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Messaging e-mail Policies(see also Master List of Messaging Policies)E-MAIL SURVEYSApproved by the Human Subjects Committee, November 1993 Approved, by the ACPC, 1994. Procedures: 1. Requests to distribute a survey by e-mail received by the Office of Information Technologies will be forwarded to the office for the Human Subjects Committee, Bryan 10, if the survey is deemed "research". a. "Research" will be defined as any study in which the results will be distributed outside of the Indiana University community. c. For course-related research, any project "that may place the subjects at more than minimal risk" will also be forwarded to the office for the Human Subjects Committee for review. 'More than minimal risk' is defined as "any disclosure of the human subject's responses outside the research which could reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subject's financial standing, employability, or reputation." d. Once the project is approved by the Human Subjects Committee, it will be forwarded to the Office of Information Technologies to determine if the request for e-mail distribution is consistent with the Statement of Electronic Mail Access for Mass Distributions (attached). 2. Requests to distribute e-mail surveys that ARE NOT considered research (see definition in #1) will be reviewed by the Office of Information Technologies.
b. Individuals distributing the survey via e-mail will be required to include the following information to subjects: 1. Who is doing the survey 2. The purpose of the survey 3. Indication that participation is voluntary 4. Disclaimer: no connection to University Computing Services 5. A reminder that responses are NOT anonymous because the response contain the e-mail address of the subject 6. Contact person: RIf you have any questions about your rights as a participant, contact ______________ or the Office of Information Technologies, Franklin 116, Bloomington, IND, 47405, )(812)855-4870 ______________ The committee feels that the frequency and content of university or campus-wide mass mailings are inappropriate for electronic mail services. These services should be focused on facilitating individual and small group interaction, andshould serve a direct administrative or academic purpose. At the same time, the committee recognizes the importance and utility of electronic mail "mailing lists" for sending electronic messages to specifically targeted individuals. Electronic mail mailing lists are appropriate and necessary elements for communication among targeted members of interest groups, committees, classes, and service providers and their clients. The committee also recognizes that use of the university's electronic networks has the potential for allowing major cost savings for mass distribution of announcements. The designation and use of electronic bulletin boards devoted to notifications of general interest, announcements of events, or other "at large" distributions should be encouraged. The use of electronic bulletin boards for these purposes would enable the advantages of electronic communications to be capture for mass mailings, while still maintaining the unencumbered benefits of interpersonal communications available via an electronic mail system. In light of these considerations, the committee makes the following recommendations: 1. Electronic mail should not be used for mass mailings intended for all university or campus faculty and/or staff. Electronic mail should not be used in place of university/campus mail to announce events or to make appeals to the university or campus "at large". 2. Electronic mail should not be used for commercial purposes, and electronic mail mailing lists should be protected from commercial exploitation. 3. The university should establish electronic bulletin boards as a potential substitute for, or a supplement to, university mass mailings. Use of these bulletin boards should be encouraged.
Approval source: Academic Computing Policy Committee, 89.04.07 Amended and reaffirmed: Academic Computing Policy Committee, 92.04.17 What is the UITS policy on chain letters?Following is an official policy statement from the Indiana University UITS Information Technology Policy Office:
Chain e-mail often contains phrases like these: Pass this on Add your name to this petition Forward - do not delete Don't break the chain This is safe, don't worry Let's see how long this takes to get back to the start This has been around the world XX times 7 years of good luck! I don't wanna die Your mom would want you to do this The most important thing to remember is if you get chain e-mail, do not help propagate it. Often, there is a story about how lucky people have been since they forwarded the chain e-mail, or how unlucky they were because they didn't. Sometimes chain e-mail is disguised; it tells of a child who is dying and wants post cards, or it warns about e-mail viruses or Internet shutdowns. Don't fall for it. It's all chain mail if it asks you to send it to more people. If the message looks legitimate, but you aren't sure, your campus Support Center can advise you. For the correct address, see How do I contact Indiana University's campus Support Centers?
If you get chain e-mail from someone with an apparent Indiana
University e-mail address, you should report it immediately to the
IT Policy Office by forwarding the entire message with full headers
intact to
If you get chain e-mail from someone not affiliated with IU, you can reply to the sender noting your displeasure, or you can delete and ignore the message. If you choose to complain, make sure you know how to determine the actual source. Include the offending message and all header information. Most e-mail and Internet service providers have policies regarding the propagation of chain e-mail and how to deal with it. For more information about chain mail and proper use of your computer account,
see the UITS publication
Computer Users' Privileges and Responsibilities, and the ITPO document
Interpretation of Computer
Use Policy. What should I know to avoid getting in trouble with e-mail?UITS maintains a number of policies regarding the use and misuse of the University's computing resources. For more information, see the Information Technology Policy Office Technology Use Policies page at: http://www.itpo.iu.edu/policies.html Of specific interest is the ACPC-approved document on the interpretation of Computer Use Policy, which deals with chain letters, spoofed mail, harassment, and obscene and threatening e-mail: http://www.itpo.iu.edu/computeruse.html
This Knowledge Base document lists a number of behaviors that will almost certainly get you in trouble. E-mail is a great convenience, but that convenience can be abused. Use common sense and good manners when sending e-mail, and it will serve you well as a useful tool for communication. HarassmentSending threatening, unsolicited, obnoxious, or sexually explicit messages to others by e-mail is a form of harassment, as is continuing to mail someone who has asked you to stop. You should never send anyone an e-mail message containing things you wouldn't say to him or her in person. Also, remember that what you consider humorous, others may consider offensive or even frightening. E-mail harassment violates ethical usage of your computer account, and in some extreme cases may even provoke victims to press criminal charges. Mass-mailings and junk e-mailNever send uninvited e-mail (spam) to large numbers of
strangers. In particular, do not send commercial advertisements,
surveys, or questionnaires to anyone who has not given you permission
to do so. Junk e-mail wastes both system resources and the time of
those who receive it, and recipients may contact your system
administrator with complaints. If you wish to notify other network
users of commercial services or products, consider the
If you do legitimately need to send e-mail to a large number of people, you should place all but one of the addresses on the Blind carbon copy ("Bcc:") line of the message. If the addresses are on the "Bcc:" line rather than the "To:" or "Cc:" lines, a reply to the message will go only to the original sender, not to the entire list of addressees. When replies do go to all of the original addressees, each reply is also considered a mass mailing. For more information on how to use the "Bcc:" line, see the Knowledge Base document In Pine, how do I use the blind carbon copy (Bcc) option? Chain mailChain mail is another form of junk mail. A chain mail message is generally sent to several people and includes instructions that each person should forward the letter to several others. These messages waste system resources and often grow quite large as senders append their own additions. Resist any urge to forward such messages. Fraud and misrepresentationDishonest users sometimes attempt to forge mail messages to others to gain personal information, such as account passwords or even credit card information. Do not ever divulge such personal data in a reply, even if the sender looks legitimate; instead, forward the suspicious mail to the postmaster at the address where the message originated. SpoofingForging a message so that it appears to come from another user is cause for losing your account with most Internet service providers, including IU. Humorous intent will not be a sufficient defense, particularly if the message is not received in the intended spirit. Mailing the President The President and Vice President of the United States have e-mail addresses,
so that concerned citizens on the network can communicate their legitimate
opinions on various topics. Do not, under any circumstances, send threatening
e-mail to these addresses, even as a joke. They are monitored by the Secret
Service, whose members take any threat to national leaders extremely seriously.
If you abuse this e-mail service, you will be contacted by angry, humorless
individuals with guns, and you may even face criminal charges.
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