Mountain Area Information Network

Acceptable Use Policy 2

Critique by C.K.J.

Throughout, change "Member" to "registered account holder."

User Login Names:

. . . One account per regular person. . . .
- What would an "irregular" person be?

User login names are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.
1. If "handles" are not allowed, we should give some suggestion for the format of account name, and max length. Should Oscar Alfred Johnson be "johnson," "ojohnson," "oajohnson," "johnsono," "johnsonoa," "oaj," "joa,"? What are the guidelines for surnames longer than eight characters? If the "no handle" policy is to aid in recognizing the owner of the account, then should we disallow an initials-only account name such as "srl"?

Multi-user accounts . . . multiple people . . . .

Split personalities? Change to "several persons.". Throughout this document change "people" to "persons." Mrs. Thistlebottom would explain to you that people is a collective noun meaning race or nation. Yes, we use it colloquially as the plural of person (individual). The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker are three persons, but (if all born in the U.S.A.) one people. If they are all of different citizenship or race, they are three persons representing three peoples.

Perhaps we can avoid the problems of multiple account use entirely by assigning only to individuals, but associating a group of persons working on the same set of files with a single, unique user i.d. (the *n?x uid).

User Files:

Your work directory file space on MAIN is *temporary*.

No notice is given when files are removed from work directories to make space on the disk.

The practical consequences of enforcing the two policy items above will be to make it impossible and undesirable for ANYONE to keep a home page on MAIN. Also see Disk Usage

News Group Availability

The whole subject of news groups is a mess. It forces MAIN to be a censor on one basis or another. I suggest we only maintain local, community oriented news groups. For those wanting more, we should seek an arrangement of some sort (no doubt, it will be pecuniary) with an outside provider who does not censor.

Privacy Issues

This section is good overall. It needs to be shortened. This will happen if we roll together policy 1 and policy 2.

Peak Period Time Limit Policy

In the event that the MAIN Board of Directors determines that a time limit policy should be implemented, the following guidelines will apply:

registered account holders will be limited to a maximum of 120 minutes (2 hours) during peak hours. These minutes may be spread over as many connections as a member wishes during the one calendar day. Single session limits will remain at 60 minutes. This limit applies to all members - both modem and Telnet connections. Minutes accumulated during non-peak time are not counted against the daily limit.

The above should apply to direct dial only. An idle phone connection ties up scarce hardware resources, while an idle telnet session "borrows" some temporary disk space. At all times, a session with no activity continuously for 120 minutes should be terminated. (Thanks to Bob Gregory for technical advice.)

Binary File Transfers

The use of the Mountain Area Information Network to knowingly transfer or receive any illegal files or data will result in immediate account revocation and notification of legal authorities. . . .

(I'll bet a nickel, in most cases it doesn't!)

MAIN will not knowingly condone or support the pirating of copyrighted software, or any other illegal activities.

Will we unknowingly condone it? Perhaps this wants to say: MAIN does not condone or support illegal activities, such as the theft (pirating) of copyrighted intellectual properties.

Disk Usage:

. . .

(See comment below by Steven)

(It may be that some disk space will be available to users on a permanent basis. Perhaps, we should set a policy where we create a user standard disk quota of one megabyte of disk space, and permit additional space to purchased, for example for a dollar per meg per month. We might also have a temporary directory on the system (one not used for a swap file) that anyone could place any size file(s) into, that is purged daily at a predesignated time. This would have a minimal impact on system resources, while allowing large file transfers that would otherwise be over quota.) (Added by Steven)

Also see File Use

. . . [stuff deleted] . . .

At its heart an acceptable use policy is a contract between the user and the other users of the network, overseen by the system administrator. This contract connects each user together; this contract represents the ties that bind individuals and institutions together to form their electronic community. By agreeing to a common bond, users of a system are letting this contract be their collective conscience.

This idea, that the acceptable use policy is user-to-user, is very important!

. . . if a user on Network A sends an image file to a user on Network C, and if the file has to go through Network B, then what is the solution if the acceptable use policy of Network B, the intermediary access provider, proscribes the conduct of sending image files through its network unless it can verify that the images are not obscene? . . .

Further complication. If the file is encrypted, does Network B automatically reject it because it cannot be inspected? What is MAIN's policy on encryption?

Appendix II: registered account holdership Agreement

Mountain Area Information Network

registered account holdership Agreement

In consideration for the use of the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN) Computer System (the "System"), and the efforts of MAIN volunteers and its Board of Directors (the "Board") to develop and maintain the System, I understand and agree to the following:

That the use of the System is a privilege which may be revoked by the Board of Directors of the System at any time for abusive conduct or fraudulent use. Such conduct would include, but not be limited to, the placing of unlawful information on the system, the use of obscene, abusive or otherwise objectionable language in either public or private messages, or violation of this Agreement. The Board of the Mountain Area Information Network will be the sole arbiter of what constitutes obscene, abusive, or objectionable language.

"obscene, abusive" -- delete this. Much obscene and abusive speech is protected speech. Let us not slide down the slippery slope of Political Correctness.
"otherwise objectionable language" -- Objectionable to whom as defined by whom?

. . . obscene, abusive, or otherwise objectionable.

Ditto.

I understand and will abide by the policies set forth in this agreement:

Printed Full Name:_____________________________

Is this the right place to place suggestions for, and examples of, account names? Suggested fine tuning is shown as "{remove this}" and "[add this]."

Requested Login Username[ first choice]: _________________________

Requested Login Username {(1st alternate)}[second choice] : _________________________ (Added by Steven)

Requested Login Username {(2nd alternate)}[third choice] : _________________________ (Added by Steven)

[(You will be advised by phone if you must use another account name.)]

(This is the username that will be used for your email and logging onto the Mountain Area Information Network.)

Mailing Address: ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Phone Number: (DAY) _________________ (EVENING) _____________________

Signature:_________________________________ Date:______________________

(Photocopy of driver's license or other positive proof of identity [phone for guidance?], must be included) (Added by Steven)

Is it illegal to photocopy a driver's license in N.C.?

Must be mailed to:

How about application by fax, and on-line?

MAIN

Public Service Building

34 Wall Street, Suite 407

Asheville, NC 28801

You may bring this application in person to the above address during business hours. Phone: (704)255-0182