Email Use Policy
E-mail is recognized as an important communication tool for Externis users. This document details standards for the secure use of Internet facilities.
Conditions governing use of Externis E-mail facilities
All users must adhere to the following when using Externis E-mail facilities:
- Users are expected to act ethically and responsibly in their use of e-mails and to comply with the relevant national legislation, the Externis Information Security policy, regulations and codes of practice.
- Discrimination, victimization or harassment on the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race, color, nationality, ethnic or national origin is against Externis Policy. Users must not bully, hassle or harass other individuals via e-mail. Users must not send messages that are likely to be considered abusive, offensive or inflammatory by the recipient/s.
- All users should regard all e-mails sent from Externis facilities as first, representing the Externis and, secondly, representing the individual. Users should be civil and courteous. Users should not send e-mail, which portrays Externis in an unprofessional light. Externis is liable for the opinions and communications of its staff and employees. Any e-mail involved in a legal dispute may have to be produced as evidence in court.
- All users should do their best to ensure that email content is accurate, factual and objective especially in relation to individuals. Users should avoid subjective opinions about individuals or other organizations.
- Users should be aware that e-mails can easily be forwarded to other parties. Users should assume that anyone mentioned in e-mail could see it or hear about it or he/she may, under data protection or other law, be entitled to see it.
- All users should be aware that it is possible for the origin of an e-mail to be easily disguised and for it to appear to come from someone else.
- Users must not use a false identity in e-mails.
- Users must not create or forward advertisements, chain letters or unsolicited e-mails (SPAM)
- All users should protect data displayed on their monitor, by locking their office door or by locking their workstation or using a screen saver in password-protected mode when leaving their desk. This is in order to prevent unauthorized individuals from using the workstation to send an e-mail, which will appear to originate from the user.
- All users should exercise caution when providing their e-mail address to others and be aware that their e-mail address may be recorded on the Internet.
- All users should be cautious when opening e-mails and attachments from unknown sources as they may be infected with viruses.
- All users must have up-to-date Externis approved anti-virus software installed and operational on the computer that they access their email on.
- All emails or attachments that are encrypted or compressed should be decrypted or decompressed and scanned for viruses by the recipient.
- All security incidents involving E-mail should be reported to IT Services.
E-mail and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
All Externis users should be aware that e-mail containing information pertaining to living individuals fall under the scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
All users must ensure that the methods of collecting processing and storing information personal information via email comply with the Externis policies the GDPR and any other relevant legislation.
E-mail and Privacy
Externis users must assume that all e-mail or Internet communications are not secure unless encrypted and they should not send via e-mail any information, which is confidential. Users may not, under any circumstances, monitor, and intercept or browse other users' e-mail messages unless authorized to do so by the Director of IT Services. Network and computer operations personnel, or system administrators, may not monitor other users' e-mail messages other than to the extent that this may occur incidentally in the normal course of their work.
