Policies
IMPORTANT! Failure to comply with University policies for responsible computing may result in loss of loss of email access, loss of network account, or more serious disciplinary action.
Conditions of Use for the University Network
The following guidelines should be followed when connecting any computer to the Jefferson University network. The user should use his/her best judgment and following these guidelines will help ensure that the network can be used effectively and to its fullest capacity.
Policy Personal Servers are not permitted to be connected to the Jefferson University network. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Web Servers
- FTP Servers
- Mail Servers
- Chat Servers (IRC)
- Peer-to-Peer file and music sharing applications
- Windows95, Windows98, WindowsNT, Windows2000 or WindowsXP “File Sharing”
- Samba or any type of SMB applications Options Web Pages
The Office of Information Resources will provide 10MB of Web space to any Faculty, Staff, or Student upon request.
FTP Servers
Web directories provide FTP access to upload or download web pages or documents.
Note: Copyrighted material shall not be made available for download from any Jefferson University server or workstation.
E-Mail
All Faculty, Staff, and Students receive a @PhilaU.edu mail account from the Office of Information Technology.
Additional E-Mail accounts can be acquired from numerous free providers, such as Yahoo! Mail, or HotMail.
Chat Servers
Are not permitted.
Chat programs such as AOL IM, and ICQ are permitted, and acceptable, providing they do not significantly impact network performance.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file and music sharing programs
Are not permitted. These applications place a tremendous strain on the University network to to the large size and number of files downloaded. In addition, the majority of these services exist solely for the trading of copyrighted material, the possession of which is prohibited by University policy.
File Sharing
The Office of Information Technology can provide space on our Departmental Share server for any Department or Employee needing to share files. Enforcement The Office of Information Technology will enforce this policy to the best of their abilities. In accordance with established University practices, policies and procedures, violation of this policy may result in disciplinary review, expulsion from the University, suspension or revocation of network account, termination of employment, legal action, or other disciplinary action as deemed appropriate. In addition, any use of the University Network to distribute or post copyrighted material will warrant the loss of network privileges. Students who engage in such activity may also face sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct. Please refer to the Conditions and Use Policy published by the Office of Information Technology regarding appropriate use of Information Technology resources.
This information is available from the Office of Information Technology. The Office of Information Technology reserves the right to modify this policy as is necessary to safeguard the Network and other users.
Conditions of Use for Computing Services
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is responsible for the centrally managed information technology activities of Jefferson University. It develops and provides services to benefit other segments of the University and to facilitate the success of decentralized information technology activities. OIT serves a large number and variety of users including faculty, staff, students, and outside clients.
As members of the Jefferson University community and in accordance with the overall policy in this area, (see Information Technology policy) all types of users have the responsibility to use the Center's services in an effective, efficient, ethical, and legal manner. Ethical and legal standards that apply to information technology resources derive directly from standards of common sense and common decency that apply to the use of any shared resource.
The Office of Information Resources depends first upon the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation that has been fostered at Jefferson University to resolve differences and ameliorate problems that arise from time to time. This statement on conditions of use is published in that spirit. The purpose of the statement is to promote the responsible, ethical, legal, and secure use of OIR resources for the protection of all users.
When using OIR's services, users agree to the following conditions:
- To respect the privacy of other users; for example, users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, tapes, or passwords belonging to other users or the University, or represent others (i.e., log on as someone else), unless explicitly authorized to do so by those users.
- To respect the legal protection provided by copyright and licensing of programs and data; for example, users shall not make copies of a licensed computer program to avoid paying additional license fees or to share with other users. To respect the intended usage of accounts; for example, users shall use assigned accounts, transactions, data, and processes authorized by faculty, department heads, or project directors for the purposes specified, and shall not access or use other accounts, transactions, data, or processes unless explicitly authorized to do so by the authorizing personnel.
- To respect the integrity of the system or network; for example, users shall not intentionally develop or use programs, transactions, data, or processes that harass other users or infiltrate the system or damage or alter the software or data components of a system. Alterations to any system or network software or data component shall be made only under specific instructions from authorized faculty, department heads, project directors, or management staff.
- To respect the rights of other users; for example, users shall comply with all University policies regarding sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment, and you shall not divulge sensitive personal data concerning faculty, staff, or students to which you have access without explicit authorization to do so. To adhere to all General University Policies and Procedures including, but not limited to, policies on proper use of information resources, information technology, and networks; acquisition, use, and disposal of University-owned computer equipment; use of telecommunications equipment; ethical and legal use of software; and ethical and legal use of administrative data.
In addition, other external networks to which Jefferson University maintains connections (e.g., Internet) have established acceptable use standards. It is your responsibility to adhere to the standards of such networks. The University cannot and will not extend any protection to users should users violate the policies of an external network. Users should be aware that although the Computer Center provides and preserves security of files, account numbers, authorization codes, and passwords, security can be breached through actions or causes beyond the reasonable control of the Computer Center. Users are urged, therefore, to safeguard their data, authorization codes, and passwords; to take full advantage of file security mechanisms built into the computing systems; to change their account password frequently; and to follow the security policies and procedures established to control access to and use of administrative data.
Violations of Conditions of Use
Violations of any of the above conditions are certainly unethical and may be violations of University policy or criminal offenses. Users are expected to report to the Computer Center instances in which the above conditions have been or are being violated. When the Center becomes aware of possible violations of these conditions, it will initiate an investigation. At the same time, in order to prevent further possible unauthorized activity, the Center may suspend the authorization of computing services to the individual or account in question. In accordance with established University practices, policies and procedures, confirmation of unauthorized use of the center's resources may result in disciplinary review, expulsion from the University, termination of employment, legal action, or other disciplinary action.
Appropriate and Responsible Use Computing
Resources shall be used in a manner consistent with the instruction, public service, research, and administrative objectives of the University, in general, and consistent with the specific objectives of the project or task for which such use was authorized, in particular. All uses inconsistent with these objectives, even if authorized, are considered to be inappropriate use and may jeopardize further authorization. Users are expected to use computing resources in a responsible and efficient manner. OIT will provide guidance to help users use these resources efficiently and productively. If users use large amounts of computing and data processing resources, users are expected to refrain from engaging in deliberately wasteful practices--for example, printing large amounts of unnecessary listings, maintaining large numbers of unused files, or playing games for purely recreational purposes. The pertinent consideration is the recognition that computing resources are finite. Therefore, users are expected to cooperate to the greatest extent possible in making these resources available to others.
The Office of Information Resource's resources include systems for human interaction, such as messaging and conferencing. OIT supports both freedom of expression in these media and the University's policies against racial, sexual, and other forms of harassment. Jefferson University is committed to being a racially, ethnically, and religiously heterogeneous community. Computer conferences in particular provide a vehicle through which the University's commitment can be realized, because they convene a very broad cross section of the community to discuss a wide range of issues, including those of bigotry, racism, and sexism. While using various media for electronic communication, you should be mindful of the impact of your contributions on the campus community. Users should abide by the standards set for participant behavior in each conference users are in, as well as by standards of good citizenship and those described in University codes of conduct. Be mindful that you represent Jefferson University in outside conferences and that outside users will judge Jefferson University by your conduct.
Use of administrative data carries with it particular responsibilities for the security of data, userIDs, and passwords made available to access such data. As an administrative data user, users are responsible for properly safeguarding any administrative data which may be accessed by a terminal, personal computer, or any other distributed workstation. Users should store data on storage media, such as floppy disks, in a secure environment consistent with the security classification of the data. An administrative userID defines the access authorization level appropriate for the user's job function, and users are considered responsible for all activity that occurs under the administrative userIDs and passwords. For this reason, users should not store userIDs and passwords in a microcomputer system, nor should users share their userIDs and passwords with others. Users are also considered responsible for being aware of security policies and procedures relating to access and use of administrative data.
Office of Information Resources Responsibilities
OIR has a responsibility to provide service in the most efficient manner while considering the needs of the total user community. At certain times, the process of carrying out these responsibilities may require special actions or intervention by the staff. At all other times, OIR staff have no special rights above and beyond those of other users. OIT shall make every effort to ensure that persons in positions of trust do not misuse computing resources or data or take advantage of their positions to access information not required in the performance of their duties. The Office of Information Resources prefers not to act as a disciplinary agency or to police activities. However, in cases of unauthorized, inappropriate, or irresponsible behavior, the Center does reserve the right to take remedial action, commencing with an investigation of the possible abuse. In this connection, OIT, with all due regard for the rights of privacy, shall have the authority to examine files, passwords, accounting information, printouts, tapes, or other material that may aid the investigation. Examination of the user's files must be authorized by the appropriate Office of Information Technology senior manager or designee. When requested users are expected to cooperate in such investigations. Failure to do so may be grounds for cancellation of access privileges.
InCommon Federation: Participant Operation Practices
INCOMMON FEDERATION: PARTICIPANT OPERATIONAL PRACTICES
Participation in the InCommon Federation (“Federation”) enables a federation participating organization ("Participant") to use Shibboleth identity attribute sharing technologies to manage access to on-line resources that can be made available to the InCommon community.
One goal of the Federation is to develop, over time, community standards for such cooperating organizations to ensure that shared attribute assertions are sufficiently robust and trustworthy to manage access to important protected resources. As the community of trust evolves, the Federation expects that participants eventually should be able to trust each other's identity management systems and resource access management systems as they trust their own. A fundamental expectation of Participants is that they provide authoritative and accurate attribute assertions to other Participants, and that Participants receiving an attribute assertion protect it and respect privacy constraints placed on it by the Federation or the source of that information.
In furtherance of this goal, InCommon requires that each Participant make available to other Participants certain basic information about any identity management system, including the identity attributes that are supported, or resource access management system registered for use within the Federation. Two criteria for trustworthy attribute assertions by Identity Providers are: (1) that the identity management system fall under the purview of the organization’s executive or business management, and (2) the system for issuing end-user credentials (e.g., PKI certificates, userids/passwords, Kerberos principals, etc.) specifically have in place appropriate risk management measures (e.g., authentication and authorization standards, security practices, risk assessment, change management controls, audit trails, etc.).
InCommon expects that Service Providers, who receive attribute assertions from another Participant, respect the other Participant's policies, rules, and standards regarding the protection and use of that data. Furthermore, such information should be used only for the purposes for which it was provided. InCommon strongly discourages the sharing of that data with third parties, or aggregation of it for marketing purposes without the explicit permission1 of the identity information providing Participant.
InCommon requires Participants to make available to all other Participants answers to the questions below.2 Additional information to help answer each question 1 Such permission already might be implied by existing contractual agreements. 2 Your responses to these questions should be posted in a readily accessible place on your web site, and the URL submitted to InCommon. If not posted, you should post contact information for an office that can discuss it privately with other InCommon Participants as needed. If any of the information changes, you must update your on-line statement as soon as possible.
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1. Federation Participant Information
The InCommon Participant Operational Practices information below is for: InCommon Participant organization name: Jefferson University The information below is accurate as of this date: March 31, 2014 Identity Management and/or Privacy information Additional information about the Participant’s identity management practices and/or privacy policy regarding personal information can be found on-line at the following location(s). URL(s) /oir/ Contact information
The following person or office can answer questions about the Participant’s identity management system or resource access management policy or practice.
Name: Kerry Fretz
Title or Role: Director, Network and Systems
Email address: Kerry.Fretz@jefferson.edu
Phone: 215-951-2838
2. Identity Provider Information
The most critical responsibility that an Identity. Provider Participant has to the Federation is to provide trustworthy and accurate identity assertions.
3. It is important for a Service Provider to know how your electronic identity credentials are issued and how reliable the information associated with a given credential (or person) is.
Community
1. If you are an Identity Provider, how do you define the set of people who are eligible to receive an electronic identity? If exceptions to this definition are allowed, who must approve such an exception? Registered students receive accounts through the account creation process (truncated username and number). The initial PIN is based on something the individual knows and on first use the PIN must be reset.
2. Each semester students who graduate or who are not retuning to campus are de-registered and their account disabled. Students who graduate have their accounts moved to alumni status and are then housed and managed by the alumni email provider.
3. A general note regarding attributes and recommendations within the Federation is available here: http://www.incommonfederation.org/attributes.html
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1. Faculty and staff must enter the University through the hiring process in Human Resources and are subsequently processed through an account creation process. The initial PIN is based on something the individual knows and on first use the PIN must be reset. When faculty or staff are terminated from the University accounts are disabled. Emeritus faculty may retain their email accounts.
2. “Member of Community” is an assertion that might be offered to enable access to resources made available to individuals who participate in the primary mission of the university or organization. For example, this assertion might apply to anyone whose affiliation is “current student, faculty, or staff.” What subset of persons registered in your identity management system would you identify as a “Member of Community” in Shibboleth identity assertions to other InCommon Participants? Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and affiliates (guests) Electronic Identity Credentials
3. Please describe in general terms the administrative process used to establish an electronic identity that results in a record for that person being created in your electronic identity database? Please identify the office(s) of record for this purpose. For example, “Registrar’s Office for students; HR for faculty and staff.” Students are provided and identity when they apply to Jefferson University.
Our Admissions Office starts the application process with the student. Once a student is accepted, makes a deposit, and is moved to “active student” status, the Registrar’s Office manages the student’s information. OIR uses the information gathered to provide a University ID and the requisite accounts. The Human Resources department manages information for staff. The Provost’s Office manages information for the faculty. Authorized OIR staff are responsible for managing information on guests. 4. What technologies are used for your electronic identity credentials (e.g., Kerberos, userID/password, PKI, ...) that are relevant to Federation activities? If more than one type of electronic credential is issued, how is it determined who receives which type? If multiple credentials are linked, how is this managed (e.g., anyone with a Kerberos credential also can acquire a PKI credential) and recorded? Username and password using Active Directory for students, faculty, and staff.
4. "Member" is one possible value for eduPerson
Affiliation as defined in the eduPerson schema. It is intended to include faculty, staff, student, and other persons with a basic set of privileges that go with membership in the university community (e.g., library privileges). “Member of Community” could be derived from other values in eduPersonAffiliation or assigned explicitly as “Member” in the electronic identity database. See http://www.educause.edu/eduperson/
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5. If your electronic identity credentials require the use of a secret password or PIN, and there are circumstances in which that secret would be transmitted across a network without being protected by encryption (i.e., “clear text passwords” are used when accessing campus services), please identify who in your organization can discuss with any other Participant concerns that this might raise for them: It is an abuse of Jefferson University policy and practice for any credential information to be transmitted in clear text. For Web-based authentication we use SSL to prevent clear text transmission of any past of the credentials. Contact the Director, Network & Systems.
6. If you support a “single sign-on” (SSO) or similar campus-wide system to allow a single user authentication action to serve multiple applications, and you will make use of this to authenticate people for InCommon Service Providers, please describe the key security aspects of your SSO system including whether session timeouts are enforced by the system, whether user-initiated session termination is supported, and how use with “public access sites” is protected. Jefferson University is using the ADFS and Shibbolith default setting for SSO timeouts.
7. Are your primary electronic identifiers for people, such as “net ID,” eduPersonPrincipalName, or edu. PersonTargetedID considered to be unique for all time to the individual to whom they are assigned? If not, what is your policy for re-assignment and is there a hiatus between such reuse? Yes, each identifier is unique to each person. No reassignment of userid. Electronic Identity Database
8. How is information in your electronic identity database acquired and updated? Are specific offices designated by your administration to perform this function? Are individuals allowed to update their own information on-line? The Registrar’s Office manages the student’s information. OIR uses the information gathered to provide a University ID and the requisite accounts. The Human Resources department manages information for staff. The Provost’s Office manages information for the faculty. Authorized OIR staff are responsible for managing information on guests. Individuals can update their password on-line and they can customize their basic information (local address, cell number) entry, but cannot change their unique identifier or affiliation information.
9. What information in this database is considered “public information” and would be provided to any interested party? The “directory” link on the top level page at www.jefferson.edu allows searches for faculty or staff, but not students. That search would yield first & last name, title.
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Directory information for students can only be obtained by University account holders using our web-based email system and the global address book Uses of Your Electronic Identity Credential System
10. Please identify typical classes of applications for which your electronic identity credentials are used within your own organization. Workstations, email, wired/wireless network, web, registration, learning management system, library resources, printing, etc. Attribute Assertions Attributes are the information data elements in an attribute assertion you might make to another Federation participant concerning the identity of a person in your identity management system.
11. Would you consider your attribute assertions to be reliable enough to: [ X ] control access to on-line information databases licensed to your organization? [ X ] be used to purchase goods or services for your organization? [ X ] enable access to personal information such as student loan status? Privacy Policy Federation Participants must respect the legal and organizational privacy constraints on attribute information provided by other Participants and use it only for its intended purposes.
12. What restrictions do you place on the use of attribute information that you might provide to other Federation participants? Attribute information on Jefferson University users should only be used in accordance with InCommon policy. Any other use must be authorized by Jefferson University.
13. What policies govern the use of attribute information that you might release to other Federation participants? For example, is some information subject to FERPA or HIPAA restrictions? Internal policies related to both FERPA and HIPPA govern the use of attribute information. However, our directory information does not contain such information. Service Provider Information Service Providers are trusted to ask for only the information necessary to make an appropriate access control decision, and to not misuse information provided to them by Identity Providers. Service Providers must describe the basis on which access to resources is managed and their practices with respect to attribute information they receive from other Participants.
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1. What attribute information about an individual do you require in order to manage access to resources you make available to other Participants? Describe separately for each service ProviderID that you have registered. Jefferson University is not a Service Provider (SP)
2. What use do you make of attribute information that you receive in addition to basic access control decisions? For example, do you aggregate session access records or records of specific information accessed based on attribute information, or make attribute information available to partner organizations, etc.? Jefferson University is not a Service Provider (SP)
3. What human and technical controls are in place on access to and use of attribute information that might refer to only one specific person (i.e., personally identifiable information)? For example, is this information encrypted? Jefferson University is not a Service Provider (SP)
4. Describe the human and technical controls that are in place on the management of super-user and other privileged accounts that might have the authority to grant access to personally identifiable information? Jefferson University is not a Service Provider (SP)
5. If personally identifiable information is compromised, what actions do you take to notify potentially affected individuals? Jefferson University is not a Service Provider (SP) Other Information
a. Technical Standards, Versions and Interoperability Identify the version of Internet2 Shibboleth code release that you are using or, if not using the standard Shibboleth code, what version(s) of the SAML and SOAP and any other relevant standards you have implemented for this purpose. Internet 2 Shibboleth v2.4.0 along with ADFS.
b. Other Considerations
Are there any other considerations or information that you wish to make known to other Federation participants with whom you might interoperate? For example, are there concerns about the use of clear text passwords or responsibilities in case of a security breach involving identity information you may have provided? University policy and practice prohibits the use of clear text password distribution.
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Additional Notes and Details on the Operational Practices Questions As a community of organizations willing to manage access to on-line resources cooperatively, and often without formal contracts in the case of non-commercial resources, it is essential that each Participant have a good understanding of the identity and resource management practices implemented by other Participants. The purpose of the questions above is to establish a base level of common understanding by making this information available for other Participants to evaluate. In answering these questions, please consider what you would want to know about your own operations if you were another Participant deciding what level of trust to place in interactions with your on-line systems. For example:
What would you need to know about an Identity Provider in order to make an informed decision whether to accept its assertions to manage access to your on-line resources or applications?
What would you need to know about a Service Provider in order to feel confident providing it information that it might not otherwise be able to have? It also might help to consider how identity management systems within a single institution could be used.
What might your central campus IT organization, as a Service Provider, ask of a peer campus Identity Provider (e.g., Computer Science Department, central Library, or Medical Center) in order to decide whether to accept its identity assertions for access to resources that the IT organization controls?
What might a campus department ask about the central campus identity management system if the department wanted to leverage it for use with its own applications? The numbered paragraphs below provide additional background to the numbered questions in the main part of this document.
[0] InCommon Participants who manage Identity Providers are strongly encouraged to post on their website the privacy and information security policies that govern their identity management system. Participants who manage Service Providers are strongly encouraged to post their policies with respect to use of personally identifying information.
[0] Other InCommon Participants may wish to contact this person or office with further questions about the information you have provided or if they wish to establish a more formal relationship with your organization regarding resource sharing.
[0] Many organizations have very informal processes for issuing electronic credentials. For example, one campus does this through its student bookstore. A Service Provider may be more willing to accept your assertions to the extent that this process can be seen as authoritative.
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It is important for a Service Provider to have some idea of the community whose identities you may represent. This is particularly true for assertions such as the eduPerson “Member of Community."
[1] A typical definition might be “Faculty, staff, and active students” but it might also include alumni, prospective students, temporary employees, visiting scholars, etc. In addition, there may be formal or informal mechanisms for making exceptions to this definition, e.g., to accommodate a former student still finishing a thesis or an unpaid volunteer. This question asks to whom you, as an Identity Provider, will provide electronic credentials. This is typically broadly defined so that the organization can accommodate a wide variety of applications locally. The reason this question is important is to distinguish between the set of people who might have a credential that you issue and the subset of those people who fall within your definition of “Member of Community” for the purpose of InCommon attribute assertions.
[2] The assertion of “Member of Community” is often good enough for deciding whether to grant access to basic on-line resources such as library-like materials or websites. InCommon encourages participants to use this assertion only for “Faculty, Staff, and active Students” but some organizations may have the need to define this differently. InCommon Service Providers need to know if this has been defined differently.
[3] For example, if there is a campus recognized office of record that issues such electronic credentials and that office makes use of strong, reliable technology and good database management practices, those factors might indicate highly reliable credentials and hence trustworthy identity assertions.
[4] Different technologies carry different inherent risks. For example, a userID and password can be shared or “stolen” rather easily. A PKI credential or SecureID card is much harder to share or steal. For practical reasons, some campuses use one technology for student credentials and another for faculty and staff. In some cases, sensitive applications will warrant stronger and/or secondary credentials.
[5] Sending passwords in “clear text” is a significant risk, and all InCommon Participants are strongly encouraged to eliminate any such practice. Unfortunately this may be difficult, particularly with legacy applications. For example, gaining access to a centralized calendar application via a wireless data connection while you are attending a conference might reveal your password to many others at that conference. If this is also your campus credential password, it could be used by another person to impersonate you to InCommon Participants.
[6] “Single sign-on” (SSO) is a method that allows a user to unlock his or her electronic identity credential once and then use it for access to a variety of resources and applications for some period of time. This avoids people having to remember many different identifiers and passwords or to continually log into and
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However, it also may weaken the link between an electronic identity and the actual person to whom it refers if someone else might be able to use the same computer and assume the former user’s identity. If there is no limit on the duration of a SSO session, a Federation Service Provider may be concerned about the validity of any identity assertions you might make. Therefore it is important to ask about your use of SSO technologies.
[7] In some identity management systems, primary identifiers for people might be reused, particularly if they contain common names, e.g. Jim Smith@MYU.edu. This can create ambiguity if a Service Provider requires this primary identifier to manage access to resources for that person.
[8] Security of the database that holds information about a person is at least as critical as the electronic identity credentials that provide the links to records in that database. Appropriate security for the database, as well as management and audit trails of changes made to that database, and management of access to that database information are important.
[9] Many organizations will make available to anyone certain, limited “public information.” Other information may be given only to internal organization users or applications, or may require permission from the subject under FERPA or HIPAA rules. A Service Provider may need to know what information you are willing to make available as “public information” and what rules might apply to other information that you might release.
[10] In order to help a Service Provider assess how reliable your identity assertions may be, it is helpful to know how your organization uses those same assertions. The assumption here is that you are or will use the same identity management system for your own applications as you are using for federated purposes.
[11] Your answer to this question indicates the degree of confidence you have in the accuracy of your identity assertions.
[12] Even “public information” may be constrained in how it can be used. For example, creating a marketing email list by “harvesting” email addresses from a campus directory web site may be considered illicit use of that information. Please indicate what restrictions you place on information you make available to others.
[13] Please indicate what legal or other external constraints there may be on information you make available to others.
[1] Please identify your access management requirements to help other Participants understand and plan for use of your resource(s). You might also or instead provide contact information for an office or person who could answer inquiries.
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[2] As a Service Provider, please declare what use(s) you would make of attribute information you receive.
[3] Personally identifying information can be a wide variety of things, not merely a name or credit card number. All information other than large group identity, e.g., “member of community,” should be protected while resident on your systems.
[4] Certain functional positions can have extraordinary privileges with respect to information on your systems. What oversight means are in place to ensure incumbents do not misuse such privileges?
[5] Occasionally protections break down and information is compromised. Some states have laws requiring notification of affected individuals. What legal and/or institutional policies govern notification of individuals if information you hold is compromised?
[1] Most InCommon Participants will use Internet2 Shibboleth technology, but this is not required. It may be important for other participants to understand whether you are using other implementations of the technology standards.
[2] As an Identity Provider, you may wish to place constraints on the kinds of applications that may make use of your assertions. As a Service Provider, you may wish to make a statement about how User credentials must be managed. This question is completely open ended and for your use.
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Glossary
- access management system - The collection of systems and or services associated with specific on-line resources and/or services that together derive the decision about whether to allow a given individual to gain access to those resources or make use of those services.
- assertion - The identity information provided by an Identity Provider to a Service Provider.
- attribute - A single piece of information associated with an electronic identity database record. Some attributes are general; others are personal. Some subset of all attributes defines a unique individual.
- authentication - The process by which a person verifies or confirms their association with an electronic identifier. For example, entering a password that is associated with an UserID or account name is assumed to verify that the user is the person to whom the UserID was issued.
- authorization - The process of determining whether a specific person should be allowed to gain access to an application or function, or to make use of a resource. The resource manager then makes the access control decision, which also may take into account other factors such as time of day, location of the user, and/or load on the resource system.
- electronic identifier - A string of characters or structured data that may be used to reference an electronic identity. Examples include an email address, a user account name, a Kerberos principal name, a UC or campus NetID, an employee or student ID, or a PKI certificate.
- electronic identity - A set of information that is maintained about an individual, typically in campus electronic identity databases. May include roles and privileges as well as personal information. The information must be authoritative to the applications for which it will be used.
- electronic identity databases - A structured collection of information pertaining to a given individual. Sometimes referred to as an "enterprise directory." Typically includes name, address, email address, affiliation, and electronic identifier(s). Many technologies can be used to create an identity database, for example LDAP or a set of linked relational databases
- electronic identity credential - An electronic identifier and corresponding personal secret associated with an electronic identity. An electronic identity credential typically is issued to the person who is the subject of the information to enable that person to gain access to applications or other resources that need to control such access
- identity - Identity is the set of information associated with a specific physical person or other entity. Typically an Identity Provider will be authoritative for only a subset of a person’s identity information. What identity attributes might be relevant in any situation depend on the context in which it is being questioned.
- identity management system - A set of standards, procedures and technologies that provide electronic credentials to individuals and maintain authoritative information about the holders of those credentials.
- Identity Provider - A campus or other organization that manages and operates an identity management system and offers information about members of its community to other InCommon participants.
- NetID - An electronic identifier created specifically for use with on-line applications. It is often an integer and typically has no other meaning.
- personal secret (also verification token) - Used in the context of this document, is synonymous with password, pass phrase or PIN. It enables the holder of an electronic identifier to confirm that s/he is the person to whom the identifier was issued.
- Service Provider - A campus or other organization that makes on-line resources available to users based in part on information about them that it receives from other InCommon participants.
Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy
Jefferson Univeristy provides information technology for educational, research, and administrative applications for its students, faculty, and staff.
This Eligibility and Acceptable Use Policy stems from the University's Statutes and Bylaws and from its more general policies and procedures governing faculty, students, staff, and facilities. With only a few exceptions, the present policy simply applies these larger policies and procedures to the narrower information-technology context. It balances the individual's ability to benefit fully from information technology and the University's need for a secure and reasonably allocated information-technology environment.
Use of the Jefferson University Network or services of that network constitutes the knowledge of, and acceptance of this and all OIT policies. In general, University faculty, students, and staff may use University information technology (which includes privately-owned computers connected to the University network) in connection with the University's core teaching, research, and service missions.Certain non-core uses that do not consume resources or interfere with other users also are acceptable.
Under no circumstances may faculty, students, staff, or others use University information technology in ways that are illegal, that threaten the University's tax-exempt or other status, or that interfere with reasonable use by other members of the University community. Violations of information-technology rules and policies typically result in University disciplinary action, which may have serious consequences.
The information-technology Eligibility and Acceptable Use Policy begins with a few principles, defines several categories into which users and applications of information technology fall, and specifies which users may use University information technology for which applications. University information technology is for University faculty, students, and staff to use for core University purposes. Any use counter to this, or which interferes with core use by others, is unacceptable. Some applications of University information technology are unacceptable even if they serve core purposes.
It is the policy of Jefferson University to maintain access for its community to local, national and international sources of information and to provide an atmosphere that encourages access to knowledge and sharing of information. It is the policy of the University that information resources will be used by members of its community in accordance with policy and regulations established by the University and its operating units.
This policy applies to: Any computer, networking device, telephone, copier, printer, fax machine, or other information technology which is owned by the University or is licensed or leased by the University is subject to University policies. In addition, any information technology which connects directly to the University data or telephone networks, uses University network-dialup facilities (the campus modem pool), connects directly to a computer or other device owned or operated by the University, and/or otherwise uses or affects University information-technology facilities is subject to University information-technology policies, no matter who owns it In accordance with the above policies, the University works to create an intellectual environment in which students, staff, and faculty may feel free to create and to collaborate with colleagues both at Jefferson University and at other institutions, without fear that the products of their intellectual efforts will be violated by misrepresentation, tampering, destruction and/or theft.
Access to the information resource infrastructure both within the University and beyond the campus, sharing of information, and security of the intellectual products of the community, all require that each and every user accept responsibility to protect the rights of the community. Any member of the University community who, without authorization, accesses, uses, destroys, alters, dismantles or disfigures the University information technologies, properties or facilities, including those owned by third parties, thereby threatens the atmosphere of increased access and sharing of information, threatens the security within which members of the community may create intellectual products and maintain records, and in light of the University's policy in this area, has engaged in unethical and unacceptable conduct.
Access to the networks and to the information technology environment at Jefferson University is a privilege and must be treated as such by all users of these systems. To ensure the existence of this information resource environment, members of the University community will take actions, in concert with legally constituted authorities, to identify and to set up technical and procedural mechanisms to make the information technology environment at Jefferson University and its internal and external networks resistant to disruption. In the final analysis, the health and well-being of this resource is the responsibility of its users who must all guard against abuses which disrupt and/or threaten the long-term viability of the systems at Jefferson University and those beyond the University.
The University requires that members of its community act in accordance with these responsibilities, this policy, relevant laws and contractual obligations, and the highest standard of ethics. Regulations Though not exhaustive, the following material defines Jefferson University's position regarding several general issues in this area.
The University characterizes as unethical and unacceptable, and just cause for taking disciplinary action up to and including non-reappointment, discharge, dismissal, and/or legal action, any activity through which an individual: Violates such matters as University or third party copyright or patent protection and authorizations, as well as license agreements and other contracts, Disrupts access to information resources for authorized users Interferes with the intended use of information resources, Seeks to gain or gains unauthorized access to information resources, Without authorization, destroys, alters, dismantles, disfigures, prevents rightful access to or otherwise interferes with the integrity of computer-based information and/or information resources, Without authorization, invades the privacy of individuals or entities that are creators, authors, users, or subjects of the information resources. This policy is applicable to any member of the University community, whether at the University or elsewhere, and refers to all information resources whether individually controlled or shared, stand alone or networked. Individual units within the University may define "conditions of use" for facilities under their control.
These statements must be consistent with this overall policy but may provide additional detail, guidelines and/or restrictions. Where such "conditions of use" exist, enforcement mechanisms defined therein shall apply. Where no enforcement mechanism exists, the enforcement mechanism defined in the Conditions of Use Policy shall prevail. Disciplinary action, if any, for faculty and staff shall be consistent with the University Standard Practice Guides and the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of the University. Where use of external networks is involved, policies governing such use also are applicable and must be adhered to. The Office of Information Technology reserves the right to modify this policy at any time in the future as is necessary to safeguard the Network and other users.
Mass E-Mail to University Community
The following guidelines should be followed in using the mass distribution function of the Jefferson University E-Mail system. The user should use his/her best judgment and following these guidelines will help ensure that the E-mail system and Network can be used effectively and to their capacity.
The message must be in regard to University business
Think of mass distribution e-mail as an extension of the University's existing system of distributing printed memos. Some items that mass distribution e-mail should not be used for are:
- Personal messages
- Items for sale
- Jokes
- Chain Letters
- Pyramid Schemes or Make Money Fast Schemes
- Viruses
- Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail
Information of interest to only a small segment of the University Community.
This list should not be construed as all-inclusive, and may be modified at any time. If you are unsure as to the appropriateness of an E-Mail Message, please contact OIT at 215-951-2645 or OIT@PhilaU.edu.
The information conveyed should contain significant news value
Announcements of regularly scheduled meetings and activities do not generally warrant University-wide distribution via e-mail. News that impacts a large number of people and will have significant impact on the University community may be appropriate for mass distribution.
Target your audience
Refine your distribution list so your message is delivered only to those for whom it's relevant. Avoid automatically sending to everyone on the University network.
Student accounts are limited to fifty (50) addresses for a single message. Circumventing this limitation will be considered a violation of the University E-Mail Policy.
Faculty and Staff accounts do not currently have any limitation, but all messages should be targeted to the smallest possible audience.
To create a distribution list (Outlook)
Open the address book and Select "new" and follow the instructions for personal distribution list. Note you can select members from the Global Address List (everyone) the Jefferson recipient list (faculty/staff), or the Student recipient list. Choose from the appropriate list to make things easier and less error-prone. For more detailed help, click on "help" and search for "distribution list." Create customized mailing lists for groups you communicate with frequently.
Enforcement
The Office of Information Resources will enforce this policy to the best of their abilities. In accordance with established University practices, policies and procedures, violation of this policy may result in disciplinary review, expulsion from the University, suspension or revocation of network account, termination of employment, legal action, or other disciplinary action as deemed appropriate. In addition, any use of the University E-mail system for obscene or harassing activities will warrant the loss of e-mail privileges. Students who engage in such activity may also face sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct.
Please refer to the Conditions and Use Policy published by the Office of Information Resources regarding appropriate use of Information Technology resources. This information is available from the Office of Information Resources or at their web site at /OIT under "Important Policies."
The Office of Information Resources reserves the right to modify this policy as is necessary to safeguard the Network and other users.
Peer to Peer File Sharing
What is Peer-to-Peer File Sharing?
Peer-to-peer (P2P) is a method of content distribution in which digital files are shared between “peer” computers using the Internet. Because “peer” computers do not rely on a central server to deliver content and they often break large files into numerous smaller pieces for sharing, P2P networks can be fast and reliable, balancing traffic loads that might otherwise overwhelm servers, and minimizing the impact of service breakdown due to single server or communication interruption. The roles of producer, consumer, and distributor of digital content are less clear---while greater quantities of information and resources can be delivered to a larger audience and applications than would be possible using conventional distribution methods. When used under the guidelines of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), P2P technology has the potential to play a pivotal role with regard to content distribution and knowledge sharing in higher education.
Additional Information:
Is P2P File Sharing Illegal?
File sharing is legal if the shared content is not copyrighted or is shared with the authorization of the copyright holder. Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content (books, journals, music, video, artwork, media, etc.) is copyright infringement. A simple analogy to use as a guideline---if the content can be purchased, sharing the work in an unauthorized fashion without payment or permission is not legal and violates the DMCA
Additional Information:
How Can I Find Legal Sources or Web Sites for Downloading Music and Video?
A list of popular legal sites can be found at: Legal Download Sites
I’d Like to Learn More About These Issues and How I Can Protect the Content I Create.
Here are several useful sites that address copyright issues, P2P, and content ownership:
Peer to Peer Frequently asked Questions
Takedown or DCMA Notice
What is a takedown or DMCA Notice?
Takedown or DMCA Notices are the most common type of copyright infringement notices that the University receives. Content owners such as the RIAA and MPAA send these notices to the ISP from which the file was made available.
How does the University handle takedown DMCA notices against undergraduate students?
When Jefferson University receives a takedown DMCA notice regarding a particular user, the Office of Information Resources (OIR) disables the port or device associated with the notice. OIR informs the Dean of Students of the notice and the Dean schedules an appointment with the student associated with that device and the VP for Information Resources to discuss the possible DMCA violation. Staff from the Technology Help Desk will assist the student with removing any P2P applications that shared copyrighted material.
If I comply with all of the University’s requests, am I protected from further action against me?
As a matter of Jefferson University policy, you must comply with the procedures. It is important to understand that even if you comply fully with the University’s takedown procedure, you are not shielded from potential liability from third parties like the RIAA, who retain the right to sue you for the underlying infringing activity.
Preservation Notice
What is a preservation notice?
The RIAA sometimes sends preservation notices to Jefferson University requesting that the University preserve contact information of the persons associated with IP addresses alleged to have infringed their copyrighted works. Jefferson University will generally comply with such notices; however, the university will not release the contact information based on the preservation letter alone. Preservation notices are sometimes followed by early settlement letters (see below).
Early Settlement Letter
What is an early settlement letter?
The RIAA may send campus ISPs such as Jefferson University “Early Settlement Letters” to be forwarded to the persons associated with IP addresses alleged to have infringed their copyrighted works. The early settlement letter advises the user that he or she may soon be subject to a lawsuit in connection with the allegedly infringing activity, provides a sample of the sound recordings that the user allegedly infringed, and suggests that user consider settling the claim to avoid the RIAA filing their claims in court (the “Early Settlement Letter” includes a link to a settlement website where a credit card payment can be made).
Since December 2008, the RIAA has stated publicly that it has suspended its early settlement process, but there is no guarantee that it will not sue students again. If at some point, Early Settlement Letters are reintroduced and you receive one, you may wish to seek the advice of an attorney. The Jefferson University does not represent students, so you would need to seek independent legal representation. Past letter recipients who did not want to settle with the RIAA were frequently sued. As part of this process, the RIAA would issue a subpoena to Jefferson University requesting the disclosure of your name and identifying information.
How does Jefferson University respond to subpeonas from the RIAA?
If served with a valid subpoena from the RIAA, the University will comply with the subpoena, providing the requested information.
I didn't personally upload any copyrighted materials. Am I still responsible?
You are responsible for any violation that occurs using your registered network addresses. This includes any downloading that occurs using a VPN connection to the University network.
I bought those songs legally using iTunes (or similar software). Why am I receiving a complaint?
Even if you have legally purchased a copyrighted work, it is still a violation of copyright law to distribute it to others without the content owner’s permission. If you are making the works available for downloading (whether knowingly or not), you may receive an infringement notice or be subject to other legal action based on the copyright holder claims that you are allowing other people to download their material.
How can I be sure that I am not sharing copyrighted works on my computer with others?
By default, P2P file-sharing applications enable uploading of files from your computer to others. To stop uploading, you either have to remove the P2P application from your computer, locate and change the options that control uploading in the application, or disconnect the computer from the network. Even after you have disabled uploading on a P2P application, a software update or other resetting mechanism may reset your preferences to resume uploading. You can reduce this risk by monitoring your use of the software, learning about the underlying technology, and familiarizing yourself with the laws that govern your use of these applications. If you want to be certain that you are not distributing copyright files over the Internet and campus network contact the Technology Help Desk for assistance in removing the P2P software application.
Prohibition of Commercial Use
It is a violation of University policy to use our network, our servers, or other University resources for promoting outside business interests. Computer resources shall not be used for private consulting or personal gain.
Random ID checks in Public Labs
Lab assistants in the public labs in Search Hall conduct periodic, random ID checks to protect our campus community's access to the labs. As we're all aware, competition for computers can become quite heavy during certain periods of the semester, especially as we head for the end of the term.
It has been brought to our attention that lab machines are occasionally used by people unaffiliated with the University, which can make access unavailable to our tuition-paying students. Please cooperate and bring your University ID with you to work in the labs.