The purpose of this policy is to ensure the proper use of the Newbattle Abbey College email system and make users aware of what Newbattle Abbey College deems as an acceptable and unacceptable use of its email system. The College reserves the right to amend this policy at its discretion. In case of amendments, users will be informed appropriately.
Legal Risks
Email is a business communication tool and users are obliged to use this tool in a responsible, effective and lawful manner. Although by its nature email seems to be less formal than other written communication, the same laws apply. Therefore, it is important that users are aware of the legal risks of email: namely Data Protection, FO1, Copyright etc.
- * If you send emails with any defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks, you and the College can be held liable.
- * If you forward emails with any defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks, you and the College can be held liable.
- * If you unlawfully forward confidential information, you and the College can be held liable.
- * If you unlawfully forward or copy messages without permission, you and the College can be held liable for copyright infringement.
- * If you send an attachment that contains a virus, you and the College can be held liable.
By following the guidelines in this policy, the email user can minimise the legal risks involved in the use of email. If any user disregards the rules set out in this Email Policy, the user will be fully liable and Newbattle Abbey College will disassociate itself from the user as far as legally possible.
Legal Requirements
The following rules are required by law and are to be strictly adhered to:
- * It is strictly prohibited to send or forward emails containing libellous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. If you receive an email of this nature, you must promptly notify your Guidance Tutor if a student or your Line Manager if a member of staff.
- * Do not forward a message without acquiring permission from the sender first
- * Do not forge or attempt to forge email messages.
- * Do not send email messages using another person’s email account without permission from the account holder.
- * Do not copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission of the originator.
- * Do not disguise or attempt to disguise your identity when sending mail.
Personal Use
Although the College’s email system is meant for College use, the College allows the reasonable use of email for personal use if certain guidelines are adhered to:
- * Personal use of email should not interfere with your studies or your work.
- * Personal emails must also adhere to the guidelines in this policy.
- * Personal emails should be kept in a separate folder, named ‘Private’. The emails in this folder should be deleted weekly so as not to clog up the system.
- * The forwarding of chain letters and junk mail is strictly forbidden.
- * Employees/students should only use email for personal use in their own time.
- * Employees/students should not waste college resources by contacting large numbers of people either simultaneously, by entering a large number of addresses on a single email or by sending a large number of emails for non college purposes.
- * All messages distributed via the College’s email system, even personal emails, are subject to this policy.
System Monitoring
You must have no expectation of privacy in anything you create, store, send or receive on the College’s computer system. Your emails can be monitored without prior notification if the College deems this necessary. If there is evidence that you are not adhering to the guidelines set out in this policy, the College reserves the right to take disciplinary action, including termination of your email account and/or legal action.
Retention and Disposal
The College’s Retention and Disposal procedures which dictate the length of time records should be held and then destroyed should also be used to determine an e-mails record life cycle.
Staff and students are responsible for managing e-mail records in a manner that ensures their integrity and guards against inappropriate loss or destruction.
Email Accounts
All email accounts maintained on our email system are the property of the College. Passwords should not be given to other people.
Review of Policy
This policy will be reviewed every 3 years or whenever changes affect it.
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