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Computing Security and Privacy

The College employs various measures to protect the security of its computing resources and of their users' accounts.  Users should be aware, however, that the College cannot guarantee such security.  Users should therefore engage in "safe computing" practices by establishing appropriate access restrictions for their accounts, guarding their passwords, and changing them regularly.

Users should also be aware that their uses of College computing resources are not completely private. While the College does not routinely monitor individual usage of its computing resources, the normal operation and maintenance of the College's computing resources require the backup and caching of data and communications, the logging of activity, make and model of computers, configuration, software usage, the monitoring of general usage patterns, and other such activities that are necessary for the rendition of service.  The College may also specifically monitor the activity and accounts of individual users of College computing resources, including individual login sessions and communications, without notice, when (a) the user has voluntarily made them accessible to the public, as by posting to Usenet or a web page; (b) it reasonably appears necessary to do so to protect the integrity, security, or functionality of College or other computing resources or to protect the College from liability; (c) there is reasonable cause to believe that the user has violated, or is violating, this policy; (d) an account appears to be engaged in unusual or unusually excessive activity, as indicated by the monitoring of general activity and usage patterns; or (e) it is otherwise required or permitted by law.  Any such individual monitoring, other than that specified in "(a)", required by law, or necessary to respond to perceived emergency situations, must be authorized in advance by the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration for those incidents involving College staff, the Provost for this incidents involving either students or faculty.

The College, in its discretion, may disclose the results of any such general or individual monitoring, including the contents and records of individual communications, to appropriate College personnel or law enforcement agencies and may use those results in appropriate College disciplinary proceedings.