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Sharing Accounts Do not share your account or password with anyone. It is against university policy to share your account with anyone at all. An account on the UW computer network is only for use by the designated student, faculty, staff or alumni for its intended university-related purpose. It is never to be shared by your housemates or neighbors, husband or wife, or even your children doing their homework. You should not tell anyone, even a system administrator, your account password. If you do not protect your password, you can leave UW computer systems vulnerable to intentional abuse. If your password is guessed or stolen, an intruder can use your identity to do such things as delete or modify your personal files; send electronic mail threats in your name; subscribe you to services you do not want; or penetrate, monitor, and harm machines and systems on the campus or other networks. Email Guidelines Email is used by almost all students, faculty, and staff for their work and studies. In order to prevent disruption to this work, UW policy includes admonitions against sending unwanted email or chain email, as well as against flooding systems, networks, or user accounts with email. Further, UW staff and faculty use of email must comply with state law. Employees may not use email for private gain or for political activities. All employee email is also subject to public record policy. Using Your UW Account for Outside Purposes Your use of UW Technology computing and networking resources should be for your activities that support the mission of the university. The focus of your computing and networking activities should be on research, education, and administration. It is illegal and improper for you to use UW Technology or other UW computers or networks for personal gain. For example, to sell access to your account or to perform work for profit in a manner not authorized by the university. It is also against UW policy to use UW Technology resources for partisan political purposes, such as using email to circulate advertising for a political candidate. Copyright Issues You must use all UW and UW Technology resources in strict accordance with local, state, and federal laws. These laws include, but are not limited to, copyright laws. It is against UW and UW Technology policy to copy and/or use software, images, music, or other intellectual property unless you are certain that you have the right to do so. (See the page on software copyright policy for more details.) It is also against UW Technology policy to make copies of UW Technology software for use on non-UW Technology machines unless explicitly permitted to do so, or to transmit to others inappropriate images, sounds, or messages that might reasonably be considered harassing. Harassment is defined as the creation of an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment. Security Issues You must respect the integrity of UW computers and networks and other people's computers and networks. You must not access any UW computers or networks nor any computers or networks connected to UW without proper authorization. In no case may you disrupt or harm computers, computer software, computer data or information, or networks regardless of whether the computer, software, data, information, or network in question is owned by the University. Do not attempt to break into UW computers, networks, or user accounts; or use university computers or networks as a staging ground for attempts to break into other systems or networks. Do not intentionally seek information about, browse, obtain copies of, or modify private files or passwords belonging to other people, whether at the University of Washington or elsewhere, unless you are specifically authorized to do so by those individuals. This includes looking at someone's private files without his or her permission, even if it is possible for you to do so.

UW Technology
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Modified: January 24, 2008