Computer and Network Use
Information stored on a computer system or sent electronically over a network is the private property of the individual who created it. Examination, collection, or dissemination of that information without authorization from the owner is a violation of the owner's right to control his or her own property. Computer systems and networks provide mechanisms for the protection of private information from examination by others; attempts to circumvent these mechanisms to gain unauthorized access to private information are treated as violations of privacy.
Extension School students are eligible for Harvard computer accounts for their personal use for specified academic purposes. Accounts are considered to have tangible value. Attempts to circumvent the accounting system, to use the accounts of others without authorization, or to use accounts for anything other than their intended purposes are all forms of attempted theft. Students should not disclose account passwords or otherwise make the account available to others. Use of Harvard's computers and networks for commercial purposes without authorization is prohibited.
Students should not attempt to interfere with the normal functioning of a computer system and should not disrupt or distract others working with the computer. Use of an electronic mail system to send fraudulent, annoying, or obscene messages is prohibited. Similarly, messages must not misrepresent the identity of the sender, be sent as chain letters, or broadcast indiscriminately to large numbers of people.
It is the student's responsibility to learn the rules for appropriate use of computers and networks. Policies are published in Computer Rules and Responsibilities, available in Science Center B-13, 51 Brattle Street, 53 Church Street, and online.
Students are advised that, in addition to being a violation of Harvard Extension School rules, certain computer misconduct is prohibited under Massachusetts law and is, therefore, subject to criminal penalties. Such misconduct includes knowingly gaining unauthorized access to a computer system or database, falsely obtaining electronic services or data without payment of required charges, and destroying electronically processed, stored, or in-transit data.
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