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A
user should avoid actions that may make him/her or the University
criminally or civilly liable to others.
A
user should avoid any acts or omissions that might subject him/her to
criminal penalties or to civil liability to pay money to others. A user
will want to be aware, as well, that some acts or omissions that might
subject him/her to criminal penalties or civil liability may also subject
the University to criminal penalties or civil liability. A user should
also know that, under law, he/she may be required to reimburse the
University for any amount of money it must pay to another because of
injury caused by his/her conduct. This document presents, by way of
example, kinds
of
conducts most likely to bring down criminal penalties or civil liability.
A user should be aware, however, that if state or federal law makes the
user or the University criminally or civilly liable for certain conduct,
that law still applies even if not specifically described herein, and if
state or federal law prescribes certain consequences for certain conduct,
the user and the University may suffer those consequences even if they are
not described herein. Therefore, by way of example, The University of West
Alabama workstations and Internet connection should not be
used
for any of the following purposes:
- Making statements that are sexually
explicit or grossly offensive, including blatant expressions of
bigotry, racism, hatred, or profanity;
- Indulging in abusive, defamatory or
harassing behavior or insults or personal attacks or threats of harm
to anyone or promoting physical harm or injury to any group or
individual;
- Promoting or providing information
about illegal activities. The user also may not indulge in activities
that infringe upon anyone else’s copyright(s). Specifically, he/she
cannot advocate illegal con-duct or participate in illegal or
fraudulent schemes. He/she cannot use chat rooms to distribute
unauthorized copies of copyrighted materials, including photographs,
artwork, text, recordings, designs, or computer programs;
- Impersonating someone else or falsely
representing oneself;
- Attempting to post or use computer
programs that contain destructive features, such as viruses, worms,
Trojan horses, bot scripts, etc.; and
- Posting or transmitting of
unauthorized or unsolicited advertising, promotional materials, or any
other forms of solicitation to other users.
Neither
the University nor its Internet access provider is responsible for the
content of chat rooms. Users can be held legally liable for the contents
of their speech and messages, and may be held legally accountable if their
speech includes, for example, defamatory comments.
Due
to legal requirements neither The University of West Alabama nor its
Internet access provider monitors chat rooms, but the University itself,
in the interest of fostering positive uses of the Internet, urges users to
access only those chat rooms that help meet the University’s mission.
Users
agree to indemnify and hold harmless The University of West Alabama and
its Internet access provider for any loss, liability, claim, damage, and
expenses (including attorney fees) arising from or in connection with the
contents of their speech and their use of chat rooms.
Academic
chat always must take precedence over non-academic chat. The
administrative units responsible for computer labs on campus retain the
authority to establish and to enforce policy that limits or prohibits
excessive discussion room usage on computers within their labs.
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