CITY OF BRIDGEPORT
|
Subject: Internet and E-Mail Usage |
Approval: Signed
in hard copy Dennis C. Murphy CAO |
Approval: Signed
in hard copy Joseph P. Ganim Mayor |
Effective: 2/5/99 Number: Page: 1
of 5 |
POLICY The City of
Bridgeport provides access to the vast information resources of the Internet to
help City employees in the performance of their jobs. The facilities to provide access represent a considerable
commitment of city resources for telecommunications, networking, software,
storage, etc. This policy is designed
to advise the employee of the City’s expectations for the use of those
resources, in the particular conditions of the
Internet and e-mail, and to help the employee use these resources
wisely.
The
employee is expected to use the Internet and e-mail for business-related
purposes, to research relevant topics and obtain useful business information.
Personal use of the Internet or e-mail during normal working hours shall be
limited so as not to interfere with appropriate work efforts. Department
supervisors are encouraged to monitor personal use of the Internet and e-mail,
and discourage excessive use. The City
expects that employees using the Internet, will conduct themselves honestly and
appropriately, and respect the copyrights, software licensing rules, property
rights, privacy and prerogatives of others.
All existing City policies apply to the employee’s conduct on the
Internet and the use of e-mail, including but not limited to, those that deal
with intellectual property protection, privacy, misuse of City resources,
sexual harassment, information and data security, and confidentiality.
The
chats, news groups and email of the Internet gives each user an immense and
unprecedented reach to propagate the City’s message. Employees must take special care to maintain the clarity, consistency
and integrity of the City’s posture. Therefore, each employee is expected to
forgo a measure of his individual freedom when participating in chats or news
groups on City business, as outlined below.
While
the City’s connection to the Internet offers a plenitude of potential benefits,
it can also expose the City to significant risks if employees do not follow
appropriate security protocol. As
detailed below, this may require preventing machines with sensitive data or
applications from connecting to the Internet entirely, or it may mean that
certain users must be prevented from using certain Internet features, i.e. file
transfers. The overriding principle is
that security is to be the employee’s first concern. An Internet user can be held accountable for any breaches of
security or confidentiality.
1.
Files,
e-mail, documents and other electronically stored material on the City’s
network and computers are not private.
The City has software and systems in place that can monitor and record
all Internet and e-mail usage. The
employee must be aware that the City’s security systems are capable of
recording (for each and every user) each World Wide Web site visit, each chat,
news group, or email message, and each file transfer into and out of our
internal networks, and the City reserves the right to do so at any time. No employee should have any expectation of
privacy in his or her Internet or e-mail usage. The ITS OR AIS (BOE) department will review Internet and e-mail activity
and analyze usage patterns, and City management may choose to publicize this
data to assure that the City Internet and e-mail resources are devoted to
maintaining the highest level of productivity.
2.
The
City reserves the right to inspect any and all equipment, file(s), and e-mail
stored in private areas of our network, in order to assure compliance with City
policy or in the normal course of business.
Reasons for inspection or review include, but are not limited to;
system, hardware or software problem, suspicion of crime or the need to perform
work or provide service when an employee is not available.
3.
The
City’s network uses independently supplied software and data to identify
inappropriate, obscene or sexually explicit Internet sites. The City may block access from within our
networks to all such sites that we know of.
If you find yourself connected incidentally to a site that contains
sexually explicit or obscene material, you must disconnect from that site
immediately, regardless of whether that site has been deemed acceptable by any
screening or rating program. An
employee, who is denied access to any such site, should contact the Director of
ITS OR AIS (BOE), if the information and data contained therein are required
for work related reasons.
4.
Any
files or software downloaded via the Internet into the City network becomes the
property of the City. Any such files or
software may be used only in ways that are consistent with their licenses or
copyrights.
5.
The
City retains the copyright to any material posted to any forum, news group, and
chat or World Wide Web page by any employee in the course of his or her duties.
6.
The
City will comply with reasonable requests from law enforcement regulatory
agencies for logs, diaries
and archives on individual’s Internet and e-mail activities.
The City’s Internet facilities and computing
resources shall not be used in an unacceptable manner. It is the employee’s responsibilities to
familiarize himself/herself with this policy, so as to ensure compliance.
1.
The
City’s Internet facilities and computing resources, including all e-mail, must
not be knowingly used to violate the laws and regulations of the United States
or any other nation, or the laws and regulations of any state, city province or
other local jurisdiction in any material way.
Use of City resources for illegal activity is grounds for immediate
dismissal, and we will cooperate with any legitimate law enforcement activity.
2.
The
display of any kind of obscene or sexually explicit image or document, as
defined above, on a City system is a violation of our policy on sexual
harassment. In addition, obscene or
sexually explicit material may not be archived, stored, distributed, edited or
recorded using our network or computing resources.
3.
No
employee may use City facilities knowingly to download or distribute pirated
software or data.
4.
No
employee shall use City facilities to knowingly create, send, forward,
download, print or store messages or graphic images which are harassing,
threatening, intimidating, libelous, slanderous, or discriminatory or
defamatory in nature.
5.
No
employee may use the City’s Internet facilities to deliberately propagate any
virus, worm, Trojan horse, or trap-door program code.
6.
No
employee may use the City’s Internet facilities to disable or overload any
computer system or network, or to circumvent any system intended to protect the
privacy or security of another user.
7.
Each
employee using the Internet facilities shall identify himself or herself
honestly, accurately and completely (including one’s city affiliation and
function where requested). An employee
who releases their personal information, including personal identifying
information, does so at their own risk.
8.
Employees
are reminded that chats and news groups are public forums where it is
inappropriate to reveal confidential City information, customer data, trade
secrets, and any other material covered by existing City secrecy policies and
procedures. Employees releasing
protected information via a news group or chat, whether or not, the release is
inadvertent will be subject to all penalties under existing security policies
and procedures.
9.
Use
of City Internet access facilities to commit infractions such as misuse of City
assets or resources, sexual harassment, discrimination, unauthorized public
speaking, or misappropriation or theft of intellectual property are also
prohibited by general City policy, and will be sanctioned under the relevant
provisions of that policy and any applicable state and federal laws.
10.
Since
a wide variety of materials may be deemed offensive by colleagues, customers or
suppliers, it is a violation of City policy to store, view, print, or
redistribute any document or graphic file that is not directly related to the
user’s job or the City’s business activities.
11.
Employees
with Internet access may not use City Internet facilities to download
entertainment software or games, or to play games against opponents over the
Internet. Employees should also avoid
using their personal software to play games, create inappropriate screen
savers, etc.
12.
Employees
with Internet access may not upload any software licensed to the City or
licensed by the City without explicit authorization from the ITS Department or
AIS Department relating to the BOE.
13.
Employees
may not intentionally intercept, record, alter or receive another employee’s
e-mail. In addition, employees shall
not send e-mail messages using another employee’s I.D. or access the Internet
at another employee’s computer.
14.
No
employee shall use the City of Bridgeport Personal Computer network or Internet
e-mail facilities for advertisement of personal business, to distribute or
advertise materials not related to City business or use the facilities for
frivolous messages.
1.
User
Ids and passwords help maintain individual accountability for Internet resource
usage. Any employee who obtains a
password or Id for an Internet resource must keep that password confidential. City policy prohibits the sharing of user
Ids or passwords obtained for access to Internet sites.
2.
Any
file that is downloaded must be scanned for viruses before it is run or
accessed.
1.
The
ITS OR AIS (BOE) Department has installed a variety of firewalls, proxies,
Internet address screening programs and other security systems to assure the
safety and security of the City’s networks. Any employee who attempts to
disable, defeat or circumvent any City network security facility will be
subject to discipline, up to and including, immediate dismissal.
2.
Files
containing sensitive company data as defined by existing federal, state and
city data security policies that are transferred in any way across the Internet
must be encrypted.
3.
City
computers that use their own modems to create independent data connections
sidestep our security mechanisms. An
individual City computer’s private connection to any outside computer that is
authorized for use for independent dial-up or leased-line connections to any
outside computer or network must be physically isolated from the City’s
internal network.
4.
Only
those Internet services and functions with documented business purposes for the
City will be enabled to the Internet firewall.
5.
Because
unscrupulous or malevolent Web sites operators can take control of an
unsuspecting visitor’s computer using apparently routine JAVA or file transfer
operations, such transactions can introduce material risks to network security
for which there is no bullet-proof technical solution short of complete
abstinence. City network security
policy requires that all FTP transactions and JAVA downloads be blocked at the
[outermost] firewall.
Violations of this policy will be reviewed on a case
by case basis, and can result in disciplinary action, up to and including,
suspension and termination.[1] Any known or suspected violation of this
policy shall be reported to the employee’s immediate supervisor and/or
department head.
DEFINITIONS: Certain terms in this policy should be understood
expansively to include related concepts.
City
of Bridgeport – includes all City
departments, related agencies and all staff (full or part time) working for
them.
Display
– includes monitors, flat-panel
active or passive matrix displays, monochrome LCDs, projectors, televisions and
virtual-related tools.
Document
– covers any kind of file that can be
read on a computer screen as if it were a printed page, including the HTML
files read in an Internet browser, any file meant to be accessed by a word
processing or desk-top publishing program or its viewer, or the files prepared
for the Adobe Acrobat reader and other electronic publishing tools.
E-Mail – refers to any and all electronic mail sent or
received utilizing the City of Bridgeport Personal Computer network or it’s
Internet connection.
Graphics
– includes photographs, pictures,
animations, movies or drawings.
Internet – refers to any world wide computer network
connecting thousands of computers and millions of individual world wide
subscribers.
Obscene
materials – material is obscene if
taken as a whole, it is offensive, depicts or describes in a patently offensive
way any sexual act, and if taken as a whole, it lacks serious literary,
artistic, educational, political or scientific value.
Sexually explicit – material that graphically depicts or describes
sexual conduct, including but not limited to, sexual intercourse, and which
lacks educational or scientific value
[1] Any disciplinary action taken pursuant to this policy shall be in accordance with any applicable collective bargaining agreements.