Re: Blocked URL Categories

["Mccormick, Kevin" <ke-mccormick () WIU EDU>]

You allow access because you are a higher education institution and those
are topics that need researched.

We don't filter anything here, and if we even tried to the faculty and
students would throw a huge fit.

If the AUP is a university policy like ours, I would recommend re-writing
the AUP.

Some of the older AUPs I have seen are by today's standards overly
restrictive and outdated.

Here is our AUP.

http://www.wiu.edu/vpas/policies/usage.php

Kevin McCormick
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Network Administrator
University Technology - Western Illinois University
KE-McCormick () wiu edu | (309) 298-1335 <3092981335> | Morgan Hall 106b
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On Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 11:56 AM, Ronald King <ronald.king () morgan edu>
wrote:

> Good afternoon,
>
> We are a public institution in Maryland. We are being questioned by our
> state auditors as to why we permit access to the URL categories
> abused-drugs, extremism, hacking, and gambling when our AUP states IT
> resources are not to be used for illegal activities or "for commercial,
> religious, political (including activities supporting the nomination of any
> person for political office or attempting to influence the vote in any
> election or referendum), solicitation, or profit-making purposes."
>
> Along with academic freedom, the perspective I have been arguing is one to
> permit access to the sites. The argument is, just because a student
> accesses a gambling website does not mean they are gambling.
>
> So, my questions to the group are:
>
>    - Do you block these URL categories by default?
>    - If so, how do you address the request to research in areas that
>    might require access to these URLs?
>    - How did you convince the auditors it was necessary to allow access
>    to these categories?
>
> As always, responses can be addressed directly to me or via the listserv.
>
> Thank you for your input!
> *Ronald A. King, CISSP*
> Chief Information Security Officer
> Morgan State University Office: (443) 885-3372
> 1700 E. Cold Spring Ln
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1700+E.+Cold+Spring+Ln&entry=gmail&source=g>.
> Email: ronald.king () morgan edu
> Baltimore, MD 21251 URL: http://www.morgan.edu
>
> *Growing the future ... Leading the world*
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