Technology Resources Policy

  1. Access to and use of technology resources at Harvard University are provided to members of the Harvard community to assist in fulfilling the education, research, and service missions of the University. Such resources include e-mail, telephone, voicemail, computer hardware and software, Internet access, and the campus computer network. All technology resources and their components or peripheral parts are the property of Harvard University. All users have the responsibility to use those resources in an efficient, ethical, and legal manner. Access to such resources is limited to authorized users and is for approved purposes only.
  2. University technology resources should not be used in connection with lobbying or political campaigns. In addition, such resources should not be used for private business or commercial activities, except where such activities are otherwise permitted under applicable University policies.
  3. I.T. users should note that distribution, storage, or viewing of pornography on university computers violates the Technology Resources Policy.
  4. Users of the School’s computing facilities should be mindful that commercial software and databases are protected by copyright laws and license agreements. Users are expected to abide by the restrictions inherent in these contractual agreements. These restrictions include prohibitions against the following:
    1. copying programs for use on other systems
    2. distribution or resale of programs outside Harvard
    3. use of programs for non-educational purposes or for financial gain
    4. altering or disclosure of program source code
  5. Illegal copies of software may not be used on machines owned by the school, and copyrighted software owned by the School may not be illegally duplicated.
  6. All users are advised that, in addition to being a violation of University rules, certain computer misconduct is prohibited under Massachusetts General Laws, c.266 & 33(a) and 120(f) and is therefore, subject to criminal penalties. Such misconduct includes knowingly gaining unauthorized access to a computer system or database, falsely obtaining electronic services or data without payment of required charges, and destroying of electronically processed, stored, or in-transit data.
  7. For Employees: As has been the custom with the telephone, it is permissible to use I.T. facilities for incidental personal purposes. Incidental personal use is permitted so long as it does not interfere with job performance, consume significant time or resources, interfere with the activities of others, or otherwise violate this policy, the rules of HSPH, or other University policies. All employees should familiarize themselves with the complete text of the University’s computer policies in section 2.6 of the Harvard Personnel Manual.
  8. For Students: Students who are provided access to University computer facilities and to the campus-wide communication network assume responsibility for their appropriate use. The University expects students to be careful, honest, responsible, and civil in the use of computers and networks. Students who use wide-area networks (such as the Internet) to communicate with individuals or to connect to computers at other institutions are expected to abide by the rules for the remote systems and networks as well as those for Harvard’s systems.
  9. The I.T. Dept reserves the right to take appropriate action at any time to maintain and protect the operational integrity of the School’s network and server systems.