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ICT code of conduct

The ICT rules of conduct below are a guide to acting in accordance with the established rules for responsible use of ICT facilities.

1. Keep your UvAnetID + password confidential

Your UvAnetID + password is strictly for personal use, and may not be lent out to others.

  • There is no need to lend out your UvAnetID + password to fellow students or colleagues: they have been issued their own UvAnetID + password.
  • Lending out your UvAnetID + password to third parties is prohibited. Surfnet, UvA's parent network, prohibits the use of its network by third parties.
  • System administrators are not allowed to ask you for your UvAnetID password under any circumstances.

2. Regularly choose strong passwords 

For example, choose a password made up of the first letters of a sentence you find easy to remember, and change one or two letters into characters. ‘I hardly ever eat cabbage anymore' would then become Ihe!ca. Keep in mind that specially designed software can be used to find out your password by means of password guessing if you choose anything obvious. Your username and password must always be different. Read our tips for creating a secure password.

3. Rather save data in the cloud than on your PC

Saving your data in the cloud – like in OneDrive – will limit damage to your files in the event of a major incident: backups are made of all files you save in the cloud, which is more effectively protected against viruses and other threats than your own computer.

4. Take precautions to prevent computer hacking

  • Activate a password-protected screensaver on your computer.
  • On your private devices such as your laptop or tablet, use a firewall.
  • Always provide your software with the latest updates.
  • Install updates to your operating system regularly.
  • Do not install or activate unnecessary software applications.
  • Never engage in hacking, cracking, spoofing, defacing, cross-site scripting, portscans, sniffing and denial of service attacks.

5. Do not violate any law, including copyright law

UvA employees and/or students may not use the UvA network to engage in activities that are in violation of any law. UvA employees have a relationship with the UvA subject to employment law, and may be subject to additional rules on the basis of their collective labour agreement.

6. Do not distribute offensive material

In spite of freedom of expression, there are limits to what is deemed acceptable. Make sure to observe proper conduct. Do not distribute discriminatory, defamatory and/or offensive material.

7. Do not use illegal or undesirable software

This includes software for which the required licensing fees have not been paid and software that disrupts normal operation of the computer and/or UvA network. Software applications such as BitTorrent are not illegal, but the consequences of their use almost always are.

8. Do not distribute computer viruses 

  • The term computer viruses should also be taken to include worms, Trojans, etc.
  • On your private devices like your laptop or tablet, install an antivirus programme and make sure you have the most up-to-date antivirus files.
  • Be careful when opening attachments and programmes on the internet.

9. Do not send unsolicited emails

  • You may not send out anonymous e-mails or e-mails with an incorrect sender address (spam).
  • It is also not allowed to send an e-mail to any group of employees from the address book, asking them to participate in a survey, for example. This causes inconvenience to both employees and the system.

10. Do not use the UvA network and/or UvA software for commercial purposes

In cases of abuse, access to ICT services, such as the UvA network or Canvas, may be denied. Employees found guilty of abuse may be subject to dismissal.

Contact Servicedesk ICT Services (ICTS)

P: 020 525 1402
uva.nl/icts-selfservice