Responsible Use Policy - Section E.2
E.2 - Data Security, Confidentiality and Privacy
Cal Poly users are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality and appropriate use of institutional data to which they are given access, ensuring the security of the equipment where such information is held or displayed, ensuring the security of any accounts issued in their name, and abiding by related privacy rights of students, faculty and staff concerning the use and release of personal information, as required by law or existing policies, including the Confidentiality-Security Policy and Policy on the Use and Release of Student Information.
Cal Poly is required by State law to disclose any breach of University system security to California residents whose unencrypted personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person. Notification will be based on procedures outlined in Appendix D, Policy Implementation and Practices.
Electronic mail and computer files are considered private to the fullest extent permitted by law. Access to such files will generally require permission of the sender/recipient of a message or the owner of the account in which the material resides, court order, or other actions defined by law. However, in the event of a sanctioned University investigation for alleged misconduct, e-mail or files may be locked or copied to prevent destruction and loss of information. Users may employ methods to increase the privacy of their files, provided they do not violate any provision of this policy or degrade system/network performance.
All users of Cal Poly's information technology resources are advised to consider the open nature of information disseminated electronically, and should not assume any degree of privacy or restricted access to such information. Cal Poly strives to provide the highest degree of security when transferring data, but cannot be held responsible if these measures are circumvented and information is intercepted, copied, read, forged, destroyed or misused by others.
