textfiles/hacking/POLICIES/umich-2

 MTU Policies
Michigan Technological  University (MTU) promotes  the use of  its computing
facilities and seeks to improve the  computer literacy of its students.  All
students are encouraged to make use  of these facilities in pursuit of their
academic goals, but  are asked to remember that computing  facilities are to
be  used  for  academic  purposes  only.  MTU  views  the  use  of  computer
facilities as  a privilege,  not a  right, and  seeks to  protect legitimate
computer  users by  imposing sanctions  on  those who  abuse the  privilege.
Eliminating computer abuse provides more  computing resources for users with
legitimate academic computing needs.
MTU's computing  policy is based  on the laws of  the State of  Michigan and
United States Copyright Law.  In  addition, MTU imposes certain restrictions
which  are  not  specifically  covered   by  wither  law.   Besides  setting
guidelines  for appropriate  use  of computers,  MTU's  policy outlines  the
disciplinary procedures  that will  be imposed on  students who  violate the
policy.   Such  discipline  may  range  from  the  revocation  of  computing
privileges to expulsion from the University.
 
The Law of the State of Michigan
Act 53  of the Public Acts  of 1979 of the  State of Michigan is  "AN ACT to
prohibit access to  computers, computing systems, and  computer networks for
certain  fraudulent  purposes;  to  prohibit  intentional  and  unauthorized
access, alteration, damage, and  destruction of computers, computer systems,
computer networks,  computer software programs,  and data; and  to prescribe
penalties."
 
Examples of violations of Public Act 53 include:
 
   o   Unauthorized attempts to access or use information.
   o   Attempts to access the computer files belonging to another user without
       permission.
   o   Attempts to interfere with the performance of computing systems.
 
The penalties for violating this act are stated as follows:
 
   "A person  who violates this  act, if  the violation involves  $100.00 or
   less, is  guilty of a misdemeanor.   If the violation involved  more than
   $100.00, the person is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment for
   not more than  ten (10) years, or  a fine of not more  than $5,000.00, or
   both."
 
United States Copyright Law
Copyright is a form of protection provided  by the laws of the United States
(Title 17,  U.S.  Code) to  the authors  of "original works  of authorship."
This  includes computer  programs (software).   Therefore, the  unauthorized
copying of copyrighted software is in violation of U.S.  copyright laws.
 
Additional restrictions imposed by MTU
   o   Permitting another person to use a computer user identification (userid)
       or access card.
   o   Using another person's userid or access card.
   o   Using computing facilities for personal profit.
   o   Transmitting unsolicited or annoying messages.
   o   Transmitting, executing, or storing malicious, threatening, or abusive
       programs or material.
   o   Playing games.
 
Discipline Procedure
Misuses  of computer  resources are  reported  to the  Director of  Academic
Computing Services.  The Director of  Academic Computing Services can impose
restrictions on the  offender's computer privileged, report  the offender to
the Dean of Students, or initiate criminal prosecution.

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Comments:
______________________
As I understand it, within the next month every current computer user of ACS
machines (our IBM, our PCs, our SUNs, in fact nearly everything students CAN
use) will have to sign and pledge to abide by this policy, or they will lose
computing  privileges.  I  personally  can see  many of  the  points in  the
document, though  I have  problems with it  as well (part  of my  reason for
posting it).   For example, in  sentence two, the policy  states, 'computing
facilities are  to be used for  academic purposes only.' Nowhere  is there a
definition of  'academic purposes' --  by one  simple hypothesis, what  I am
doing now  is in  violation of the  policy, since this  does not  involve my
academic furthering at MTU (yes, I am  a student, to graduate next year with
luck and lots  of cash).  In the next sentence,  'legitimate computer users'
and  'abuse  the privilege'  are  more  examples  of empty  wording,  freely
interpreted by  Administration to  whatever they choose.   Under 'Additional
Restrictions' we  have 'Transmitting  unsolicited or annoying  messages' and
'Transmitting,  executing, or  storing  malicious,  threatening, or  abusive
programs or  material.' Define solicited.   Since saying 'Hi' to  someone is
unsolicited,  so is  'You  can talk  to me'.   Therefore,  by a  restrictive
viewpoint, messaging is illegal (so is this, again, and any other e-mail not
specifically asked for, though how it can be asked for is beyond me).
 
We also need  definitions of malicious, threatening, or  abusive, beyond the
blatantly obvious.  While I am considered  fairly conservative by many, I am
a  flaming   liberal  by  many   standards.   What  I   consider  malicious,
threatening, or abusive is probably far away from our Administration's view.
Yet there  is no definition, so  (in theory) any Consultant  here could grab
some output of  mine, read through it (I  have been told it is  their JOB to
read our  output) and decide since  I don't hold his/her  opinions, I should
get nuked.  I would  then be ordered to see the  Director, whereupon I would
be lectured  at great  length about  how bad and  evil I  am because  I hold
liberal views.
 
Now, before y'all out there start  sending letters to the staff here telling
them how much of a rebel I am, and how I should be purged for not supporting
their  policies 1000%...   I want  to make  it known  that, in  PRINCIPLE, I
support the  policy.  My computing experience  here has, for the  most part,
been a good one, even though I  have been yelled at a few times (mistakenly,
though  the error  was not  one-sided).  I  make wide  and good  use of  the
facilities here, and  those of BITNET.  I  like to think that I  have made a
positive impact  on computing at MTU,  through my public disk  (linked to by
over 230 people), through  my programs (many of which are  now used at sites
across the Net),  and through my continual efforts to  encourage people here
to use  the system  responsibly.  But  I have noticed  a trend  in computing
here,  one which  I think  may  be taking  place  at other  sites, as  well.
Students  are  getting  more  and more  cocky,  administrators  are  getting
restrictive, and  the state of  computing is falling.   It need not  be this
way.  If  computing centers would  educate their users in  responsibility --
realize they make mistakes -- not  treat every infraction, however minor, as
if  it  were  a  first-degree  homicide   --  and  try  honestly  to  become
user-friendly  and   user-accessible;  if  users  would   realize  THEY  are
responsible for their  acts -- try and make fewer,  and smaller, mistakes --
think  before  they   compute  --  realize  what  they  do   CAN  get  their
administration in trouble -- get to  know their computing center staff, then
I think we might see a big leap forward in the world of computing.
 
It _CAN_ happen.
It starts with YOU and ME.
 
*dust off*  There.  I'll put  my soapbox away,  now.  Thanks for  putting up
with me, sorry if I clogged up your readers with 'non-essential' mail.
 
 
                    Virtually,
                    David B. O'Donnell <LUTHER@MTUS5>
  ________________________________________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed  in this file are solely my  own and are not
intended to  represent those of  anyone else  save where their  stated views
match mine.   In particular these views  are not meant to  suggest agreement
with the views of my employer or university.