to the University's mission (instruction, research, and service) must take priority over computing that is done to pursue personal interests or self-training on side topics. Also, no matter how important your work may be, you are only entitled to one person's fair share of the machine unless additional resources are available and appropriate permission has been granted.
Priorities for any particular machine are set by the administrators in charge of it in consultation with the user community.
Obtaining extra computer resources through any form of deception (e.g., secretly opening multiple accounts, misrepresenting the nature of your work, or the like) is strictly prohibited.
(6) No one without specific authorization shall use any University computer or network facility for non-University business.
Comments: By law, the University can only provide computer services for its own work, not for private use. In this respect the University's computers are different from those owned by private colleges or corporations. If you need unlimited access to computer networks for private purposes, you can subscribe to a private service such as America Online or CompuServe.
The University's mission can be understood broadly as including education, self-training, and discussion on a wide range of subjects, not just those immediately necessary for a person's job or courses. In this context, University employees are accountable nonetheless for how they use time and equipment at work. Just like a telephone, an Internet connection at an employee's desk does not automatically confer permission to use it for personal purposes or entertainment.
The University grants the use of its facilities to numerous organizations whose activities contribute to its mission, such as student organizations, professional societies, and the Campaign for Charities. But it is improper to use the University's computers for political campaigns, fund-raising, commercial enterprises, mass mailings, or other outside activities that have not been granted the use of the University's facilities.
Various policies permit members of the University community to earn outside income by writing books and articles related to their academic work, and to use University resources for this purpose, including computers. Most faculty are also permitted to use University facilities for outside consulting jobs provided the University is reimbursed for costs incurred. Check with your supervisor to find out how these policies apply to you.
All computer users should be aware that network capacity is finite and network usage costs money. Transmitting pictures through the network costs more than transmitting text. Real-time audio and moving pictures are even more expensive because they require a fresh file to be transmitted every few seconds, or even more often.
The Internet is designed for communication from one computer to another. Unlike radio or TV, it does not presently provide a way for multiple computers to pickup the same signal at the same time. If a thousand people are listening to"Internet Radio," a thousand separate copies of each sound file may have to be transmitted to the University. This can overload networks. The inclusion of audio and video in official educational activities such as Web- based instruction may be appropriate. If you need to use Internet audio, video, gaming, or other high-bandwidth services, consult your system administrator for advice about whether your local network can handle the requirements.
(7) No one shall give any password for any University computer or network facility to any unauthorized person, nor obtain any other person's password by any unauthorized means whatsoever. No one except the system administrator in charge of a computer is authorized to issue passwords for that computer.
Comments: Giving your password to an unauthorized person can be a crime under Georgia law. The criterion is not whether you trust them, but whether the University has authorized them.
Passwords protect the University's network, not just the individual machines to which they apply. The University insists that each account be used only by the person to whom it belongs, so that if problems are detected or abuse is alleged, the responsible person can be identified. If a department cannot keep passwords secure, it cannot connect its machines to the campus-wide network.
In general, you should never share your password with anyone else. Likewise, you must never use or disclose a password that was given to you improperly.
A password is like the key to a building - you are responsible for what happens to it while it's in your care. If you give it away, you are endangering the entire machine, not just your own files. In fact, there are computer criminals who would like to have your password so they can make it look as though you, not they, are committing their crimes.
Do not store the password for one computer in another computer unless your system administrator has assured you that no security hazard will result. It is easy for a stranger to walk up to your personal computer and retrieve passwords that are stored in it.
You are responsible for choosing a secure password. Don't use names, nicknames, phone numbers, or recognizable words in any language, because some people guess passwords by automatically trying every word in a large dictionary.
A good way to make up a secure password is to use the initials of a phrase, and include some numbers as well as letters. For example, 57ityMwb is a good password, and it's easy to remember because it stands for "57 is the year Michael was born."
Your password is secret. System administrators will not normally ask you for it. The computer will never ask you to type it unless you are logging in or changing your password. Beware of computer programs that ask you to "log in again" or type your password at any other time; they are likely to be tricks. (There are rare exceptions on some computers; check with your system manager. If anything that you don't understand ever happens after you type your password, then change your password immediately.)
In some situations the University authorizes more than one person to share a single account, but this is seldom the best way to conduct collaborative work. Instead, use file sharing, groups, and related features of the system you are using. Email can be redirected automatically to a secretary, who can then forward it to you using a separate mailbox.
(8) No one shall misrepresent his or her identity or relationship to the University when obtaining or using University computer or network privileges.
Comments: Naturally, you must not claim to be someone else, nor claim to have a different relationship to the University than you actually do, when obtaining a computer account or access to a lab.
You must not falsify your name, address, email address, or affiliation when sending email or other messages from a University computer. Doing so can be illegal (Ga. Code 16-9-93.1 and other laws against misrepresentation) as well as being an unacceptable use of the University's facilities.
On some systems, there are ways to post messages without revealing your name and address. Anonymous communication is permissible when there is a legitimate need for additional privacy. It is not a cover for fraudulent or obnoxious behavior, and in cases of abuse, anonymous messages may be traced to their source. Deceptive communication, in which you claim to be some other specific person, is never permitted.
You can create confusion, and possibly violate trademark law, by using someone else's trademark as your name on the Net. No matter how loyal a Kodak customer you may be, don't call yourself "Kodak." That's their name, not yours.
(9) No one without specific authorization shall read, alter, or delete any other person's computer files or electronic mail. This rule applies regardless of whether the operating system of the computer permits these acts.
Comments: Don't even try to guess or steal other people's passwords, or read their files, even if the computer permits this. Doing so would be like rummaging through someone else's desk. Even if you can pick the lock, and even if there is no lock at all, you have no right to intrude.
(10) No one shall copy, install, or use any software or data files in violation of applicable copyrights or license agreements.
Comments: This rule forbids making unauthorized copies, for use elsewhere, of software residing on the University's computers. It also forbids installing or using pirated software on University computers.
The price of a piece of software isn't just the cost of the disk - - - - - - - - it's also one user's share of the cost of developing and supporting it. It's wrong to use software without paying your fair share.
Not only that, but the University benefits from the generosity and good will of many software vendors; any sign of software piracy would bring this generosity to a halt and result in higher prices for everybody.
As if that weren't enough, unauthorized copying is usually a violation of federal copyright law.
Some educational software licenses forbid the use of the software for commercial purposes. Some software is "site licensed" and can be used on any University computer. (The terms of various site licenses differ.) Some software is genuinely free; the author allows everyone to use it free of charge. Before copying software, be sure what you are doing is legal, and consult people who have full information; don't just give yourself the benefit of the doubt.
License checks: If strangers show up at your computer site saying they are there to check software licenses, you should immediately contact Legal Affairs and your administrative superiors. After hours, contact Campus Police. Software licenses do not normally authorize these surprise inspections, and there is a substantial risk that the "inspectors" are not legitimate.
(11) No one shall create, install, or knowingly distribute a computer virus, "Trojan horse," or other surreptitiously destructive program on any University computer or network facility, regardless of whether any demonstrable harm results.
Comments: A virus is a hidden computer program that secretly copies itself onto users' disks, often damaging data. A Trojan horse is a program with a hidden, destructive function, or a program designed to trick users into revealing confidential information such as passwords. Even when the harm done by programs of these types is not readily evident, they confuse beginning computer users, degrade CPU performance, and waste the time of system managers who must remove them.
(12) No one without proper authorization shall modify or reconfigure the software or hardware of any University computer or network facility.
Comments: Do not modify the hardware, operating system, or application software of a University computer unless you have been given permission to do so by the department or other administrative unit that is in charge of the machine. The other users with whom you share the machine, and the technicians on whom you rely for support, are expecting to find it set up exactly the way they left it.
(13) Users shall not place confidential information in computers without protecting it appropriately. The University cannot guarantee the privacy of computer files, electronic mail, or other information stored or transmitted by computer unless special arrangements are made.
Comments: Ordinary electronic mail is not private. Do not use it to transmit computer passwords, credit card numbers, or information that would be damaging if made public. Bear in mind that students' educational records are required by law, and by U.Ga. policy, to be kept confidential. It is also necessary to protect confidential information about employees, such as performance evaluations. This applies not only to networked computers, but also to computers, tapes, or disks that could be stolen; an increasing number of computer thieves are after data rather than equipment.
The University will normally respect your privacy but cannot guarantee it absolutely. There are many ways a normally private file can end up being read by others. If a disk is damaged, a system administrator may have to read all the damaged files and try to reconstruct them. If email is mis-addressed, it may go to one or more "postmasters" who will read it and try to correct the address. For your own protection, system administrators will often look at unusual activity to make sure your account hasn't fallen victim to a "cracker."
University employees should be informed in advance if their computer usage or work performance is to be monitored electronically beyond the needs of ordinary system administration or investigation of malfunctions or security breaches. However, all computer users should be aware that system administrators normally collect some information about computer usage in order to administer machines and networks effectively, especially when unusual demand for resources is noticed.
Using the network is like driving on a public road; inherently, it is not a private activity. If you require complete confidentiality for your network activities, check with your system administrator to find out whether suitable arrangements can be made.
The Georgia Open Records Act applies to information stored in computers. This act gives citizens the right to obtain copies of public records, including any record prepared, received, or maintained by the University in the course of its operations. Some kinds of records are exempt; among these are student records (including tests and homework), medical records, confidential hiring evaluations, trade secrets (which probably includes unpublished research), and material whose disclosure would violate copyright. Moreover, the Open Records Act is not a license to snoop; requests for information must be made through proper administrative channels.
(14) Users shall take full responsibility for messages that they transmit through the University's computers and network facilities. No one shall use the University's computers to transmit fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, obscene, or threatening messages, or any communications prohibited by law.
Comments: You have exactly the same responsibilities on the computer network as when using other forms of communication. You must obey laws against fraud, defamation, harassment, obscenity, solicitation of illegal acts, threatening or inciting violence, and the like. Bear in mind that uninvited amorous or sexual messages are likely to be construed as harassment. If you are bothered by uninvited email, ask the sender to stop, and then, if necessary, consult a system administrator.
Use of the computers to circulate chain letters and pyramid schemes is not permitted. If someone says, "Forward a copy of this to everyone you know on the Internet," don't. Such messages often contain misunderstood or outdated information, or even outright hoaxes. Even when the information is legitimate, chain forwarding is a needlessly expensive way to distribute it.
Never participate in schemes to deliberately flood a computer with excessive amounts of email. "Mail bombing" can incapacitate a whole computer or even a whole subnetwork, not just the intended victim.
It is considered good practice to use your real name, rather than a nickname or pseudonym, in the headers of all outgoing communications. Use of nicknames is often interpreted as a sign of immaturity or an indication that you are not taking full responsibility for what you are sending out.
Fake electronic mail: All users should be aware that there is no guarantee that electronic mail actually came from the person or site indicated in it. Deceptive electronic mail is easy to fake, including the technical information in the header. Doing so is of course prohibited and is in many cases against the law.
Hoaxes, scams, and false warnings: Hoaxes, pranks, and con games are common on the Internet. Be on the lookout for misguided "warnings" (about computer viruses, impending legislation, etc.) and false appeals for charity (usually involving dying children). If you get a message that spurs you to take immediate action, it is very likely to be a hoax, even if the person who passed it along to you was perfectly sincere. Also, genuine appeals that are several years old are still circulating as if they were current. Rather than spreading the appeal or "warning," post a question in uga.computer-security so that knowledgeable people can reply.
University letterhead: Use prudent caution when sending out any message that appears to be an official communication from the University. If the header identifies your message as coming from an administrative office or from the office of someone other than yourself (e.g., "Dean's Office"), recipients will presume that you are speaking for that office or person.
(15) Those who publish World Wide Web pages or similar information resources on University computers shall take full responsibility for what they publish; shall respect the acceptable-use conditions for the computer on which the material resides; shall obey all applicable laws; and shall not publish commercial advertisements without prior authorization. References and links to commercial sites are permitted, but advertisements, and especially paid advertisements, are not. Users shall not accept payments, discounts, free merchandise or services, or any other remuneration in return for placing anything on their web pages or similar facilities.
Comments: Web pages on the University's network are subject to the same rules as other uses of the same facilities. Different University computers are set up for different purposes; some do not permit individual Web pages at all. On other University computers, individuals are allowed to set up Web pages to pursue personal interests, but even then, the available disk space and communication bandwidth are limited. System administrators can advise about what is permitted at any particular site.
When you publish something on the World Wide Web, you are putting it before a potential audience of millions. You have the same responsibilities as if you were publishing a newspaper. If the content is libelous or deceptive, people can sue you and you can be held personally liable.
Since there are laws against distributing obscene material (not just creating it), a link to an obscene web site can be a violation of the law. This is true regardless of the status of the Communications Decency Act or other new laws that specifically mention computers.
There is no University rule that prohibits you from viewing any web page anywhere. However, the University's sexual harassment policy prohibits you from displaying sexually explicit material which interferes with anyone's work or academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment. That is why many campus computer labs do not permit the display of erotic images on screens visible to others.
If you want to reproduce copyrighted pictures, cartoons, or comic strips on your web page, you must have the copyright owner's permission. It is not sufficient to reproduce the owner's copyright notice; you must actually obtain permission for yourself, just as if you were publishing the same material in a newspaper. Brief textual quotations do not always require permission as long as the source is acknowledged and you are not reproducing a complete work (poem, essay, etc.).
You are welcome to include links to businesses and commercial sites for their information value, as long as your links do not constitute advertisements. If you are personally connected with an outside business, you may mention the connection briefly on your University web page so that people who are looking for you can find you. (For example, authors of books can include links to their publishers; consultants can include links to their consulting firms; and University units can advertise publications, software, and similar materials produced in connection with their work.) However, you must not solicit outside business or publish commercial advertisements or advertising graphics on a University computer.
You must not accept payments, discounts, or anything of value in return for placing anything on your web page. The University's disk space and communication capacity are not yours to sell. This applies to all computers directly connected to the University's network cables, even if they are privately owned.
A few University sites, such as Georgia Magazine, may be authorized to publish paid advertising for outside clients as part of their official function. Because it imposes costs on the whole University network, this activity must be cleared with University-level authorities, not just system administrators or department heads.
(16) Users shall comply with the regulations and policies of newsgroups, mailing lists, and other public forums through which they disseminate messages.
Comments: When participating in Usenet newsgroups and similar forums, you must respect their policies and practices, for two reasons:
To join these networks, the University has to agree to abide by their policies. Misuse would endanger the University's eligibility to participate.
Most of the cost of transmitting any message in a discussion is borne by the sites that receive it, not the site that sends it out. Thus, you are the guest of the whole network community, and it is important to abide by the policies and practices of the entire network.
The most ironclad rule is to respect the announced subject of each forum and not to post anything off-topic.
Other things that are generally unwelcome include:
Advertisements (except that many forums permit announcements that are directly relevant to their subject areas);
Multiple postings of the same material (a general-interest message should go in one general-interest forum, not several specialized ones);
Survey questionnaires and other mass solicitations;
Questions that are easily answered by looking in dictionaries, encyclopedias, or readily available software manuals;
Requests for help with homework;
Uninformative criticisms of other people's postings (unwelcome material posted by others should be ignored, not discussed);
Postings that are misspelled, obscurely worded, or TYPED IN ALL CAPITALS LIKE THIS;
Postings that say "Test message, please ignore" (try out your software when you actually have something to say, or use a test newsgroup).
Before posting anything, make sure that you know how to cancel it in case you subsequently discover that it is redundant or misinformed. Also, before posting in any Usenet newsgroup, read the appropriate guidelines for new Usenet users, and read some of the messages that are already there so you can be sure you have not misjudged the newsgroup's subject or purpose.
Always assume that everyone in the entire world can read what you are posting, that permanent copies will be kept at several sites, and that you will be expected to take full responsibility for everything you say. Do not post anything that you would not want to see quoted in a major newspaper.
Remember that newsgroups are not confined to the United States and are certainly not confined to students. You will sometimes see postings from other countries in their native languages, and you will often see postings from senior professionals in their fields.
(17) System administrators shall perform their duties fairly, in cooperation with the user community, the appropriate higher-level administrators, University policies, and funding sources. System administrators shall respect the privacy of users as far as possible and shall refer all disciplinary matters to appropriate authorities.
Comments: The first responsibility of any computer or network administrator is to serve the user community. But regardless of what the users want, system administrators are not free to violate copyrights, software licenses, other legal restrictions, or obligations undertaken by the University in order to obtain funding.
Although computer users' privacy is never perfect, system administrators are expected to respect this privacy as far as possible and refrain from unnecessary snooping. Administrators who must read users' files for administrative reasons must be prepared to justify their actions to higher administrators and to the user community.
System administrators should not normally interfere with users' electronic communication, especially in any way that could be interpreted as favoring one side of a controversy or suppressing an unpopular opinion or topic. As far as possible, decisions affecting access to online information services should be made in full consultation with the user community, taking into account the cost of the computer resources involved.
The system administrator is not the judge, jury, and executioner in cases of computer misuse. Rather than penalizing users directly for their misdeeds, the system administrator is expected to refer all cases to appropriate authorities who can protect the rights of the accused. If you are accused of any violation that justifies disciplinary action, you have a right to a fair hearing just as if your alleged misdeeds had not involved computers.
It is important to distinguish actions taken to punish a person from actions taken to protect a system. If your account appears to have been misused or broken into, your system administrator will inactivate it and contact you or wait to hear from you. This is done to stop the misuse and does not presume that you are the guilty person; you can expect to have your privileges reinstated right away, with new passwords, as soon as you identify yourself and indicate willingness to follow the rules. Thus, you can resume using the computer while investigation of the incident continues.
(18) Electronic mail (e-mail) is intended for communication between individuals and clearly identified groups of interested individuals, not for mass broadcasting. No one without prior authorization shall use the University's facilities to distribute the same or substantially the same e-mail message to more than one person without prior evidence that they wish to receive it, nor to distribute chain letters (messages asking the recipient to distribute copies further).
The University reserves the right to discard incoming mass mailings ("spam") without notifying the sender or intended recipient.
For its own protection, the University reserves the right to block all Internet communications from sites that are involved in extensive spamming or other disruptive practices, even though this may leave University Computer users unable to communicate with those sites.
Comments: Unlike postal mail, electronic mail costs money to receive. Unwanted mail wastes not only the University's money, but also the recipient's time. E-mail is not a proper medium for mass announcements, surveys, or other messages that people have not indicated a desire to receive. Instead, use web pages and newsgroups to reach large audiences at much lower cost.
The intent of this rule is to forbid unsolicited mass mailings, not bona fide group discussions. If you have no indications to the contrary, you can assume that people are willing to receive messages if you know of their prior interest in the subject matter or if the message is part of a conversation in which they have been participating.
It is legitimate for University organizations to send announcements to all their members by e-mail. Likewise, it is legitimate for the University to send bulk e-mail for official purposes, including disseminating administrative notices, notifying students of educational opportunities, or otherwise carrying on the work of the University. This does not include mere advertising or solicitation. The distinction is sometimes subtle. For instance, it is appropriate for a department to use e-mail to notify all its faculty and students of a new course; it is not appropriate for a department to mass-mail the entire campus to try to get people to attend a concert. As a rule of thumb, the larger the intended audience, the more important the notice needs to be.
Those who set up and use mailing lists (LISTSERVs and the like) should be careful that individuals' casual replies to messages are not automatically copied to the entire list. It is very tiresome when 500 people get copies of messages that say "Me too" or "Count me in."
"Spam" (unsolicited commercial advertising distributed by e-mail) is presently a widespread nuisance on the Internet. Legislative restrictions on spam have not been entirely effective because the point of origin is easily disguised.
The University reserves the right to refuse to deliver incoming spam. Although the delivery of e-mail is never a 100\% reliable process, the University normally endeavors, in good faith, to deliver messages to individuals reliably. Spam is a different matter; courts have ruled that Internet sites need not deliver it, since it imposes an unwanted expense on them. The extent to which spam is discarded will depend on the particular system used, the communication path, and in some cases the preferences of the recipient.
Unsolicited e-mail is often dishonest. Many chain letters involve hoaxes or scams, and the Federal Trade Commission reported in 1998 that many e-mail advertisements make fraudulent claims. It is very common for spammers to falsify their e-mail address and location.
Some Internet sites have a reputation for harboring spammers or account crackers. Sometimes the University's only defense is to cut off all communications with these sites, even though this may make some innocent communications impossible. The need for communication with specific sites has to be balanced against the safety and reliability of the entire campus network. As explained elsewhere in these rules, measures of this type must not be used merely to silence an unpopular opinion or interfere with the free exchange of information.
Relevant laws:
New state and federal laws concerning computer abuse continue to be passed, and important court decisions occur frequently. For up-to-date guidance about specific questions, consult the Computer Security and Ethics Incident Handling Team. Remember that legal advice circulated on the Internet is unreliable.
Computer crimes defined by Georgia law were mentioned in the comments on rule 1. In addition, there is a specific law against electronic distribution of obscene material to minors (Ga. Code 16-12-100.1).
Federal law (18 USC 1030) provides for fines and imprisonment up to 20 years for unauthorized or fraudulent use of computers that are used by or for the federal government (which includes many of the computers on the net), and for unauthorized disclosure of passwords and similar information when this affects interstate commerce. (Recall that net messages, as well as long-distance phone calls, are interstate commerce and thus fall under this law.)
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 USC 2701-2709) and other wiretap laws prohibit unauthorized interception of electronic communications, including electronic mail.
Pyramid schemes and chain letters that ask for money or anything else of value are illegal under various state and federal laws and postal regulations. The people running these schemes generally claim to have found loopholes in the law, but their claims should not be believed. Even if a pyramid scheme were legal in itself, it would be illegal to use a University computer to participate in it for personal gain.
Computer users must also obey laws against private use of state property, divulging confidential educational records, copyright infringement, fraud, slander, libel, harassment, and obscenity. Laws against obscene or harassing telephone calls apply to computers that are accessed by telephone. The Georgia Open Records Act applies to records stored in computers as well as on paper.
The University must obey the policies of the University System (Board of Regents) and the regulations of the nationwide and worldwide networks to which its computers are connected.
Tim - Narzy, Happy Birthday
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