A. Harassment, Threats, and Discrimination
Users are prohibited from using the Village's technology resources in any way that violates the Village's policies. Users should be aware that even communications sent via a personal email account from the Village's technology resources are subject to the limitation on privacy under this policy and are subject to compliance with Village policies.
The scope of prohibited use extends to files, data, pictures, games, jokes, etc., that are received by a user, even if unsolicited. Such information should be immediately deleted and/or brought to the attention of a supervisor.
B. Unauthorized Access
Unauthorized access of the Village's technology resources is prohibited. Unauthorized access of third-party computers or resources using the Village's technology resources is prohibited. Attempting to access the Village's technology resources without specific authorization is prohibited. Any form of tampering to gain access to computers is a violation of Village policy and carries serious consequences. You may only access information on the Village's technology resources that you are authorized to access and have a business reason to access. If you inadvertently identify a new way to access information to which you are not authorized, report it to the IT Department immediately. To help prevent security breaches, computer users are required to log off or lock their computers at the end of the day and when not in use for more than ten (10) minutes. In addition, users must take other reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorized access to the Village's technology resources.
Department Directors have primary responsibility for the creation and maintenance of application data. These system owners shall be responsible for defining the security and integrity requirements of their data. They are primarily responsible for authorizing data access and ensuring adequate security, accountability, and control is employed to protect the data.
The Village employees will not attempt to breach computer or network security for which they do not have access. This includes but is not limited to network appliances, computer workstations, servers, and/or secure electronic folders and files. Any unauthorized changes made to any network device are prohibited. Any breaches of network security are to be reported to the IT Department.
B. Computer Sabotage
Destruction, theft, alteration, or any other form of sabotage of Village computers, telephones, network or telecommunications cabling, programs, files, or data is prohibited and will be investigated and fully prosecuted of the law.
C. Unauthorized Changes to the Village's Technology Resources
Unauthorized installation of software and making changes to computer hardware, software, system configuration, and the like are prohibited. The IT Department must authorize the installation of any software, even if we are licensed. The Village's computer systems have been designed and documented to prevent loss of data and provide an audit trail for correcting problems. Installation of some programs can change the computer's system configuration and may be incompatible with other systems on the device.
If you need to download software or make any changes to Village computers or technology resources in the performance of your duties, contact the IT Department for approval and/or assistance.
D. Viruses, Worms, and Trojan horses
It is critical that users make certain that data loaded on the Village's technology resources is free of viruses. Data that has been exposed to any computer other than a Village computer or resource must be scanned using the virus scanning software present on all Village PCs before installation. Viruses can result in significant damage and lost productivity. Never open an attachment unless you know the sender and are expecting the attachment. If you are uncertain whether data needs to be scanned before installation, call the IT Department.
Use of virus, worm, or Trojan horse programs is prohibited. If you identify a virus, worm, or Trojan horse, or what you suspect to be one, do not try to fix the problem. Make notes as to what you observed and contact the IT Department.
If you receive a virus warning, call the IT Department immediately. Do not forward it to other computer users within the Village. If the IT Department determines that the warning is valid, they will take the appropriate steps to notify other users.
E. Termination of Employment
All information on Village resources is considered Village property. Deleting, altering, copying, or sharing confidential, proprietary, or any other information upon termination requires authorization from your Department Manager. The technology equipment you have been entrusted with must be returned with your password, identification code, and any other appropriate information necessary for the Village to continue using the computer and information uninterrupted.
The following activity is prohibited upon termination and will be fully prosecuted of the law:
• Accessing Village resources
• Providing third parties, or anyone else, access to Village resources
• Taking computer files, data, programs, or computer equipment
(Ord. 23-1853, passed 5-3-23)