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Sample E-mail & Internet Policy
CITY
OF ________________
POLICY ON ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
WHEREAS,
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to protect the quality and integrity of
the City’s electronic communications and to provide employees with standards
of behavior when using electronic communications. Each item in the policy is
designed to strengthen the quality and integrity of this resource while
minimizing risks to the City’s employees and the information systems.
II. POLICY
The City of __________________ is committed to the utilization of new
technologies and provides a variety of electronic tools including, but not
limited to: telephones, (including wireless), voice mail, computers, facsimile
machines, pagers, electronic mail (e-mail) systems, internet access and a
browser for employees whose job performance would be enhanced by the technology.
The City of _______________ electronic communications tools are City property
paid for by the taxpayers and are primarily intended for business-related
purposes.
Incidental and occasional personal use is permitted in accordance with
the conditions of the City of __________________ Electronic Communications
Policy. In order to ensure compliance with copyright laws and protect the City
from being victimized by the threat of viruses or hacking into our servers, the
following guidelines are hereby adopted:
III. PERSONAL COMPUTER
USAGE
It is the City of ___________________ intent to limit personal computer
use and Internet access to official business. Employees are authorized to
utilize personal computers and access the Internet for personal use only on an
incidental and occasional basis during working hours and after regular hours, in
strict compliance with the other terms of this policy.
Employees using the City of _______________ personal computers and
Internet link are acting as representatives of the City. As such, employees must
act accordingly so as not to damage the reputation of the City by creating,
viewing, storing, transmitting, sending, or intentionally receiving
communications, files, or documents that are or could be interpreted as being
intimidating, harassing, unlawful, or containing hostile, degrading, sexually
explicit, pornographic, discriminatory, or otherwise offensive references.
1. An employee in
certain rare instances may access otherwise unacceptable materials if
necessary for their job and if done with the prior approval of and with
appropriate guidance from the employees
department head.
2. No computer system is
completely secure. The e-mail system is not intended to transmit sensitive
materials such as personnel decisions, legal opinions and other similar
information which may be more appropriately communicated by written memorandum
or personal conversation.
3. Employees may not
intentionally intercept, eavesdrop, record, read, alter, or receive other
person’s e-mail messages without proper authorization in accordance with this
policy.
4. This policy applies to all
employees, contractors, volunteers, and other individuals who are provided
access to the City of ______________ e-mail system for City business purposes,
and only if they abide by all applicable rules.
5. All messages on the City of
__________________ e-mail systems are City property and are subject to the
requirements and restrictions of all applicable State and Federal Statutes and
regulations concerning the collection, creation, storage, maintenance,
dissemination, and access to data created and/or maintained by the City of
________________.
6. E-mail communications should
be routinely and regularly deleted from their in-box, sent items box and trash
bins.
7. Employees using the City of
________________ personal computers and e-mail link are acting as
representatives of the City and inappropriate e-mail messages can give rise to
claims of discrimination, harassment, defamation, and copyright infringement. As
such, employees must act accordingly so as not to damage the reputation of the
City by creating, viewing, storing, transmitting, sending, or intentionally
receiving communications, files or documents that are or could be interpreted as
being intimidating, harassing, unlawful, or containing hostile, degrading,
sexually explicit, discriminating, pornographic, or otherwise offensive
references.
8. Use of the City of
_________________ e-mail system for ones own business endeavors is prohibited.
Solicitation of funds for non-City sponsored functions, funds and political
messages are prohibited. E-mail is a public record like any other public
document.
9. The City of ________________
may review any message sent from or received into the City’s e-mail system for
any purpose not specifically prohibited by law.
10. The contents of e-mail sent by, between
and/or to individuals covered by this policy may be disclosed within or outside
the City of _______________ without the permission of the individual at any time
deemed necessary by the City of _________________ and for any purpose not
specifically prohibited by law.
Any violations to this policy on acceptable electronic communications systems
use may subject an employee to disciplinary action, up and to and including
discharge from employment.
EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Receipt of Electronic Communications Policy
I
acknowledge that I have received a copy of the Electronic Communications Policy
and Internet Policy for the City of _________________. I understand it is my
responsibility to be familiar with and comply with the requirements of this
policy.
I
understand that by using equipment and technology that belong to the City, I am
consenting to the monitoring of my use of that equipment and technology by the
City.
I
understand that the Internet address of any site that I visit and any images or
documents that I print or download will be recorded and reviewed as determined
necessary by the City.
I
understand that my internal and external e-mail communications are not private
and that any messages that I send or receive are recorded and stored on the
City’s network server and will be reviewed as determined necessary by the
City.
____________________________
Employee’s Name Printed
_______________________
Employee’s Signature
_____________________
Date
All
software downloaded for the City must be approved by the Network Services
Supervisor before installation to assure compatibility with software that is
already installed on the computer. Problems may arise when unauthorized software
is installed which is not compatible with the approved software. This may cause
the computer not to function properly and require the reloading of the approved
software.
All files
which are brought from the outside of the City’s computer system or downloaded
from the Internet must be scanned with virus detection software before
installation or execution. All appropriate precautions should be taken to check
for a virus and, if necessary, to prevent it’s spread. This is to prevent
spread of viruses to City equipment, as well as your home computer.
The truth
or accuracy of information on the Internet and in e-mail should be considered
suspect until confirmed by a separate (reliable) source.
The
Internet does not guarantee the privacy and confidentiality of information.
Sensitive material transferred over the Internet may be at risk of detection by
a third party. Employees must exercise caution and care when transferring such
material in any form.
Unless
otherwise noted, all software on the City’s computer systems and/or Internet
should be considered copyrighted and/or licensed work. Therefore employees are
prohibited from downloading, duplicating, and/or modifying any such software or
files without permission from the copyright and/or licensed holder.
Any
inappropriate or infringing activity by an employee may be the responsibility of
the City. Therefore, the City may choose to hold the employee liable for their
actions.
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