[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Marlborough 8-14-2000.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
It is the purpose of this Communications Policy to set forth the rules
and regulations for utilization of the town's computers and computer system.
Employees and officers shall not view, send, read, download, access
via the Internet or store fraudulent, harassing, embarrassing, sexually explicit,
profane, obscene, intimidating, defamatory or other unlawful or inappropriate
material. Such activities are prohibited insofar as they occur on town premises,
occur on or via the town's computers or communication resources, occur during
work time or involve communications or displays to, from or in the presence
of coworkers, the public or agents of the town.
Employees and officials shall not send or receive by town e-mail (or
any other electronic communication involving town time or town resources)
personal messages, jokes, chain mail messages, games, novelty and/or joke
executables or obscene or offensive material. (Please note that some chain
messages are disguised as warnings about viruses.) If a town employee or officer
receives non-town-related, jokes or files from someone else, they are to refer
that person to the town's policies, as set forth herein, and, if the activities
continue, contact the Town Board.
Employees and officials shall not use or waste town time and/or computer
resources playing games, visiting chat rooms, etc.
Employees and official hall not, without prior written permission, use
town computer and communication resources for the transmission or storage
of commercial or personal advertisements, solicitations, promotions or political
material.
Employees and officials shall not use, transmit or store destructive
programs (viruses and/or self-replicating code) on any town computers or equipment,
including their own individual town computer or the town network.
Employees and officials shall not install software onto any town computers
or equipment, including their individual computers or the town network. All
software installations, even free software from the Internet, will be installed
by the town technician servicing the location unless expressly approved otherwise
by the Town Supervisor. Any unlicensed software or personal software may be
deleted by the town without notice to the employee or officer.
Employees and officials shall not use, copy or provide copies of unlicensed
software.
Internet browsing using town resources and/ or on town time is to be
limited to that which primarily supports a town function. Any personal use
of the Internet should be limited to personal time with the permission of
the Town Board.
Employees and officials shall not send, transmit or otherwise disseminate
nonpublic personal data, police materials or other confidential information
of the town to an unauthorized person or in an unauthorized manner. Unauthorized
dissemination of this information may result in substantial civil liability
as well as severe criminal penalties under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996,
as well as town discipline, including dismissal, pursuant to law.
Employees and officials shall comply with the procedures under the Freedom
of Information Law of the State of New York[1] in a manner which does not compromise the integrity of the town's
computer equipment or systems. Any foil request which may compromise the town's
equipment or systems shall be reviewed and approved by the Town Board before
transmittal of the information to the person who has made such request. All
foil requests requiring information stored on town computers shall be retrieved
by town officials and employees and delivered by diskette or hard paper copy
only to the requesting party for a reasonable fee under the Freedom of Information
Law, state and local regulations.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Public Officers Law § 84 et seq.
