internet and electronic mail policy

I N T E R N E T A N D E L E C T R O N I C M A I L P O L I C Y

of 21

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PREAMBLE 3

2. PURPOSE 3

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 4

3.1 DEPARTMENT OF CORPORATE SERVICES 4

3.2 LINE MANAGERS 4

3.3 MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES 4

3 . 4 C O R P O R A T E S E R V I C E S P O R T F O L I O C O M M I T T E E 4

3.5 COUNCIL 4

4. DEFINITION OF TERMS 5

5. SCOPE 6

6. LEGAL FRAMEWORK 6

7. PRINCIPLES 6

8. POLICY STATEMENT 7

9. STANDARDS 8

10. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER USERS 9

11. USE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES 9

12. STORING OF MATERIAL ON COMPUTER 10

14. APPROVAL OF THE POLICY 15

ANNEXURE A 16

of 21

ICT EQUIPMENT DATABASE REGISTER FORM 16

of 21

1. PREAMBLE

1.1 Molemole Local Municipality is a service-orientated public entity whose legislated

mandate is to in the main provide services to residents and in pursuit of the mandate

make use of various communication methods and mechanisms;

1.2 Legislation prescribes that the municipality must establish controls and systems to

regulate the appropriate and efficient use of municipal resources;

1.3 The municipality is determined to ensure that officials and Councilors are able to use

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to efficiently perform their assign

duties and responsibilities.;

1.4 This policy seeks to provide a framework and set standards aimed at ensuring that the

ICT hardware and software assigned to municipal officials and Councilors are used

appropriately and at minimum costs to the municipality.

2. PURPOSE

2.1 To ensure people using IT equipment exercise good judgment in the implementation, configuration and usage thereof.

2.2 To position Information Technology within the municipality so that it can effectively be used to improve “Service Delivery” and to ensure that Molemole municipality is capable of moving into the information age.

2.3 The purpose is to “Empower” the Municipality to optimize service delivery to its clients through the effective application of state of the art Information Technology.

2.4 To ensure officials do not expend municipal time for surfing through the internet. 2.5 To set guidelines for allocation and usage thereof of IT hardware and software to

officials

of 21

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3 . 1 D E P A R T M E N T O F C O R P O R A T E S E R V I C E S

3.1.1 The Department of Corporate Services, through the Administration Unit, shall be the

implementing authority of this policy, and shall facilitate its annual revision.

3 . 2 L I N E M A N A G E R S

3.2.1 Managers should ensure that all officials using computers, whether temporary, permanent or contracts are made aware of the contents of this policy.

3.2.2 An employee is accountable for his/her usage of the Internet service, electronic mail

and other computer related services.

3 . 3 M U N I C I P A L E M P L O Y E E S

3.3.1 All municipal employees are expected to familiarize themselves with the

provisions of this policy and to comply with them;

3 . 4 C O R P O R A T E S E R V I C E S P O R T F O L I O C O M M I T T E E

3.4.1 The Corporate Services Portfolio Committee shall play an oversight role regarding

implementation of this policy.

3 . 5 C O U N C I L

3.5.1 Only the Council may approve this policy and any amendment thereafter through a

decision of the majority of councilors in attendance of the meeting at which

proposals in respect of this policy are considered.

of 21

4. DEFINITION OF TERMS

a) Computer virus - A computer program or script that interferes with, or damages the normal operation of a computer or any installed software. Virus programs are designed to infect other computers by hiding within e-mails or executable programs; b) Copyright - Copyright is designed primarily to protect an artist, publisher, or

other owner against any unauthorized copying of his works, by reproducing the work in any material form, publishing it, performing it in public, filming it, broadcasting it, causing it to be distributed to subscribers, or making any adaptation of the work. A copyright supplies a copyright holder with a kind of monopoly over the created material, which assures him of both control over its use and the pecuniary benefits derived from it;

c) Removable storage device - A removable disk on which data may be stored. Usually refers to CDs, Tapes, & floppies;

d) Personnel - includes employees/staff/officials employed permanently and temporarily as well as supplied by labour brokers or service providers;

e) Internet Hyperlink - Automatic link to a URL; f) Personal Account - An account created on the computer for individual User for access to

municipal server (s); g) URL - Uniform Resource Locator, the address of a specific website that be accessed

using municipal computers; h) SITA - State Information Technology Agency i) PC - Personal Computer j) ISP - Internet Service Provider k) CD - Compact Disk l) ITO – Information Technology Officer m) WWW - World Wide Web

of 21

5. SCOPE

5.1 This policy applies to:

5.1.1 all permanent, contractual and non permanent employees of the municipality

whose functions may require access to municipal networks and servers;

5.1.2 Use of Municipality owned or sponsored personal computers, laptops, notebooks, and related hardware and Municipality owned software;

5.1.3 Access to and disclosure of electronic mail messages sent or received by officials

and Councilors or contractors of the Municipality using the Municipality email system.

6. LEGAL FRAMEWORK

6.1 Sections 62 and 78 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (Act No. 56 of 2003) places an onus on municipal officials to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the resources of the municipality are used effectively, efficiently and economically; 6.2 The Act requires of the officials to take effective and appropriate steps to prevent, within their area of responsibility, any unauthorized, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure; 6.3 Chapter 10 (section 195) of the Constitution of South Africa no. 108 of 1996 requires of municipal officials to promote high standard of professional ethics.

7. PRINCIPLES

7.1 This policy is underpinned by the principles of

Fairness

Equity

Honesty

Accountability

of 21

Transparency

Openness

Collective responsibility

8. POLICY STATEMENT

8.1 MANAGEMENT'S RIGHT TO ACCESS INFORMATION

8.1.1 In the spirit of promoting security only the ITO is allowed to have administrator

rights. 8.1.2 The Municipality respects the individual privacy of its employees. However,

employee privacy does not extend to the employee's work-related conduct or to the use of Municipality-provided equipment or supplies.

8.1.3 Officials should be aware that the following guidelines might affect privacy in the workplace:

8.1.3.1 The electronic mail system has been installed by the Municipality to facilitate business communications.;

8.1.3.2 Although each employee has an individual password to access this system, it belongs to the Municipality and the contents of e-mail communications are accessible at all times by the Municipality management for any business purpose;

8.1.3.3 These systems may be subject to periodic unannounced inspections, and should be treated like other shared filing systems;

8.1.3.4 All e-mail messages received on Municipal servers will be treated as Municipal records;

8.1.3.5 The contents of e-mail, properly obtained for legitimate business purposes, may be disclosed within the Municipality without your permission;

8.1.3.6 Therefore, you should not assume that messages are confidential. Back-up copies of e-mail may be maintained, where necessary, and referenced for business and legal reasons.

8.2 PERSONAL USE OF E-MAIL & INTERNET FACILITIES

8.2.1 Because the Municipality provides the electronic mail and internet to assist you in

the performance of your job, you should use it for official Municipality business; 8.2.2 The Municipality reserves the right to access and disclose as necessary all messages

sent over its e-mail system, without regard to content. 8.2.3 Since your personal messages can be accessed by the Municipal management

without prior notice, you should not use e-mail to transmit any messages you would not want read by a third party. For example, you should not use the Municipal e-mail for gossip, including personal information about yourself or others, for forwarding messages under circumstances likely to embarrass the sender, or for emotional responses to business correspondence or work situations.

8.2.4 In any event, you should not use these systems for such purposes as soliciting or proselytizing for commercial ventures, religious or personal causes or outside organizations or other similar, non-job-related solicitations.

of 21

8.2.5 If the Municipality discovers that you are misusing the e-mail system, you will be subjected to disciplinary action, which may include discontinuation of the service or, depending on the nature of transgression, even dismissal.

8.3 FORBIDDEN CONTENT OF E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS OR INTERNET

8.3.1 You may not use Municipality e-mail or internet system in any way that may be seen

as insulting, disruptive, or offensive by other persons, or harmful l to morale; Examples of forbidden transmissions, software, programmes or websites include sexually-explicit messages, cartoons, jokes; unwelcome propositions or love letters; ethnic or racial slurs; or any other message that can be construed to be harassment or disparagement of others based on, inter alia, their sex, race, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or religious or political beliefs;

8.3.2 Use of the Municipality-provided electronic communication systems in violation of this guideline will result in disciplinary action, which may lead to dismissal.

8.4 ACQUISITION AND ALLOCATION OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

8.4.1 At the request of the employee’s manager, accompanied by a signed appropriate

Application for IT Equipment Form, computer equipment may be allocated or procured and an employee may have access to computer-based services, including software installation, user account, shared printer, e-mail and web services. These are provided to assist the employee to fulfill his/her official duties and/or business activities. The ITO will set the qualifying criteria for each official;

8.4.2 New equipment will be procured only if current equipment does not comply with the minimum standards set for the computer equipment;

8.4.3 In cases where an employee requires the allocation of non-standard equipment or software to fulfill their duties effectively, the employee’s senior manager must make a recommendation in the form of a motivated submission to the Manager: Corporate Services who must give authority;

8.4.4 The submission must include the specifications and cost of the software or equipment required;

8.4.5 The ITO will advise on the legal implications of procuring the software and licenses thereof.

9. STANDARDS

9.1 To make for cost-effective use of equipment and software, the Municipality will

standardize on a core set of software and hardware product requirements. The specifications will be set and revised from time to time by the ITO. The standards will cover the following:

9.1.1 Desktop computers - Users may only request new computers if their current

computers do not comply with the minimum hardware specifications set by the ITO.

of 21

As far as is possible, users will be issued with a computer that meets their preferred specifications, subject to financial resources of the municipality;

9.1.2 When the standard is raised, computers below the standard will be upgraded by the ITO;

9.1.3 To control maintenance cost, no other software may be installed without the written approval of both the user's Senior Manager and the ITO.

9.1.4 Only hardware or software related to an official’s area of responsibility shall be installed on the computer;

9.1.5 All computers procured by the municipality for officials must be prepared by the ITO using municipal network systems to install software and create users on the domain system

10. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER USERS

Employees are classified into two categories according to the nature of their work, viz:

10.1 Standard users are employees who only use standard applications installed on their personal computers.

10.2 High-level users are employees who use standard software and additional applications used in their divisions e.g. Financial Systems, Payroll or any specific software that is needed to assist the user to fulfill his/her duties

11. USE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT FOR OFFICIA L PURPOSES

11.1 Computer equipment is issued to employees for official duties and for Municipality’s business or activities sponsored or authorized by the Municipality;

11.2 Officials should refrain from incurring municipal resources and time for personal use of IT equipment. This includes but not limited to: website surfing, personal exchange of mails or any matter connected therewith;

11.3 Officials should not cause the municipality to incur costs related to personal use of IT equipment

11.4 Employees may not install or use software that does not support official business or activities sponsored by the Municipality, for example games, screensavers, screen utilities, movies, songs not on original CD, pictures, etc.

of 21

12. STORING OF MATERIAL ON COMPUTER

12.1 Users should take care not to expose the Municipality and its employees to materials or information that could be considered offensive. This includes words, images of any kind and recorded sounds (audio). If someone else accidentally sees material stored by an employee, the employee could face a charge of harassment.

12.2 Officials should refrain from saving personal information on municipal IT equipment. Regular audits will be conducted as and when the ITO deems necessary to ensure compliance to this clause.

12.3 Storing of the following material is expressly prohibited: 12.3.1 Discriminatory, intolerant or derogatory matter based on race, religion,

gender, age, ethnic or social origin, sexual orientation, disability, physical condition, HIV status, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language or birth.

12.3.2 Any form of violence, pornography, explicit nudity, sexual acts, gross depictions, religious content deemed inappropriate by other religious groups, militant or extremist material.

12.4 Unless computer equipment needs to run after hours, an employee shall switch off the equipment at the end of each working day.

12.5 If an employee’s computer is not logged out it is a security breach to the Municipality and switching off of computer equipment is considered best practice to reduce the risk of fire, save energy and ensure that any documents that employees have worked on are properly closed and ready for backup.

13. USE OF MUNICIPAL NETWORK

31.1 The Municipality provides its computer users with access to networked services.

It also maintains computers remotely via the network. Computers that are not logged onto the network cannot access networked services and cannot be maintained remotely. For this reason, employees may not use computer equipment without first logging into the Municipality network.

13.2 Employees must remain logged in when using computers. A support account will be created automatically on each workstation for support purposes.

13.3 Employees must lock out their workstations when they are out of the office. 13.4 Employees are advised to save all computer-based work they produce on the

main network of the municipality. The Municipality provides employees with network-based storage.

13.5 If employees are producing work that needs to be shared, the employees should ask the ITO to set up a shared folder on the network.

13.6 Anyone other than the duly appointed officials (including consultants) of the municipality should get authorization from the Manager: Corporate Services by filling an authorization form at least three days before the day of access.

of 21

13.7 The authorization form will specify the following information: 13.7.1 The name of Service Provider requiring access; 13.7.2 The Name of company representative to be accessing the system; 13.7.3 The total hours required for access; 13.7.4 The reason for requiring access to the municipal network; 13.7.5 Any configurations that will be done on the software/program;

13.8 After the consultant or representative has finished accessing the Network the ITO must check the servers or network system to verify if the system is working well by confirming on the authorization form

14 . INSTALLATION OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

14.1 Only the ITO is authorized to install or copy software programs on computers allocated to municipal officials; 14.2 To avoid breaking the law, the Municipality needs to control carefully the

software licenses it owns.; 14.3 A user may be held personally liable for any damages and legal costs, if he or

she copies software illegally onto the municipal computer or for installing onto a personal computer; 14.4 Maintaining central control over licenses and installations also protects the

users from unknowingly breaking the law; 14.5 If an employee or Councilor discovers any offensive material on his/her

computer, or on the network, the employee should report it to the ITO to investigate and take appropriate action.

15 . PERSONAL SOFTWARE MAY BE PROVIDED, WITHIN LIMITS

15.1 There are circumstances where users will be allowed to provide their own

software, or software licensed to a service provider. In this case, the employee must provide documentary proof that the employee holds a valid license before the software will be installed onto the municipal computer.

15.2 The Municipality has the right to hold the license until the software is removed. The Municipality will not replace a license if it is lost, nor offer compensation.

16 . SOFTWARE WRITTEN BY THE MUNICIPALITY

16.1 The municipality will normally own the copyright for software written "in- house", by the Municipality; 16.2 Such software may be used within the Municipality without a license. But, users

must still have these programs installed by authorized support staff; 16.3 Employees are still committing an offence if they copy, for non-official use,

software owned by the Municipality.

of 21

17. USE AND STORAGE OF UNLICENSED SOFTWARE

17.1 Unlicensed software is illegal and not allowed on any computer in the

Municipality; 17.2 The Copyright Act 98 of 1978 protects intellectual property against theft. If an

employee uses software without a license, the employee may be found guilty of a criminal offence;

17.3 The author of the software may also seek civil damages. If an employee knows or suspects that software on computer equipment is unlicensed, the employee must contact the ITO;

17.4 If employees infringe on applicable licensing and copyright laws the Municipality will hold such employees liable for criminal or civil action by any relevant law enforcement authority.

18. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR USING MUNICIPAL IT RESOURCES

18.1 All officials and Councilors of the municipality must adhere to the following

code, failing which disciplinary action shall be preferred against them:

18.1.1 Employees shall take care to use all computer equipment and resources in a responsible, ethical and lawful manner.

18.1.2 No employee should waste computer resources or unfairly prevent others from the use of such resources.

18.1.3 Employees may not use the Municipality's computer facilities to: a) Play games or run other entertainment software, b) Save files containing images, music, sound or video onto Municipality servers,

unless they are for official purposes. In such official cases an employee computer's local hard disk shall be used to save such material. This is usually the C: drive;

c) Make or store illegal copies of material protected by copyright. This includes software programs and publications, in whole or in part;

d) Back up their personal local hard drives onto Municipality servers e) Print large documents if there is a viable on-screen alternative; f) and Print personal or non-municipal information using municipal printers

18.14 Employees have a duty to take good care of the equipment issued to them. This is particularly relevant to staff who use portable equipment such as notebook computers and flash disk;

18.1.4 Employees may not lend the equipment issued to them for whatever reason to anyone who is not the official of the municipality for any reason whatsoever.

18.1.5 The municipality has a right to recall the equipment if it can satisfy itself that an official is lending the gadget to unofficial persons;

of 21

18.1.6 Employees issued with laptops are automatically given the permission to take it home but should fill in the equipment removal control form;

18.1.7 Employees may not install, move, and tamper with computer equipment. Only authorized support personnel may move, upgrade or repair computer equipment.

18.1.8 Employees may not remove, install or tamper with any internal component of a computer or the equipment that may be attached to it (e.g. printer).

18.1.9 Employees may not move computer equipment to another room, or site - unless it is specifically designed to be carried around (e.g. notebook computers). Employees may not swap equipment with other users. Moving or swapping equipment will create inconsistencies in the asset register. Employees should contact the ITO, (who must inform the Asset Manager) to arrange for the equipment to be moved or installed for them.

18.1.10 Users may open a printer to remove or replace paper as well as a toner or print cartridge.

18.1.11 Officials must report to ITO if they need a replacement or upgrading of the IT equipment who will test the equipment to justify the need for replacement

19. LOST OR STOLEN EQUIPMENT

19.1 If an employee loses or damages equipment, software or data that belongs to the Municipality, the employee must promptly report in writing to the Head of Department and the ITO.

19.2 In the case of theft or suspected theft, the employee must also report the loss to the South African Police Service within 24 hours of the loss being discovered.

19.3 In terms of the Municipality practices and policies, the user must provide the ITO with the following information: Serial number of the IT Asset that was stolen or lost Case reference number of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Date it was stolen and a short description of what happened The ITO will then change the Status of the item/s to “Stolen/Damaged”

19.4 If it is proven that the reason for loss of the computer was due to negligence on the part of the official, the said will be ordered to replace the computer.

20. DAMAGE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

20.1 Computer equipment that has been damaged willfully or as a consequence of negligence must be transferred between an end user and an ITO;

20.2 After the repair costs and the circumstances have been established the end user will be notified of the outcome. As in the case of stolen assets the ITO must be notified.

20.3 The ITO will update the IT Asset Register of the outcome of the decision to replace or to repair the damaged equipment.

of 21

21. COMPUTER EQUIPMENT OF OFFICIALS WHO RESIGN

21.1 When an official resigns he/she must return IT Assets in good working condition. 21.1.1.1 It is expected from all end users to sign off their responsibilities with regard to

all the computer equipment that has been issued and entrusted to them when they leave by means of the Municipality Employee Exit Checklist that s/he obtains from the Human Resource department of the municipality.

21.2 The ITO will check if the content on the form completed by the user corresponds with the IT asset register and the physical IT assets.

21.3 The User must also complete the IARF and provide it to the ITO for the Asset register database to be updated.

The Municipality reserves the right to deduct monies from the pension claims if the user is unable to adhere to the above stipulations

22. COMMENCEMENT AND REVISION

This policy takes effect on “DATE” and will be reviewed annually. The policy may be amended from time to time. Such amendments shall, as soon as reasonably possible, be

brought to the attention of all users, including by posting such amendments on the municipality by way of e-mail or memo.

of 21

14. APPROVAL OF THE POLICY

a) Date : _______________________

b) Signed on Behalf of the Council: _________/________/__________

of 21

ANNEXURE A

ICT EQUIPMENT DATABASE REGISTER FORM

1) I, the undersigned, acknowledge that I am an Official Councillor Contractor

of Molemole Municipality and hereby declare:

Mlm code Brand name Asset category

Date Purchased Assigned user Date Assigned

Position Office Based Department

Purchase Price License no

Model

SPECIFICATION

Memory size CPU size CD Drive

Stiffy Drive Monitor Type Keyboard

3G Card Printer Mlm Code HDD Size

Mouse

of 21

2) As a registered User I am aware of and undertake:

a) To take reasonable care to prevent the willful or negligent loss of or damage to the equipment;

b) The following factors should be considered: a) In the event of damage to the equipment at any time while it is in my

possession, I agree to inform the ITO within 24 hours; b) I agree to pay the cost of repairs of all damages to the equipment caused by the

lack of due care, negligence, or misuse; c) To make use of the Municipality Support Services of the ITO for the

maintenance of the equipment; d) To adhere to all the Municipality IT Asset and Inventory Control Procedures, the

Security Division’s policies and measures in this regard, as well as the Financial Circulars pertaining to the loss of or willful damage to equipment.

e) To notify the ITO as per IT ASSET RELEASE FORM of my intention to move the equipment should it become necessary for the performance of my duties

f) To connect my computer to network every time I am in the office for backup and virus protection

g) To notify the HR and ITO in writing of my resignation and to return all of the equipment listed in terms of this Declaration to the ITO.

h) Failure of the user to return the equipment may result in the municipality taking legal action to recover said equipment and recover any damage thereto, or recover the depreciated value thereof, at their sole discretion.

of 21

3) With reference to the Support, Maintenance and IT Asset Control policies and the

Procedures and standards of equipment of the Municipality, I also accept: a) That all equipment will be configured and maintained by the Municipality only. b) That equipment may not be exchanged between Users or workstations without

consent of ITO. c) That as the User I shall not copy my personal information into the municipal

computer d) That I shall not lend this equipment to any unauthorized person(s) without the

approval of the council (in case of Councilors) or Municipal Manager (in case of officials).

e) That I shall take responsibility of whatever kind deemed to be necessary by the municipality should I not adhere to provisions of clause 3.

Signed at _____________________on _______day of _________________20____ IT Officer/Manager Initials, Surname And Position In Print _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Senior Manager for User --------------------------------------------------------------- Initials & Surname (Senior Manager) ______________________________________ Date ______________________

of 21

4. With reference to the Support, Maintenance and IT Asset Control policies and the procedures and standards of equipment of the Municipality, the User also accepts: (a) That all equipment will be configured and maintained by the Municipality only. (b) That equipment may not to be exchanged between Users or workstations. (c) That as the User I shall not copy my personal information into the computer (d) That I shall not lend this equipment to any unauthorized person(s) without the approval of the relevant Authority. (e) That I shall take responsibility of whatever kind deemed to be necessary by the municipality should I not adhere to clause 4. Signed at _____________________on _______day of _________________20____ IT Officer/Manager Initials, Surname And Position In Print _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Senior Manager for User --------------------------------------------------------------- Initials & Surname (Senior Manager) ______________________________________ Date ______________________

of 21

Version Control

Version Approved Date Responsibility

01 30 May 2012 Corporate Services Department

internet and electronic mail policy

Documents