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Mind your
ITiquette, AUP is watching
By Rod Fajardo
III
A
set
of rules governing the use of information technology (IT) resources
of UP is all geared for implementation starting this February. There
are reasons for computer freaks to fret about it. And ordinary users
should be equally concerned.
Under the Acceptable
Use Policy (AUP) for IT Resources of the UP System, which was approved
by the Board of Regents only in October last year, the simple act
of passing on a chain letter through email can result in the suspension
of a user. Printing excess copies of documents, files, data, or
programs may cause a month-long suspension. Even using two computer
units at the same time will no longer be allowed as it is tantamount
to denying others access to facilities.
More stringent penalties ranging from the permanent withdrawal of
IT privileges to expulsion may be meted out for high-profile crimes,
such as hacking, hardware and software installation and removal,
theunauthorized reproduction and commercial distribution of software
and files, and the installation of destructive programs like viruses.
And, to be sure, the UP Computer Center (COMCEN) has the necessary
tools to track down violators. Some of these tools are installed
right within the computers.
Prof. Rommel Feria, director of the COMCEN explained that computing
facilities and network infrastructure are powerful technologies
for accessing and distributing information but, at the same time,
so costly that the University cannot afford to be inefficient in
using them. Moreover, he said, UP is operating on already saturated
bandwidths—6 megabits per second (mbps) for downlink and 4 mbps
for uplink. Accordingly, the AUP works on the premise that expedient
use of all computing facilities and network infrastructure must
support the teaching, learning, research, administrative, and other
functions of the University.
But while penalizing common IT crimes, hacking, installing viruses,
the unauthorized access to confidential files and wasteful practices
such as circulating chain letters, printing documents excessively,
and using more than one computers are generally acceptable, some
restrictions in the AUP need clarification.
Pornographic contents
One complaint that has been raised is the blocking of pornographic
contents online. Alan Barracoso, an MA student at the College of
Social Science and Philosophy in UP Diliman, said that in his attempt
to further substantiate his research on “pornography versus art,”
he turned to the Internet. But as he went on to navigate pertinent
websites, he became increasingly frustrated when he could not access
popular pornographic sites, such as those of Penthouse, Playboy,
or Hustler. Even those that contained the words “pornography,” “sex,”
or even “vagina” and “penis” could not be accessed. Barracoso felt
that this was contrary to the academic freedom of which UP is a
known champion.
Prof. Marvic M. V. F. Leonen, University general counsel, pointed
out that it is not true that the AUP perpetually and absolutely
bans access to “obscene” or “pornographic” sites. “If access to
these sites is necessary for purposes related to one’s learning,
teaching, research, or extension services,” he said, “a special
request can be made to the UP CCOMCEN by a unit head.”
“Besides,” Leonen added, “Internet access is not an unlimited forum.”
He further cautioned against injudicious use. Access blocks out
the access of others. A download of large JPEG or GIF files containing
pornographic or obscene materials effectively means that others
wanting to make use of the Internet will have to wait.” Furthermore,
Leonen noted, obscene materials are not per se part of protected
speech or information. “It can even be violative of the rights to
equality of women,” he said.
Feria, for his part, assured FORUM that blocking adult contents
online has nothing to do with academic freedom. “It is being consistent
with the primary aim of the AUP, which is to efficiently use our
IT facilities by strictly anchoring our activities on the teaching,
learning, and research functions of the University.”“Let’s face
it,” he said, “for the ordinary users, once you access a pornographic
website, it’s usually for personal gratification.”
A user’s intention is a grey area, Feria said, those interested
can write a letter signed by a supervisor or faculty in charge justifying
the purpose for accessing adult sites and send the letter to this
office. If it is, indeed, for intellectual stimulation, Feria said
the COMCEN would be more than willing to temporarily set its filter
off.
The same principle is applied to chatting on the Internet and playing
entertainment software. There are instances when these two practices
are wasteful, particularly when the user gets so hooked on them
that his or her other responsibilities are neglected.
Just like pornographic websites, however, entertainment software
may be necessary in pursuing research activities and there are research
endeavors that seek to study the impact of cybergames on productivity.
Chatting, meanwhile, may be a cheaper and more efficient alternative
to making overseas calls or corresponding by mail with scholars
abroad.
Off tangent
Another touchy provision in the AUP is the warning on the use of
IT resources “for partisan political activities.” In an environment
such as the UP’s where all kinds of beliefs—political, academic,
religious—are accepted, such provision seems off tangent.
Feria said, however, that the AUP only prohibits activities that
are not permissible under the rules and regulations of UP and the
Philippine constitution. “Of course, we do not want our IT resources
used for offensive, abusive, and fraudulent materials to advance
the political interests of certain groups or individuals,” he quipped.
Bootleg software
The provision on infringement of protected materials is another
problem area in the AUP. The provision prohibits users from, among
others, infringing on the copyright and other property rights covering
software.
Like most other campuses and establishments, volunteered Feria,
UP has its own share of headaches with regard the use of pirated
software. This is quite understandable since the cost of having
these software licensed is quite steep. For Microsoft Office alone,
the University will have to cough up $12 million just for the Diliman
campus. The operating system for Windows XP or Windows 2000, meanwhile,
would cost around P8,000 per computer.
“We do not have that money but we do not use it as an excuse to
allow the proliferation of bootleg software in UP,” pointed out
Feria. “What we do is encourage our constituent campuses to switch
to Open Source software, specifically the Bayanihan Linux and the
Sun StarOffice, which can both be had for free.” All interested
users have to do is bring blank CDs to the Computer Center and the
staff there will copy the software for them. Sun StarOffice may
also be downloaded from ftp://ftp.upd.edu.ph/pub/staroffice free
of charge. Redistribution and resale of these software, however,
are not allowed.
Feria assured that users would not be alienated by Open Source software
as they are just like Microsoft Windows in applications. Linux,
for example, has Spreadsheet, which is the equivalent of Microsoft
Excel. It also has Presentation to match Microsoft PowerPoint.
“Most users hesitate to switch to Linux because compared to the
very expensive Microsoft, it is for free,” observed Feria. “They
think that because Microsoft cost billions of dollars to be created,
it’s better than any other software.” What users do not know is
that Linux is even more efficient than Microsoft because the core
of its operating system is designed to function as servers do. It
is, thus, capable of handling more applications.
The operating system, to be sure, is an important part of the computer.
It interprets the data, information, and commands used by the application
software programs so that the hardware can understand them and translate
them into readable tools, such as the Microsoft Word and Linux Spreadsheet.
In other words, computers are practically no more than a useless
box without an operating system.
The laboratories of the Department of Computer Science, Department
of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Department of Mathematics
are some of the few that have so far shifted to Linux. The COMCEN
would like other users to follow suit, “but we cannot force Linux
on them because it would be like telling them what to do and people
here in UP do not like that,” Feria said. “What we do is tell them
the advantages of Linux. Also, we tell them that if they do not
want to switch to Open Software, they should be prepared to shell
out the money needed for licensing because we cannot risk being
caught using pirated materials in our IT facilities.”
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