Page 215 - Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual

CHAPTER XII.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Section 1200.001Computer Usage

A. No one shall use any Augusta, Georgia computer or network facility without proper
authorization. No one shall assist in, encourage, or conceal from authorities any unauthorized
use, or attempt at unauthorized use, of any of the Augusta, Georgia's computers or network
facilities.
1. Computers and networks are just like any other Augusta, Georgia facilities - they are to
be used only by people who have permission. Using a computer without permission is
theft of services and is illegal under state and federal laws. In addition, the following
specific computer crimes are defined by state law (Ga. Code 16-9-90 et seq.):
a. Computer theft: (including theft of computer services, intellectual property such as
copyrighted material, and any other property);
b. Computer trespass: (unauthorized use of computers to delete or alter data or interfere
with others' usage);
c. Computer invasion of privacy: (unauthorized access to financial or personal data or
the like);
d. Computer forgery: (forgery as defined by other laws, but committed on a computer
rather than on paper);
e. Computer password disclosure: (unauthorized disclosure of a password resulting in
damages exceeding $500 - in practice; this includes any disclosure that requires a
system security audit afterward);
f. Misleading transmittal of names or trademarks: (falsely identifying yourself or
falsely claiming to speak for a person or organization by using their name, trademark,
logo, or seal, Ga. Code 16-9-93.1).
i. Maximum penalties for the first four crimes in the list are a $50,000 fine and 15
years of imprisonment, plus civil liability. The maximum penalties for computer
password disclosure are a $5,000 fine and 1 year of imprisonment, plus civil
liability.
B. No one shall knowingly endanger the security of any Augusta, Georgia computer or network
facility, nor willfully interfere with others' authorized computer usage.
1. Many of the other regulations given here deal with specific acts of this kind. These
regulations are not all inclusive and you should not assume that other malicious acts or
deliberate security violations are permissible merely because there is no specific rule
against them.
C. No one shall use the Augusta, Georgia's communication facilities to attempt unauthorized use,
nor to interfere with others' legitimate use, of any computer or network facility anywhere.
1. State and federal laws forbid malicious disruption of computers. Augusta, Georgia does
not tolerate individuals who invade others' privacy, steal computer services, commit
misrepresentation or fraud, or attempt to disrupt computers or network facilities for any
other purpose, including pranks or jokes.
2. In addition, you should be aware that ability to use a remote computer does not constitute
permission. Some computer services are open to the public, and clearly identify themselves
as such (examples are anonymous FTP sites and Gopher servers). However, the mere lack
of security measures does not mean that a computer is open to anyone who wishes to use
it. The same goes for unauthorized use of communication paths, such as remote dial out
modems and the like.
D. No one shall connect any computer to any of Augusta, Georgia's networks unless it meets
technical and security standards set by the Information Technology department.

All Rights Reserved – As approved by the Commission on 05-07-2019 214 | P a g e