Use policy for computer and network facilities of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)
PREAMBULE
Without prejudice to the application of other internal regulations, guidelines and behaviour codes established by law and/or by the EUR itself, such as the Personal Data Protection Act (2000), the EUR guideline on scientific integrity (1997), the EUR integrity code (2001), the student statutes, the EUR arrangement related to maintaining order within the EUR buildings and on EUR terrain, and with respect to efficient and/or lawful use of the EUR provisions (2000), the following (supplementary) rules apply to the use of the EUR computer and network facilities:
ARTICLE 1. CONCEPT DEFINITIONS
The following are referred to in these conditions of use by:
a. Users: All persons referred to in article 2 section a and article 2 section b.
b. Supervisor: the functionary in charge in the position of director of the EUR organisation section called the SSC ICT, who has the mandated task, by virtue of the administration & management regulations of the EUR, of supervising the use of facilities (according to article 1, section d) and is entitled, within its framework, to draw up rules and give instructions and directions.
c. EURnet: the entirety of technical installations including passive (cabling) and active (communication equipment) components.
d. Facilities: the computer and network provisions within the EUR including the provisions in the form of the EURnet and all computer
equipment linked to it, the connections with other networks (e.g. the Internet), computer provisions not linked to the EUR net in PC rooms and classrooms, public areas, office areas and technical areas, as well as services offered to the users that enable the users to communicate via the EURnet and networks linked to it (the Internet, among others).
e. Access code: the system of a user or log-in name and matching (secret) authorisation code or password.
f. Email address: the code assigned to the user according to the “EUR standards for electronic email addresses” (Domain address system within the EUR on 20/08/91) and the code to be used by the user to indicate his “electronic” mailbox.
g. Mailbox (electronic mailbox): room arranged in storage medium of a computer, exclusively available to the user for receiving electronic mail intended for that user.
h. Messages: the information consisting of texts and/or images and/or sound, which are exchanged via EURnet and the networks linked to it by means of the facilities among users, groups of users and external users.
i. Information: the data (collections) consisting of texts and/or images and/or sound, either structured or not, with respect to matters and persons.
ARTICLE 2. RIGHT OF USE
a. All persons in the employment or studying at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) as well as persons employed by NWO and working at an organisation section of the EUR, persons working for organisations that have a cooperation agreement with the EUR in which the use of facilities has been arranged, trainees, PhD students and other persons who are connected to the EUR in the framework of exchange or research programmes, may be entitled to make use of the facilities made available to them by the EUR.
b. The right of using the facilities made available by the EUR is only granted to persons who do not fit the category specified in section a. (e.g. former employees, other third parties) on the basis of explicit written permission from the SSC ICT director or a person authorised by him.
ARTICLE 3. GENERAL RULES AND CONDITIONS
The use and set-up of the facilities is subject to the following rules and conditions:
a1. The user is only allowed to use the facilities after obtaining permission granted by or on behalf of the EUR.
a2. Explicit permission: this permission is substantiated by a personal access code provided to the user for the use of the facilities.
a3. Implicit permission: this permission ensues from the fact that certain facilities are available to the user on the basis of his specific relation with the EUR.
b. Access codes are strictly personal and non-transferable. Strict confidentiality is mandatory with respect to authorisation codes or passwords.
c. The user is responsible for any use being made of his access code and successive use of facilities used with this access code. The user must take all reasonable measures to protect his access code.
d. Usurping any system or user authorisation codes (passwords) in any way and any form whatsoever is prohibited.
e. A user encountering abuse of his access code must immediately inform the supervisor of this fact.
f. The user must observe the general instructions provided by or on behalf of the EUR for the use of facilities. Instructions and directions given by the supervisor to the user while using facilities must be followed immediately.
g. The user is obligated to compensate the EUR for any direct and indirect damage he/she causes intentionally, due to actions he/she can be blamed for or due to neglect.
h. The user is not permitted to access data of other users and programme files of computer systems, neither change nor destroy them, unless he/she was granted explicit permission to do so.
i. The user is not permitted to copy any software, data files and documentation made available by the EUR or make this available to any third parties unless he/she has been granted explicit written permission to do so.
j. The user shall not attempt to obtain access to computer systems insofar as this involves systems for which no explicit access possibility has been created for the user.
k. The user shall not undertake any actions that undermine the integrity and continuity of the facilities.
l. The use of errors and/or incompletenesses in the facilities with the purpose of undermining the integrity and continuity of the facilities is prohibited.
m. The user shall not attempt to acquire higher privileges on the facilities than those assigned to him/her.
n. Intentionally introducing computer “viruses” on and via the facilities is prohibited.
o. The user is not permitted to disproportionately occupy the facilities made available to him/her, at the supervisor’s discretion.
p. Sending messages to other users or groups of users, either directly or indirectly, containing discriminatory, inciting, offensive or threatening content, is prohibited.
q. Recording any information in violation of the law or proper morals (e.g. pornographic material), information assailing the reputation of the Erasmus University Rotterdam, or information of a discriminatory, racist, offensive, inciting or threatening nature by means of the facilities on the facilities and distributing and/or publishing them via the facilities is prohibited.
r. Using the facilities or exploiting them for purposes other than the ones ensuing from fulfilling one’s function or of studying at the EUR is not permitted.
s. The user shall not use the facilities made available to him/her for commercial purposes.
t. More detailed conditions for the use of the facilities can be arranged in the cooperation agreement or the explicit written permission as referred to in article 2a or 2b, respectively.
u. Supplementary user rules and conditions can be imposed to the use of parts of facilities.
v. The use of the facilities is furthermore subject to the rules, legal stipulations and regulations established by the legislator.
w. Setting up facilities can only be done in consultation with and following approval by the supervisor.
ARTICLE 4. USING A MAILBOX OR ELECTRONIC MAIL (EMAIL) ACCOUNT
a. The use of the mailbox or email account made available to a user under his/her own name is strictly for his/her personal use.
b. The user is not permitted to use any email address not assigned to him/her.
c. Falsifying any email messages in any way whatsoever is prohibited.
d. The user is prohibited from reading, copying, changing or deleting any email messages intended for other users.
e. In cases where the continuity of electronic message provision is in jeopardy, this at the discretion of the supervisor, the supervisor is permitted to read, copy, change or delete any messages intended for users. The supervisor will not expose any information on content, form and meaning of messages of users to publicity in any way whatsoever.
ARTICLE 5. OTHER PRIVACY STIPULATIONS
a. The EUR, in the capacity of supervisor, will not systematically check the email and network traffic of its users for compliance of the rules in these regulations.
b. User and traffic information of a statistic nature (log-in information) and in the form of periodic copies of system-technical and user information is recorded within the framework of the technical system and network management. These data are saved for a period not to exceed one (1) month.
c. The EUR Board of Administration reserves the right to have the supervisor carry out specific checks on the email and network traffic of individual users within the framework of investigations after any suspicion of any action in violation of these regulations has arisen.
d. If forced to do so and ordered by a representative of the legal authority the rank of magistrate or higher, the Board of Administration of the EUR will cooperate in supplying information with regard to the use of facilities by individual users.
ARTICLE 6. SANCTIONS
a. When it detects abuse of the facilities or use in violation of the regulations or legal stipulations, the Board of Administration can impose a sanction, as referred to in the EUR regulations related to maintaining order within university buildings and on university terrain and with respect to efficient and/or lawful use of the university provisions (modified most recently in March 2000).
b. The users of facilities can be excluded from the use of the facilities if they do not comply with the stipulations in these regulations and/or do not follow the instructions or directions as referred to in article 3 section f, or act in violation of legal stipulations.
c. The user can appeal the withdrawal of his/her access code or exclusion of the use of the facilities to the EUR Board of Administrators.
