UAH General Computer Use Policy
Revised 03/11/03

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is committed to providing a wide range of high-quality computing services to students, faculty, and staff, in support of the mission of the University as set out by the Board of Trustees. However, access to those services is a privilege, not a right, and all users must act honestly and responsibly. The following policy is established to ensure the security and integrity of the University’s computer resources and the fair and equitable access to those resources by all the members of the University community. This policy applies to all University computing systems and all hardware, software, data, and telecommunications devices associated with these systems. Failure to abide by this policy or the implementing policies of the various University units may result in the loss or suspension of computing privileges, claims for reimbursement of damages, disciplinary action, and/or referral to appropriate state/federal law enforcement authorities.

You will:

    1. Be accountable for using university facilities in an ethical and lawful manner.
    2. Use only those facilities for which you have been authorized, whether facilities are at UAH or at any other location accessible through a network. You are required to adhere to the policies established by the administrator of local computing facilities at UAH and the University’s Internet provider AREN (Alabama Research and Education Network. See:

      3. http://www.asc.edu/html/accusepol.shtml

      for the latest version of that policy.

    3. Take all reasonable steps to protect the integrity and privacy of the UAH computing facilities including software and data. In particular, you will not share with others the access codes, account numbers, passwords, or other authorization assigned to you.
    4. Not use university facilities to access, download, print, store, forward, transmit or distribute obscene material.
    5. Adhere to the copyright laws regarding software, data, and authored files.
    6. Respect the privacy of others by refraining from any and all unauthorized access to e-mail, files, data, and transmissions.
    7. Not use the UAH computing facilities for unauthorized commercial activities.
    8. Not use the UAH computing facilities for any illegal purposes. Such acts include but are not limited to: accessing, destruction of, or alteration of data owned by others; modification of computer system configuration; installation of unauthorized software; interference with access to computing facilities or harassment of users of such facilities at UAH or harassment of users of such facilities elsewhere; unauthorized disruption of UAH computing facilities; attempts to discover or alter passwords or to subvert security systems in any computing or network facility.
    9. Properly identify yourself in any electronic correspondence and provide valid, traceable identification if required by applications or servers within the UAH computing facilities or in establishing connections from the UAH computing facilities.
    10. Connection of a computer to the UAH network requires the registration of that computer with Computer & Network Services.  Connection of any device other than a computer must be approved by and registered with Computer & Network Services.

Each individual user is responsible for adhering to these policies. The responsibility for ensuring compliance with these policies will reside within Computer & Network Services, the Colleges, Research Centers and Departments.

Any violation of this Policy or the implementing policies of the various University units may result in disciplinary action in accordance with campus regulations and State, and Federal laws.

Revised 3-11-2003