Computing Agreement

Computer Ethics, Copyrights, and Intellectual Property

Computers and networks provide access to resources on and off campus. Such open access is a privilege and requires that individual users act responsibly. Users must respect the rights of other users, respect the integrity of the systems and related physical resources, and observe all relevant laws, regulations, contractual obligations, and College policies. Every member of the Mills community who receives accounts to use College computing systems agrees to protect their own work and respect the work and privacy of other members of the community.

Each individual is responsible for the content of files in their personal accounts. When publishing personal web pages, each user is responsible for obtaining permission from, and giving proper credit to, the owner of all copyrighted materials used. Personal web pages are not routinely monitored by College staff nor do they necessarily represent College viewpoints or policies.

Any file residing on Mills-owned equipment may be subject to search under court order. In addition, system administrators may access user files or monitor network traffic as required to protect the integrity of computer systems and to enforce current policy.

The U.S. Congress has passed "The Higher Education Opportunity Act" (H. R. 4137) which requires U.S. colleges to prevent uploading and downloading of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing on campus networks. In order for Mills College to stay in compliance with the law, all inbound and outbound P2P traffic is now blocked at Mills' network's edge. Please note however that as the legislation does not pertain to legal music downloading; services such as iTunes, Spotify, or Pandora are still allowed on our network.

Access to computing resources is contingent upon degree of affiliation with Mills College.

Examples of Misuse of Computing and Network Resources

Examples of misuse include, but are not limited to, the activities in the following list:

• Using Mills computing resources in support of commercial activities (violation of the College's non-profit status)
• Using copyrighted electronic materials without proper credit to and/or permission from the owner.
• Use of computer accounts, computer systems or the network to violate any College rule, state or federal laws.
• Installing routers/hubs/switches/wireless access points or any other network devices without consultation with Mills ITS staff.
• Attaching a device to the Mills network that causes an intentional network disruption.
• Installing servers/appliances that provide DNS, DHCP or proxy services without consultation with Mills ITS staff.
• Violating the terms of applicable software licensing agreements or copyright laws.
• Harassing others by sending unsolicited mail.
• Using a personal email account or alias (class or group) to create a public forum for communications that are essentially private in nature.
• Reading, copying, changing, or deleting another user's files or software without the owner's explicit agreement.
• Masking the identity of an account, machine or electronic communication such as an email address or web pages.
• Using any Mills computing system or the campus network to gain unauthorized access to any computer systems.
• Revealing confidential information obtained from administrative data systems to unauthorized people or groups.
• Attempting to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loopholes.
• Knowingly performing an act that interferes with the normal operation of computers, peripherals, or networks.
• Using a computer account or obtaining a password for a computer account that you are not authorized to use.
• Knowingly running or installing on any computer system or network, or giving to another user, a program intended to damage or to place excessive load on a computer system or network. This includes but is not limited to programs known as computer viruses, Trojan horses, and worms.
• Using Mills computing resources to view adult content/pornographic imagery in public places, on publicly available computers, or places where others can see/hear content displayed on your device's screen without their consent.

Use of Computing Resources Implies the Following Agreement

I understand that I am responsible for my conduct when using Mills College equipment and services to access electronic files and resources. Misuse of computing, networking, or electronic information resources is not condoned and I understand that I will be held accountable for my conduct under applicable College policy, legal contractual agreement, and under both state and federal law. I understand that my login name is permanently assigned to me. I agree to use it for as long as I have access to Mills systems. I also agree to set a password of my own choosing on all my Mills accounts as soon as they are opened to assure that my accounts are always protected with a password known only to me, and I agree to change my password immediately if I discover that anyone has learned my password or used my accounts in any way. Violation of any of the above policies may result in temporary to permanent loss of any or all computing privileges and services provided by Mills. Any device attached to the Mills network that violates any of the above policies and/or impedes business of the college will have its access to the Mills network disabled.

For more information on the Mills College security policy, please click here (login required).