§ 2-62.1. Responsibilities of Washington County and its computer users.

(a)

Opportunities and risks. The wide array of resources, services and interconnectivity available via the Internet introduce new opportunities and risks. In response to these risks, this document details Washington County's official policy regarding computer usage, e-mail, and Internet security.

(b)

Applicability . This policy applies to everyone (employees, contractors, temporaries, state employees, federal employees, elected officials, etc.) who uses Washington County computing or networking resources, as well as those who represent themselves as being connected-in one way or another with Washington County. Washington County computing or network resources are defined as computers and related equipment purchased with County funds, attached to the County's network, or supported by County Computer Systems staff. All users are expected to be familiar with and comply with this policy. Questions about the policy should be directed to the Computer Systems Administrator.

(c)

County property. As a productivity enhancement tool, Washington County encourages the business use of electronic communications (notably the Internet and e-mail). Electronic communications systems and all messages generated on or handled by electronic communications systems, including back-up copies, are considered to be the property of Washington County.

(d)

Computing equipment and software purchases. In order to more efficiently maintain and support Washington County's computer systems and network and to maximize value for money spent, minimum standards for computing equipment and software have been developed. Each computing equipment or software purchase should be made using a Washington County purchase order to assure that these minimum standards are met.

(e)

Use without authorization prohibited. No one shall connect with or otherwise use any County computer, modem, network, or other computing resource without proper authorization; or assist in, encourage, or conceal any unauthorized use, or attempted unauthorized use, of any County computer, modem, network or computing resource; or misrepresent his or her identity or relationship to the County to obtain access to computing resources.

(f)

Authorized usage . Washington County electronic communications systems must generally be used only for business activities. Incidental personal use is permissible so long as it does not consume more than a trivial amount of resources and does not preempt any business activity. Users are forbidden from using the County's electronic communication systems for chain letters, charitable endeavors, private business activities, political activities or amusement/entertainment purposes. Electronic mail attachments are to be used for business purposes only because they consume large amounts of computer resources and can easily be infected with viruses. For the same reasons, downloading files from the Internet is prohibited without the express consent of the Computer Systems Department. Use of County computing resources for game playing of any kind is prohibited. Users are reminded that the use of County resources, including computing resources and electronic communications, should never create either the appearance or the reality of inappropriate use.

(g)

Default privileges . The privileges of using computing and electronic communications systems are assigned such that only those capabilities necessary to perform a job are granted. For example, end-users are not allowed nor able to reprogram electronic mail system software. With the exception of emergencies and regular system maintenance notices, broadcast facilities must be used only after the permission of an elected official or department head has been obtained. End-users may not install hardware or software or alter their user interface without the approval of the Computer Systems Department.

(h)

User accountability. Regardless of the circumstances, individual passwords must never be shared or revealed to anyone besides the authorized user. To do so exposes the authorized user to responsibility for actions the other party takes with the password. If users need to share computer resident data, they should utilize message forwarding facilities, public directories on local area network servers and other authorized information sharing mechanisms. To prevent unauthorized parties from obtaining access to the County's network, users must shutdown their computer when leaving their workstation for extended periods and at the end of the day and choose passwords which are difficult to guess (for example, not a dictionary word, not a personal detail and not a reflection of work activities).

(i)

Disclosing confidential information. Users must not publicly disclose confidential information via the Internet or e-mail.

(j)

Copyrights . Washington County strongly supports strict adherence to software vendor's license agreements. When at work or when County computing or networking resources are employed, copying of software in a manner that is not consistent with the vendor's license is strictly forbidden. Likewise, off-hours participation in pirate software bulletin boards and similar activities represent a conflict of interest with County work and are, therefore, prohibited. Similarly, the reproduction, forwarding, or, in any other way, republishing or redistributing words, graphics or other materials must be done only with the permission of the author/owner. Users should assume that all materials on the Internet are copyrighted unless specific notice states otherwise.

(Ord. No. 2002-6, Arts. 1—3, 2-14-02)