webaccessandfiltering

Lab proposal draft for AUP Mods at BBA: Student access / web filtering.

Craig, Christine, Nick, MATT YEEEAAHH!!!!, G-to the Alen, Nadrik.


 * Update: This proposal was approved for the MAS floor and the Faculty was provided with a password verification override for web sites. Now we're on to discussions for the rest of the campus and the development of a more robust campus wireless network.

Previous Dicsussions / Development:**


 * Here's a draft of the new policy: What do you think ?** Place comments below:

Educational Use of the Internet and Network Resources: Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Redesign:

The following statement is from:

http://www.burrburton.org/about/aboutbba.html

Burr and Burton Academy is an independent, coeducational New England secondary school that serves as the school of choice for students from Manchester and several surrounding communities.

Established in 1829, Burr and Burton is committed to educating students of diverse backgrounds and talents in a warm and caring environment that encourages excellence and community. The school strives to widen its cultural breadth by attracting students from various ethnic, racial, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds.

Burr and Burton offers a broad and challenging curriculum that seeks a balance between science and the liberal arts. Faculty members strive to instill in their students a love of lifelong learning through their examples and their guidance. The school actively promotes good citizenship, personal responsibility, and service to the wider community.

Burr and Burton Academy’s mission is to educate its students intellectually and morally for a life of responsibility, integrity, and service.

The Internet and access to it with various devices is a part of our society. Our school mission states that “Burr and Burton Academy’s mission is to educate its students intellectually and morally for a life of responsibility, integrity, and service.” Current filtering practices are based on denial of service and counterintuitive to progressive educational or communicative use, especially as we look toward preparing students for their future. Entering into a new philosophy of access will promote discussions and modeling of these resources for more sophisticated use.

Proposal Summary: Switch from a philosophy of 'deciding what to allow' to one that focuses on 'blocking what is necessary.'

Block known hacking web sites, malware / spyware and pornography sites.

Unblock student personal email, chat services, media / collaboration sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, Airset and Ning as examples.

Unblock sites by faculty request for educational purposes.

Provide a secure login for faculty to bypass filter restrictions in the event a member of the IT department is unavailable.

The IT Department would contact the faculty member responsible for a student rather than take action to close screens (computer monitoring).

Discontinue practices of disabling network accounts for disciplinary needs: Overdue books, athletic uniform collection etc.

Allow faculty less restrictive access to school laptops as requested.

Options for policy changes: 1. The entire campus network. 2. CIS and music computer labs and school faculty.

We believe implementation of option 1 will promote broader discussions across campus and promote more sophisticated use more consistent with the goals of our mission statement.

Acceptable Use Policy (Draft )

I. Internet and Network Use Burr and Burton makes network and Internet access available in the belief that this global information network can be a powerful ally in its mission to prepare students for their future in the world. The Internet is no less a public place than the library or a common room. The school must expect that the same norms of civility and courtesy govern our networked communication as our behavior in any public place.

As the Internet is a public network, connecting millions of users worldwide, no one user can have control over its content. The school still must set guidelines for appropriate use of computers and networks in the school. We believe in the essential goodwill of our students. There are, however, some specific bounds to acceptable network use at Burr and Burton, regardless of whether access is via school or private individuals’ computers:

• Any deliberate reconfiguration of software or hardware that impedes proper functioning of a computer or network will be held to constitute vandalism.

• Students may not operate unauthorized servers on campus or indiscriminately share copyrighted files or software across the school network.

• Students are to respect copyright laws: distribution of pirated software, including applications, text, audio or video files, etc., is theft; participation in any other illegal online activity is expressly forbidden.

The school must expect computer users to respect the privacy and the property of others; no one is permitted to read others’ private correspondence, e-mail, or other files stored on any campus computer or network server.

Vulgarity in communication, insulting or abusive language, and access to or distribution of pornography violate the spirit of school community standards.

The school reserves the right to examine any computer on campus if there is reasonable suspicion that any of the above guidelines are being violated. Violations of the letter or spirit of these guidelines will result in loss of network privileges or disciplinary review.

The school will trust its students to make the right choices in using the Internet and the school network. However, any misuse will be treated as a disciplinary issue.

Material obtained through research on the Internet and then used in academic work is to be properly documented.

II. Electronic Communications All users should clearly understand that all communications and data flowing over the Burr and Burton network is subject to inspection with just cause at any time by authorized staff members, and in some cases law enforcement agencies. Users should especially note that any computer or electronic device connected to the network or the telephone systems of Burr and Burton is included in this right of inspection, whether owned by an individual, Burr and Burton, or some third party. This inspection may occur without notice to the users, either as part of maintenance, supervision of the network, or investigation of suspected wrong-doing. All staff members reviewing the materials will be obligated to protect privacy as much as possible, consistent with investigatory needs.

In addition, users must understand that all communications and data stored on the Burr and Burton School network and servers are the property of the school, subject only to appropriate copyright and other intellectual property laws. Communications and data may be inadvertently intercepted, from time to time, during maintenance, in which case they may still be reviewed for compliance with Burr and Burton School policies and appropriate laws.

All students and staff members and other persons using the Burr and Burton network and telephone systems should understand that there is no expectation of privacy in their communications over the Burr and Burton School network or telephone systems. Discovery of abuse of the Burr and Burton School network or telephone system shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary measures and communications in apparent violation of the law will be turned over to law enforcement agencies where appropriate.

III. E-mail and Chat Service Use The e-mail system is to be used only for the exchange of appropriate information ("appropriate" is subjective). There are to be no emotionally charged, derogatory, or otherwise inappropriate exchanges on the Burr and Burton e-mail system.

“Spamming” (indiscriminate mass e-mailing) disrupts mail service and will not be tolerated.

Students are never to access another student's e-mail or chat services impersonate or falsify identities when using these services.

Students may use their personal email and chat services while at school. Internet chat services should be used responsibly as to not interfere with academic time. Instructors may restrict students from using chat who do not demonstrate responsible use. Although chats are a means of developing relationships, students must realize that there are certain safety measures they should take when communicating, therefore, one should be very cautious about giving out personal information.

IV. Copyright Students shall observe all copyright laws.

Computers may not be used to make visual or sound recordings without the consent of all those who are being recorded.

V. Security, Safety and Harassment Students are to establish and maintain secure passwords that protect the privacy of the information on their computers and their e-mail accounts. Students are to respect the need for this security and confidentiality and are to make no efforts to bypass security systems and gain access to information on the servers that is not open to the student population.

Burr and Burton will take steps to protect members of its community from harassment, including those unwanted advances made via electronic means, including unwelcome telephone calls or messages. All users of the Burr and Burton servers will agree to avoid all profane, illicit and illegal materials. Access to the Internet does include some risks, however, and Burr and Burton offers no guarantees that some material of this type will not be encountered. Students should communicate immediately with a school administrator, member of the faculty or IT department if they feel they have been the victim of a harassing action.

VI. File-sharing Burr and Burton forbids the use of file-sharing software for the exchange of any copyrighted material the user does not own and/or have an author’s or artist’s permission to share. There is a limited legal and legitimate use of file-sharing software: to exchange files that are 1) in the public domain, such as the works of Shakespeare, or 2) offered free to the public by the artist or author, or 3) created and therefore owned by the sharer.

VII. Discipline Violations of any part of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.

VIII. Laptop computer security In order to best provide optimum security, Burr and Burton requires the following:

1. During the school day, students must have laptops with them, or the laptops must be locked in their school locker or dormitory room.

2. Laptops should never be left unattended. Faculty and staff may pick up and secure unattended laptops.

3. Laptops must not be left at school during vacations.

4. Laptops connecting to the Burr and Burton network must have updated virus protection software.

Summary:

Switch from a philosophy of 'deciding what to allow' to one that focuses on 'blocking what is necessary.'

Block: Known hacking web sites, malware / spyware and pornography sites.

Open: Student personal email, chat services, media / collaboration sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, Airset and Ning as examples. This will promote discussions on responsible use.

Provide a secure login for faculty to bypass filter restrictions.

Allow Faculty less restrictive access to laptop as needed / requested.

Discontinue practices of disabling network accounts for disciplinary needs: Overdue books, athletic uniform collection etc.

Summary:

Switch from a philosophy of 'deciding what to allow' to one that focuses on 'blocking what is necessary.'

Block: Known hacking web sites, malware / spyware and pornography sites.

Open: Student personal email, chat services, media / collaboration sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, Airset and Ning as examples. This will promote discussions on responsible use.

Provide a secure login for faculty to bypass filter restrictions.

Allow Faculty less restrictive access to laptop as needed / requested.

Discontinue practices of disabling network accounts for disciplinary needs: Overdue books, athletic uniform collection etc.

>>> END

SUFFIELD AUP:

Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for Technology

Suffield Academy possesses a great deal of technology that is dedicated to the use of its student body, faculty and staff. Suffield OnLine (the Academy’s intranet system), our dedicated high-speed internet access line, our web servers, our file and print servers, and our telephone system are maintained for the purpose of legitimate academic, research, instructional and recreational use. (Note: These systems will be referred to as STR- Suffield Technology Resources-throughout this policy.) Access to STR is a privilege granted to each user by the Academy. Along with that privilege come certain rights, expectations, restrictions, guidelines and responsibilities.

Technology: An Integrated Feature of Our Community: At Suffield, technology plays a key role in our educational community. Consequently, technology is not only a discrete service but is integrated into every aspect of life on campus. We expect our students to use technology in a manner that respects all of the rules of Suffield Academy, maintaining both the letter and the spirit of the law. Because the pervasive use of technology is new and complex, we have delineated specific guidelines in this section of the handbook. We expect, however, that students will not use technology to violate any rule at Suffield, not just those listed specifically here. In seeking to make good choices, students should follow the ethical guidelines that govern other elements of life on campus.

Equal Access: All members of the Suffield Academy community will be granted equal and unlimited access to STR with the understanding that any violation of this AUP could result in the termination of access. Suffield Academy does not guarantee uninterrupted access to its voice and data network, however. In addition, certain services or features (such as on-line chatting) might not be accessible at all times and may be discontinued at any time. All transactions on STR can be traced to an individual account and will be treated as the responsibility of the owner. Each user assumes legal and fiscal responsibility for her or his own account. Suffield Academy shall not be held liable for any damages incurred from the inability to access STR, loss of data, or interruption of service.

Privacy: All users have the right to secure, private voice and electronic mail (e-mail) through an account provided by the Academy. These accounts are similar to Unites States Postal Service’s post office boxes. However, in the event of suspected misuse of this system, network administrators reserve the right to inspect the contents of a student’s voice or e-mail box or any materials the student may have stored on Academy networks.

Safety and Harassment Suffield Academy will take steps to protect members of its community from harassment, including those unwanted advances made via electronic means, including unwelcome telephone calls or messages. All users of the Academy’s servers will agree to avoid all profane, illicit and illegal materials. Access to the Internet does include some risks, however, and Suffield Academy offers no guarantees that some material of this type will not be encountered. Students should communicate immediately with the network administrator if they feel they have been the victim of a harassing action.

Downloading, Servers, Copyright, Piracy and Viruses: Downloading, distributing, possessing or serving of pornographic and/or sexually explicit material is prohibited, as is participation in sexually-oriented chat groups, list servs, etc. Students, in effect, represent Suffield Academy when traversing the Internet. IP addresses can be traced back to the Academy.

Operation of unauthorized servers (music, ftp, WWW, e-mail, etc.) is prohibited. Students may be granted permission to host a server by the network administrator; however, until such permission is granted, use of an unregistered server is prohibited. Also, use of Peer-to-Peer File Sharing to serve any illicit or illegal material (pornography, pirated software and/or serial numbers, copyrighted music, etc.) is also strictly prohibited. AppleTalk names (a specific computer’s name that is displayed on our network) must also conform to the guidelines of this AUP. Please avoid offensive or inappropriate AppleTalk names.

In general, information (both text and graphic) is easily obtained from the Internet; however, all applicable copyright laws must be observed, and all sources must be cited. The section on Academic Honesty in this handbook (see page 14) outlines the use and citation of sources obtained in research.

Students may only use registered copies of software, and they must pay shareware fees. Software piracy, as well as music piracy, is both unethical and illegal. Fines range up to $500,000, and jail time can be incurred. Transmission, storage or use of any pirated software or copyrighted music on STR are causes for revocation of a user’s account and/or disciplinary action.

Students are required to install and maintain virus protection on all of their computers. The Academy will provide and install anti-virus software and automated updates for all student laptops. The ILS department will also help install virus protection on additional desktops attached to our network. In the event that a computer with a virus is attached to the Academy’s data network, the network administrator will disable that computer’s access to our resources until the computer is cleaned and appropriate preventative software is added. The Academy reserves the right to disallow network access at any time.

Use of Computing Facilities: The use of the technology center and of equipment located throughout campus is encouraged of each student. The same care that is expected in using any school property is also expected in the technology center (and satellite labs).

Refrain from bringing food or beverages into areas with sensitive technology.

Do not tamper with any network equipment or settings files on public computers.

This includes caring for the telephone and data jacks in dormitory rooms.

Do not cause disruption or hinder the use of the network by other users.

Be considerate in the use of all shared resources. This includes, but is not limited to, printer paper, network bandwidth, computer time, and hard-disk space on the servers.

Suffield facilities may not be used for commercial ventures. Students are not allowed to operate independent computer businesses on campus. This also includes auction services such as eBay. Students may not register their computer under any other domain name (alternate DNS).

General Network Etiquette: All members of the Suffield community are expected to follow general rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following: Using appropriate language at all times.

Not engaging in activities that are prohibited under state or federal law, including hacking (breaking into someone else’s account or computer) and downloading copyrighted material.

Use of packet sniffing technology (hardware or software) is prohibited. Use of such technology will lead to disciplinary action. Installation of unauthorized networking equipment (i.e., wireless access points) is prohibited.

While sharing of personal music playlists is allowed via iTunes streaming, distribution of copyrighted music from one user to another is prohibited (and illegal).

Not impersonating others or anonymously using network services.

Not revealing personal information about any STR user.

Not sending all-school e-mail letters. Instead, any messages intended for the community should be posted to the pertinent FirstClass conference. Not sending e-mail or printer “bombs” (excessive amounts of messages to an e- mail account or networked printer).

Not lending individual laptops to other members of the community for use on the network. Students will be held liable for any illegal or inappropriate use of STR emanating from their computer.

Not using Suffield’s electronic network to send “chain” letters, print large, unnecessary documents, or correspond via e-mail with strangers. Reporting all misuse of STR to the network administrator. This will guarantee protection for the entire community.

Revisions to This Policy: As our use of technology increases, new concerns or areas requiring governance may be identified. Suffield reserves the right to review and revise this policy at any time. Students should realize that violation of any of the rights, privileges and responsibilities listed above could be treated as a violation of a major school rule or could result in loss of network privileges or both. Any use of Suffield’s technology resources constitutes agreement to this AUP

>>> END SUFFIELD AUP

Comments?

I hope people have stopped using Limewire by now (and probably found the sisterprogramme Frostwire pretty quickly) -- I think Limewire has been busted quite a while ago and is now "watched". That only on a side-note, though (and I may be mistaken). Does section 7 need to be extended with concrete examples? That aside, I like the first paragraph a lot, and when that policy goes through I'll regret having left BBA even more! -Chrisse

Well taken, Chrisse. Deleted the extended wording in section 7. AP

Section Six needs to drop morpheus and include Limewire as that is the more popular version. Torrents also need to be addresed in some form. We need more information the disciplnary policy and we need to include some way of indetifying pirated software as some students would not know how to tell the difference between legit and pirated. JPL

Done J. AP

VT State Law on Cyber-Bullying: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2004/acts/ACT117.htm

Basic Overview of Proposed Changes:

Decide what to block rather than what to open.

Allow: Personal email, chat, social networking sites.

Deny / Bloc Only: Pornography, hacking web sites.

Thoughts ?

Toss in some ideas.

I think that we should post some questions that we will need to answer in this proposal. For example, questions that those who appose the agreement would ask such as:

1. Why does more access = a greater ability to learn? 2. How does internet access affect our education? 3. Why is this change needed now? 4. What are the problems with the current computer usage agreement? 5. What specific programs would the new agreement allow us to access, and what educational value would have? -Matt, Galen and Nick

Excellent questions. Anyone want to take a shot at answering them ? AP

In response to the questions above I'll give my stance. It is my belief that our currrent usage agreement is too controlling. I can use SIRS, Google and Wikipedia, but that's it. Our outside web emails are restricted. While any virus can get through a web filter these companies do have them. And then there's Facebook types. While many have content the school would disagree with they work as valueable messaging tools. To deny these sites is sometimes denying ones ability to communicate with important friends in a crisis. While the new usage agreement would have Personal email addresses, email is sometimes less effecient and more time consuming than not. I would also mention the restriction on available space for students in their individual accounts. Whether it be prudent or not I think we need to look at what we will be able to accomplish with this such as downloading/uploading access plus application priveleges. Will we finally allow Solitare? Okay that's more of a joke. I mean are programs previously reserved to Tech courses going to be accessible? NR

Two general philosophies: Allow what is necessary or filter what is necessary. Some would argue that nothing should be filtered. Thoughts ?

Filtering serves no purpose but to stop "Adult" Content and Violence. Other than these obvious things to be filtered out I think we should give the students the benefit of the doubt when it comes to online usage. Most kids are smart enough to think "yeah...this site could be really bad...probaly not a good idea...". If the school has fears about such unfiltered usage perhaps we could submit a refresher course that is mandatory for all students where they come in during a block or two in the begining of the year and are taught the ins and outs of what to be wary of and what not to do. How many people actually read the usage agreement this year before they signed it? NR

I agree with Nick when he says that the student is responsible for what he/she views on the internet. Our school prides itself on integrity and academic honesty, I feel that we can use the internet restriction free and stay away from inappropriate websites etc. as long as we follow the theme of integrity in cyberspace just as we do in the real world. Our students cannot prove that they truely embrace the school's principles if they are never given a chance to experience the world without restrictions. - Matt Naples

I would like to comment on question 1. first, then answer the others after a good cup of joe and some relaxing guitar hero.

Matt...I love you for that sentence. NR

1. Why does more access = a greater ability to learn?

We have all heard the term "Knowledge is power". That is true no matter what kind of knowledge you are talking about. The internet in short, is the largest depository of knowledge in the world and if we limit it's access we are, to a point, limiting the knowledge available to us. Of course not all things on the internet are appropriate for a high school setting, but if we apply restrictions to anything there is no doubt that something useful and worthwhile will also be blocked. It is just not possible to precisely cut out all the inappropriate material from the intellectually valuable material. --Matt Naples

I would like to address question 3 more in depth. NR

3. Why is this change needed now?

Why not now? Because an antiquated system happens to function well more than fifty percent of the time. I would say sorry to any of those who wrote it, but if new technology is implemented faster than we are able to master it much sooner. With the current agreement we leave ourselves trapped to past protocols and rules that are updated. Think of it like any state or federal law. "Blue" laws are the laws that are outdated and need to either be stricken from the laws or adjusted to meet society's new stances. I wont go any farther with this anolgy as I rant a bit when it comes to our justice system but the comparison is needed in that we must evolve into the future. NR

It should be the students own continents and knowledges of what is and isn't appropriate (and this is what can be taught) for school computer use. This means no filter, unlimited accesses or at least very close to (downloads/viruses/ still obviously blocked) but instead monitored, a students history is saved and scanned for hits that are tagged by the program / admin as not appropriate (could also tell admin how long student remained on page). It is then the students choice to go where he / she pleases but if he / she makes a choice to go anyware inappropriate it is easy to identify and can be dealt with / disciplined on a 1 to 1 basis with that student instead of the kind of capital punishment that we have now. Is it really that bad that I want to go to youtube when I have 3 hours to wait for my mom to pick me up after school? Is it really inappropriate for me to want to check up on the latest patch information on WoW.com? Am I endangering my self or the school when I try and get specs on a new GPU? -Craig

Craig. While your viewpoints are helpful, your last few sentences were a bit outside what I think we hope to gain. What you are asking is not ludicrous, it is however not what I think this AUP is about. We all have our own lives on the internet at home, but what I believe this group is trying to accomplish is the understanding of the administration and how this freedom will affect the student life of BBA. Although I agree that there should not be any reason for such filtering, I also realize, as should you, that to merely do this as not to be an inconvience is not the ultimate goal. The goal should be for the betterment of the student's academic understanding through greater access. And as for the endangering issues, yes it is to a point. When we go to such populated sites by computer elites we open ourselves to obvious security risks because for every security wall created, there is an equally smart hacker waiting to break it down. Plus, Dude...play the WoW at home. NR

Q: Thoughts on why students should be allowed to access personal email on campus ?

It has to do with students comfort. While the BBA mail accounts are filtered so as not have viruses many love thier own as they have all thier friends in and out of school and the setups they have created for themselves. A good middle ground may be to setup the accounts so they are accessible from Outlook as are the outside accounts and monitor their mail through Outlook. I know that for a long time i had all my emails on outlook at home but the schools one could not be accesed through it. If that were to change many might feel the need for others would not be so essesential. NR

Q: Is blocking controversial web sites better or educating people to make responsible choices ?

It takes both. So many kids are brought up on google and facebook that they don't make smart decisions on where not to go and end up with viruses (many of which I have to delete as they don't know about antivirus or antispyware). We need some sort of refresher for these students and yet even that may not be enough. What our school does now doesn't work. But this doesn't mean full access will work immediately. That is why we will need some restrictions at first but if the students are as aware as we beleive them to be it wont be a problem. NR

Q: Is it more fitting to block pornography or promote self-control ?

No question could be simpler to answer. There is no reason why it shouldn't be blocked. If we feel it is some epidemic then teach the students what we can in health/wellness. But as for not filtering adult sites, it is out of the question. NR

Ok Nick though your thoughts are interesting they are far from reality. The reality is i dont think you understood what i was saying? do you know what a GPU is? do you know what patch note are? do you know what you just said to me? do i like to ask you questions? do you like to ask questions and then answer them? i do. anyways the answers in case you were wondering are no, no,no,no,yes,yes,yes. let me explain things in more detail so you understand what i am saying. A gpu is a Graphics Processioning Unit, or graphics card, a graphics card is used to take the graphics processing load of a processor and doing physics processing as well. now, for any kind of hardware you need a lot of knowledge of not just this but a large number of other parts computer hardware. Now if thats not very handy in any career involving ANY kind of computers please tell me what it. as for patch notes look em up, o wait you cant, so go home and look em up. Class=over more to come later nick do some research before rebuttal next time - Craig

Hostility merely kindles the flames of Hate--NR Ignorance will only lead to hypocrisies Proposal: Introduction:

Message to send ?

Body:

Contains new AUP draft:

Wrap up:

Rationale