Appropriate Use, Care and Security of Electronic Resources Policy (By-law 27-2024) — full text

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Village of Merrickville-Wolford Appropriate Use, Care and Security of Electronic Resources Policy Schedule "A" to By-law 27-2024 The Village of Merrickville-Wolford electronic resources have been acquired and are allocated/provided/made accessible to individuals and groups, for specific purposes necessary to conduct the business of the Municipality. All users must ensure that the Village's electronic resources are used in an appropriate, ethical, and lawful manner. The Village of Merrickville-Wolford expects all users to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of professional ethics and behaviour appropriate for a government agency. Electronic resources shall be understood to include servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, telephones, cellular phones, personal digital assistant devices, smart phones, software, corporate data, all electronic storage devices, etc. Objective To ensure the appropriate use and security of electronic resources. Procedure Users will agree to use all electronic resources solely for appropriate purposes as a condition of access. The inappropriate use of any electronic resources will not be tolerated. Some examples of inappropriate use are found in Appendix A. This is not to be taken as an exhaustive list. Users found to have breached this Policy are subject to the full range of disciplinary procedures up to and including dismissal. All users receive instruction on what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate use of the electronic resources, and on what to do if notified or become aware of any inappropriate usage. The acknowledgement form, found in Appendix B, will normally be presented for signature before granting access to the equipment, and will be signed by the employee on an annual basis. Users assigned specific electronic resources shall make every effort to ensure the security of the hardware, software, and all file information. System Monitoring Users expressly waive any right of privacy in anything they create, store, send, or receive on the Village of Merrickville-Wolford's computer systems. The Village of Merrickville-Wolford can monitor emails without notice. Council member's devices would fall under the scrutiny of the Integrity Commissioner. Communication of Confidential Information Unless expressly authorized to do so, Users are prohibited from sending, transmitting, or otherwise distributing proprietary information, data, trade secrets or other confidential information belonging to the Village of Merrickville-Wolford. Unauthorized dissemination of such material may result in disciplinary action as well as substantial civil and criminal penalties under Provincial and Federal Economic Espionage laws. Email Disclaimer All Users will include the following disclaimer on all emails: Disclaimer: This e-mail and any attachments may contain personal information or information that is otherwise confidential and is intended for the exclusive use of the intended recipient. The contents hereof are protected under the rights and privileges of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of any part of it is prohibited. The Village of Merrickville-Wolford accepts no liability for damage caused by any virus transmitted in this message. If this e-mail is received in error, please immediately reply advising of the error, and delete or destroy any copies of it. The transmission of e- mails between an employee or agent of the Village of Merrickville-Wolford and a third party does not constitute a binding contract without the express written consent of an authorized representative of The Corporation of the Village of Merrickville-Wolford. Appendix "A" INAPPROPRIATE USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES All users of the Village's electronic resources are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the resources being used and the uses to which these resources are put are for the advancement of Village business. During non-work periods, users may make limited and reasonable personal use of the Village's electronic resources. Reasonable is defined at the sole discretion of the Employer and is not negotiable. Should a user incur any financial cost to the Village as a result of personal use of electronic resources, including but not limited to telephones, computers, etc., the user shall promptly acknowledge such costs and reimburse the Village immediately. All other uses of the Village's electronic resources are deemed inappropriate. Specific examples include but are not limited to: 1. Using electronic resources for purposes other than those for which they were allocated. 2. Engaging in illegal activities. 3. Failing to maintain the confidentiality of passwords. 4. Saving or transferring files onto non-Village owned devices without express consent to do so. 5. Using a computer account without authorization or providing computing resources to individuals or groups without the specific authorization of the relevant Department Head or designate. 6. Unauthorized sharing, inspecting, altering, deleting, obtaining copies of, publishing, or otherwise tampering with files, programs, or passwords that the individual is both authorized and not authorized to access. 7. Using electronic resources, particularly electronic mail, web servers and bulletin boards, to send fraudulent, harassing, or obscene messages. 8. Developing or using programs that harass other users or that damage the software or hardware components of the electronic resources and/or placing any destructive or nuisance programs, such as viruses, in the electronic resources. 9. Attempting to circumvent security systems on any electronic resource. 10. Compromising or attempting to compromise the integrity of the electronic resources by accessing or attempting access or alteration of system control programs or files. 11. Using unlicensed or unauthorized copies of computer software or unauthorized file storage devices. 12. Breaching the terms and conditions of a software licensing agreement to which the Village is a party. 13. Theft or misappropriation of electronic resources, such as equipment, data, and programs. The loss of work time during the inappropriate use of the Village's electronic resources may also be deemed to be theft. 14. Engaging in any action which unfairly denies or restricts the use of electronic resources to authorized users. 15. Unlawfully accessing, destroying, or altering electronic records not approved for access by the user. 16. Defaming other people (e.g., spreading false allegations or rumours about others). 17. Disclosing electronic records containing personal information, business trade secrets, or classified government information to unauthorized persons. 18. Unlawfully exporting encryption software (e.g., putting it on the Internet without an export permit). 19. Misusing passwords, encryption keys, or computer service accounts (e.g., obtaining money, goods, or services through false representation made on a computer system; using another person's password or encryption keys; gaining access to computer services where the person has no right of access; any acts of fraudulent behaviour). 20. Electronic gambling. 21. Making, possessing, or distributing computer programs that are designed to assist in obtaining unlawful access to computer systems (hacking and trafficking). 22. Harassing other persons electronically (e.g., making threats to a person's safety or property). 23. Willfully promoting hatred against any identifiable group or individual by communicating such statements outside of private conversations. 24. Infringing intellectual property rights. 25. Collecting, transmitting, storing, or exchanging information in violation or any applicable law or regulation 26. Damaging, interfering, or disrupting others' lawful use of data and computers/cell phones (e.g. - spreading viruses with intent to cause harm, encrypting, altering, or destroying data with intent to make it inaccessible to others with a lawful need to access it) 27. Fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation. 28. Possessing or distributing pornography; disseminating obscene materials. 29. Intercepting private communications and unlawfully obtaining access to personal information. 30. If any user becomes aware of another person using the Village's electronic resources inappropriately, that user is obliged to disclose such knowledge to the CAO without delay. Any user failing to report such inappropriate use will be deemed to have personally used the Village's electronic resources inappropriately. Electronic Resources Acknowledgement Form By signing below, I agree to the following terms: I have received, read, and understood the Appropriate Use, Care and Security of Electronic Resources Policy, including Appendix A; I understand that all electronic resources made available or accessible to me by the Village of Merrickville-Wolford must be used appropriately by me at all times. I understand that all electronic resources made available or accessible to me are owned by the Village of Merrickville-Wolford and may be monitored without prior notice. I understand and agree that the electronic resources provided to me by or to which I have access from the Village of Merrickville-Wolford may contain confidential information related to the Village, and that this is and remains the property of the Village at all times; I understand that all passwords assigned or chosen by me must be kept confidential from all others. I further understand that it is my responsibility to immediately report to Administration if I believe any of my passwords or the passwords of any others have been compromised; I agree that, if I am no longer employed by the Village of Merrickville-Wolford for any reason, I shall immediately return to the Village all electronic resources that have been assigned to me or are in my possession including any file storage media; I understand that should any electronic resources assigned to me or in my possession become lost or stolen, I must provide a copy of the police report to the Village, as appropriate. Otherwise, I may be held responsible for the full cost of replacement; and, I understand that failure to follow the Appropriate Use, Care and Security or Electronic Resources Policy at any time may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Signed on: _ (Date) Print Name: Signature: . Print (Witness): Signature: .