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Home My WebLink About2.e. Use of Computers, E-mail System and Internet CITY OF ROSEMOUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING DATE: JULY 14, 1999 AGENDA ITEM: USE OF COMPUTERS, E-MAIL SYSTEM AGENDA NO.: � AND INTERNET � . PREPARED BY: SUSAN M. WALSH ASSISTANT TO ADMINISTRATOR ATTACHMENTS: POLICY, STATE GUIDELINES ON USE OF APPROVED BY: INTERNET / Pursuant to discussion at the June Committee of the Whole meeting, I have revised the policy for use of computers, electronic mail and Internet service. Attached is a copy of the State guidelines for use of the Internet. You will find that I have incorporated a large portion of the State's policy into the City's. The majority of the policy deals with e-mail through the Internet. It is important that employees realize that anything sent or received through e-mail should be restricted for business purposes only and that e-mail messages may never be deleted from the city's computer system. Attached is Section 1-7-6(A)Prohibition of Special Treatment, that was adopted by the City Council in 1993 and specifically prohibits employees from using city equipment for their personal use. When the proposed policy is distributed to employees,we will refer to this section of the City Code and remind employees they cannot use city equipment for their own personal use or gain. PROPOSED POLICY FOR USE OF COMPUTERS,E-MAIL SYSTEM AND THE INTERNET The purpose of this policy is to establish policies and procedures for employee use of city computers, e-mail and the Internet. Computers, computer files, and e-mail systems are property of the City of Rosemount and are intended for City business. Internet services should be used for City business only, and all Internet data that is composed, transmitted or received via city computers is considered to be the property of the City and part of the official records of the City. E-mail messages constitute government data and as such are subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. All employees are required to comply with the Data Practices Act in the collection,retention and dissemination of e-mail. Since no computer system is completely secure, the e-mail system is not intended to transmit sensitive materials, such as personnel decisions and other similar information which may be more appropriately communicated by written memorandum or personal conversation. Generally, e-mail messages are temporary communication,which are non-vital and may be discarded routinely. However, depending on the content of the e-mail message, it may be considered a more formal record and should be retained pursuant to a department's record retention schedules. Examples of inessages of this nature are communications which: state policy, involve decision-making or are contract related or are otherwise an essential part of a larger record, or other memorandum of significant public business. As such, these e-mail messages are similar to printed communication and should be written with the same care. Each department head is responsible for establishing and maintaining department retention schedules for the information communicated through the e-mail system. However, employees should be aware that when they have deleted a message from their mailbox, it may not have been deleted from the e-mail system. The message may be residing in the recipient's mailbox or forwarded to other recipients. Furthermore, the message may be stored in the computer's back-up system. E-mail is to be used for the business purposes of the City. E-mail should be used to increase timely and effective business communications. Uses of E-mail that will not be tolerated include: • Illegal activities; • Wagering,betting or selling changes; • Harassment; • Commercial activities; • Solicitation for personal gain; • Promotion of political or private causes,positions or activities, and/or other unethical activities. Because each Internet E-mail user's identification includes the suffix @ci.rosemount.mn.us, it is imperative that employees not participate in news groups, chat groups or bulletin boards where the content is not clearly related to individual responsibilities because such messages might be construed as an official City of Rosemount position. E-mail messages must be able to withstand public scrutiny without embarrassment to the City and its employees if inessages are forwarded beyond the intended recipients, accessed or inadvertently disclosed, subpoenaed in a legal action, or otherwise made public. Employees should use generally accepted standards of business conversation in all e-mail messages. Employees should also use good judgment in the type of inessage created and in the tone and content of inessages. It is the supervisory responsibility to oversee use and to deternune if Internet services are appropriate to assigned work. Content of e-mail messages is not routinely monitored or disclosed. However, monitoring or disclosure may occur internally and externally under subpoena or other legal actions, in connection with charges of improper or illegal actions by an individual, unexpected absence of an employee, or upon request for public data and other appropriate business. While Employees may have confidential passwords in some cases,users should be aware that this does not suggest that the system is for personal confidential communication,nor does it suggest that e-mail is the property of the employee. The use of the e-mail system is for city business. Employees who are terminated or laid off have no right to the contents of their e-mail messages and are not allowed access to the e-mail system. The Finance Director or designee shall maintain a record of all employees' passwords, and employees must advise the Finance Director of any password changes. 2 1-7-3 1-7-6 committee or commission thereof. (Ord. 11.7, 6-1-93) 1-7-4: RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUBLIC OFFIGIALS: Public officials are agents of public purpose and hold office for the benefit of the public. They are bound to uphold the constitution of the United States, the constitution of the State of Minnesota and to carry out impartially, all laws of the United States, State of Minnesota, Dakota County and the City of Rosemount. Public officials must undertake their official duties with the highest standards of morality and discharge the specific duties of their respective offices, regardless of personal considerations, recognizing.that the public interest must be their primary concern. Their conduct in carrying out their official responsibilities must be above reproach. (Ord. 11.7, 6-1-93) 1-7-5: STANDARDS OF SERVICE: A. Adherence to Objectives: All public officials of Rosemount should be loyal to the political objectives expressed by the electorate and the programs developed by appropriate Municipal action to achieve those objectives. Appointed officials and employees should adhere to the rules of work and performance established as the standards for the positions by their appointing authorities. B. Conformance with Law/Cooperation: Public officials shall not exceed their authority or breach the law or ask others to do so. They should work in full cooperation with other public officials, unless prohibited from doing so by law or by legally recognized confidentiality of their work. (Ord. 11.7, 6-1-93) 1-7-6: PROHIBITION OF SPECIAL TREATMENT: ,�.:�...� G.,,.�oy�.g A. Use of Public Property: No public official shall request or permit e use of City-owned vehicles, equipment, materials or property for personal convenience or profit, except when such items are available to the public generally or are provided pursuant to Municipal policy for the use of such public official in the conduct of Rosemount Municipal business. B. Equal Treatment of Citizens: No public official shall grant any special consideration, treatment or advantage to any citizen beyond that which is available to every other citizen. (Ord. 11.7, 6-1-93) 1093 City of Rosemount Internet Guidelines Page 1 of 3 ,�,�-.�-��., :�� .. ,� �;��, Y . �� '�:�.��, ETHICAL USAGE OF THE INTERNET * These are interim guidelines for Department of Administration employees to follow until official policies have been established. This information has been extracted from the policies of various state agencies. The Internet has become a de facto standard for communication between disparate government, commercial,education and private organizations. The Department of Administration is using this business tool in conformity with best practices for government agencies, as defined by the Information Policy Office(IPO). Each Admin employee is responsible for adhenng to the guidelines set forth by the following standards. By definition, the Internet is a collection of computers, computer networks, communication protocols,information servers, and personal and organizational information retrieval clients connected together in a global community. Traffic may cross multiple, different networks prior to reaching the client destination. There is no central authority on Internet, and all networks are equal in status to all other networks. Typical Internet services include receiving and providing information through: (1) electronic mail, (2) electronic discussion groups, (3) access to library or other information resources, and(4)transfer of files or other programs. The Internet also provides opportunities to engage in long distanee computing (i.e.,using multiple computer sites for co-processing or completing complex computuig tasks, and the ability to present information about the agency or state. E-Mail messages constitute government data and as such are ,. subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Data �' that is not public (i:e.,private and confidential,non-public and � protected non-pubhc)may not be transmitted in clear text on � Internet E-mail. Admin will provide specific guidance on storage,retention and disposition of electronic messages. / E-Mail is to be used for the business purposes of the agency. E-mail should be used to increase timely and effective business � communications. http://www.admin.state.mn.us/internet-usage.html 7/2/99 _�rternet Guidelines Page 2 of 3 Uses of E-mail that will not be tolerated include: . illegal activities; / . wagering,betting or selling chances; . harassment; \ . commercial activities; . solicitation, except on agency sanctioned activities; . promotion of political or private causes,positions or activities, and/or other unethical activities. See the Minnesota Code of Ethics for State Employees (Minn. Statutes 43A.38,39) and the Department of Administration's Code of Conduct, specifically the sections on the use of state property, confidentiality of data, and computer security. Because each Internet E-mail user s identificarion includes the suffix @state mn.us it is imperative that employees not participate in news groups, chat groups or bulletin boards / where the content is not clearly related to individual �\ responsibilities because such messages might be construed as an official State of Minnesota or Admin position. Internet policy related to news groups, chat groups or bulletin boards is under development. E-mail messages must be able to withstand public scrutiny l without embarrassment to Admin,its customers or its ,� employees if inessages are forwarded beyond the intended recipients, accessed or inadvertently disclosed, subpoenaed in a legal action, or otherwise made public. Employees should use generally accepted standards of business conversation in all E-mail messages.Use good � judgment in the type of inessage created, and the tone and content of inessages. Content is always considered personal opinion unless specifically set forth as Admin position. Incoming E-mail messages containing attachments may imperil Admin systems by importing viruses. Such attachments should be routinely scanned for viruses prior to using or executing the attachments. Messages of a confidential nature should not be sent over the Internet. Physical security of inessages cannot be guaranteed in most E-mail systems. The content of the message determines whether the message is public or non-public.Messages containing non-public data may not be sent in clear text. It is a supervisory responsibility to oversee use and to determine if Internet Services are appropriate to assigned � work. Content of E-mail messages is not routinely monitored or disclosed. However, monitonng or disclosure may occur ��. internally under administrative procedure and externally under subpoena or other legal actions, m connection with charges of improper or illegal actions by an individual,unexpected absence http://www.admin.state.mn.us/internet-usage.html 7/2/99 Internet Guidelines Page 3 of� of an employee, or upon request for public data and other appropriate business or technical reasons. [Proiects,E�ents,&Postin�sllBack to Admin Home Pa�e� http://www.admin.state.mn.us/internet-usage.hhnl 7/2/99