Acceptable Use

• You are the only person who can use a computer resource (such as a ce-lrc account) that the University has provided for your exclusive use.
• Never give your password to anyone else, even people you trust, such as your friends or relatives or someone who has offered to help you fix a problem. If you suspect someone may have discovered or guessed your password, change it immediately.
• You are responsible for all charges accrued using the computing account or computing resources assigned to you, even if a friend using your account without your permission runs up the charges.
• You will also be held responsible for destructive or illegal activity done by someone to whom you gave access--even if the computing resource doesn't require a password, such as access to your dormitory Ethernet port.
• Do not give others an account on your multiuser computer (i.e., a computer that allows one or more people to log on at the same time) that is connected to the campus network. This activity gives those other people access to UT Austin computer resources, which is against information technology policy.
• Never use any University-provided computing resource to do something illegal, threatening, or  deliberately destructive--not even as a joke. All complaints will be investigated. The Office of the Dean of Students investigates complaints about students; the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost investigates complaints about UT faculty and staff. Violations can result in disciplinary action, criminal charges, or both. The police and the FBI investigate violations of state or federal law.
  • Ignorance is no excuse. Read the Computer Crimes Law.
  • Never deliberately install any malicious code on any UT network or a network belonging to others.
  • You cannot be exempt from the law because you are "just a student" or you were "just playing around."
  • If you are a student with a part-time job at the University, you may be disciplined as an employee and as a student, resulting in both professional and educational consequences.
• Be civil. Do not send rude or harassing e-mail.
  • If someone asks you to stop sending mail, then stop sending it. If you fail to do so, the person can file a complaint and you can be disciplined.
  • If you ever feel that you are being harassed, University staff members will assist you in filing a complaint. Please report the problem to Student Judicial Services at 471-2841, or contact the Information Security Office at abuse@utexas.edu. If you are concerned for your safety or feel that you are in danger, call the UT police at 471-4441 or call the Austin police if you are off-campus.
• Use resources appropriately. Do not interfere with the activities of others or use a disproportionate share of resources. Send messages only to those who may be interested in the content. Examples of inappropriate use of resources are shown below. These actions frequently result in complaints and subsequent disciplinary action.
  • Sending a message at random to a large number of newsgroups or recipients (known as "spamming the network").
  • Attempting to inconvenience someone by sending a large number of messages (commonly referred to as a "mail bomb").
  • Deliberately causing any denial of service, including flooding or ICMP attacks ("ping attacks").
  • Excessively controlling a chat channel by such actions as kicking off or blocking other users.
• Never falsify e-mail headers or newsgroup postings. This type of forgery can result in serious criminal penalties and disciplinary action by the Office of the Dean of Students or the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
  • All messages must correctly identify the sender.
  • All electronic mail messages belong to someone and should be treated as private communications unless the author has explicitly made them available to others.
• Be careful of copyright infringement. It is a violation of University policy and federal law to participate in copyright infringement. Copyrighted materials include, but are not limited to, computer software, audio and video recordings, photographs, and written material. Violators are subject to University discipline, including suspension, as well as legal liability, even if the work did not contain a written copyright notice. See the UT System Copyright Policy and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for more information. It is a violation to use your computer to copy, display or distribute copyrighted materials such as software, MP3 files, or MPEG files illegally. See also Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials.
• Never try to circumvent login procedures on any computer system or otherwise attempt to gain access where you are not allowed. Never deliberately scan any UT or other network without authorization. Such activities are not acceptable under any circumstances and can result in serious consequences, including disciplinary action by the Office of the Dean of Students or the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
  

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