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Internet Policy

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by cass.harley 1 view

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The following is the draft Internet policy for our firm, comments would be appreciated:

Internet access during work hours is for work purposes only.

Should you wish to make use of the Internet in your own time (inc. before work, after work, and lunchtimes), the follow policy applies:

Material being accessed is to be of a professional nature, (i.e. porn sites, lude and crude materials are definetely not okay).

Especially note that any printouts, downloads, or material you intend to circulate, must be of a highly professional standard.

Remember this is a professional place of business and as such all conduct within the office should be reflective of this.

This policy will be implemented on a trust basis, however if it is seen to be abused then mechanical methods will be put in place to enfoce the policy.

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by thechas

On it's face, the policy allows only professional use.

I think you need to be clearer about "personal" use to avoid issues.

e-bay and other auction sites
web based retailers
web based personal e-mail accounts
software downloads (if nothing else, this is a place where viruses can come in)

The list can go on, but unless you plan to allow access to the above on "personal time" I think you should spell things out more.

I believe it would be appropriate to address peer to peer file sharing, and illegal files in the policy too. (Unless this is covered in a separate policy)

Chas

by cass.harley

Thanks,
We have no problem with staff accessing Ebay, web-based email accounts etc on their own time.
It is a firm of accountants, so the term 'professional' is a lifestyle. They know it to mean 'anything I wouldn't be embarrased about in front of a client'. But yes, I may clarify a little more.

I will definetly make a note about the legalities of peer-to-peer and illegal files etc. Thanks.

by jardinier

Artistic photos of naked women might not be classified as porn. However personal emails might contain graphically rude references.

From my experience, the danger of accessing "Adult" sites is that they can install difficult to eradicate files on your computer. And there is a big diference between viewing pictures and downloading them. So if I were to suggest guidelines about what is acceptable, it would be based on what may foul up your computer rather than what may be perceived as foul to the mind.

Personally I think that "innocent" emails i.e. just personal news to friends and family; playing online games; and surfing for information should be the limits.

Let employees do their dirty things on their own computers at home.

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