BE RESPONSIBLE! MITnet RULES of USE MITnet connects Athena workstations and thousands of other computers at MIT. It also provides access to national and international computer networks. As you explore MITnet and the Internet beyond it, you will discover the many advantages of network connectivity. But connectivity also requires that you understand the responsibilities of being a network user in order to protect the integrity of the system and the integrity of other users. The following Rules of Use are intended to help you use MIT's computing and network facilities responsibly and safely. Complying with them will help assure that all use of the system is responsible, legal, and respectful of privacy. If you need help with someone who is willfully violating these rules, send e-mail to . For more information, contact Joanne Costello, Manager, Network Support Services, x3-6322 or send email to . 1. DON'T VIOLATE THE INTENDED USE OF MITNET. The purpose of MITnet is to support research, education, and MIT administrative activities, by providing access to computing resources and the opportunity for collaborative work. All use of the MIT network must be consistent with this purpose. In particular, MITnet may not be used to transmit threatening, or harassing materials. 2. DON'T LET ANYONE KNOW YOUR PASSWORD(S). Your MITnet username identifies you to the whole Internet user community. Anyone who knows your password can use your account. If he or she does anything that affects the system, it will be traced back to your username. If your username or your Athena account is used in an abusive manner, you can be held responsible. 3. DON'T COPY COPYRIGHTED SOFTWARE OR RELATED MATERIAL. Many programs, and related materials such as documentation, are owned by individual users or third parties, and are protected by copyright and other laws, together with licenses and other contractual agreements. You must abide by these restrictions, because to do otherwise is a crime. Such restrictions may include prohibitions against copying programs or data, the resale of data or programs or the use of them for non- educational purposes or for financial gain, and public disclosure of information about programs (e.g., source code) without the owner's authorization. 4. DON'T VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF OTHER USERS. Federal laws protect the privacy of users of wire and electronic communications. As Section 3.17 of MIT's Policies and Procedures notes, "invasions of privacy can take many forms, often inadvertent or well-intended." You should make sure that your use of MITnet does not violate the privacy of other users, if even unintentionally. Specifically: * Don't try to access the files or directories of another user without clear authorization from that user. Typically, this authorization is signaled by the other user's setting file access permissions to allow public or group reading of the files. If you are in doubt, ask. * Don't try to intercept or otherwise monitor any network communications not explicitly meant for you. These include e-mail and user-to-user dialog, as well as a user's password input. * Don't use the system to store personal information about individuals which they would not normally disseminate freely about themselves. * Don't create shared programs that secretly collect information about its users. Software on MITnet is subject to the same guidelines for protecting privacy as any other information- gathering project at the Institute. This means, for example, that you may not collect information about individual users without their consent. 5. DON'T ABUSE YOUR ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL) PRIVILEGES; IN PARTICULAR, DO NOT OVERLOAD THE SYSTEM. Guidelines on the use of e-mail are not based on etiquette alone: the mail system simply does not have the capacity to process a very large number of e-mail messages at once. If you send out an announcement to a huge list of recipients, the mail servers get overloaded, disks fill up, and staff intervention is required. The overall result is a negative impact on the quality of service provided for all users. The proliferation of electronic chain letters is especially abusive to the mail system and the network. Chain letters waste valuable computing resources, and may be considered harassing. You may lose your MITnet privileges by creating or forwarding chain letters. 6. DON'T USE MITNET TO HARASS ANYONE IN ANY WAY. "Harassment," according to the Policies and Procedures, "is any verbal or physical conduct, on or off campus, which has the intent or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's or group's educational or work performance at MIT or which creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational or work environment. "Harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or age includes harassment of an individual in terms of a stereotyped group characteristic, or because of that person's identification with a particular group." With reference to sexual harassment, the definition also includes unwelcome sexual advances and requests for sexual favors which might be perceived as explicitly or implicitly affecting educational or employment decisions concerning an individual. Sending offensive mail or messages may constitute harassment and is in violation of the intended use of the system. To report incidents of on-line harassment, send e-mail to . .