| Policy ID No. | Policy | Policy Text | Policy Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 69.0 | Monitoring of Electronic Mail Messages | Messages sent over State of Alaska internal electronic mail systems are not subject to the privacy provisions of the Electronic and Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (which prohibits wiretapping), and therefore may be read by State of Alaska management and system administrators. | This policy makes it clear that management and technical staff may read worker electronic mail messages when management authorizes it. By the same token, technical staff may not monitor e-mail without authorization. Also see the policy entitled "Privacy Expectations and Electronic Mail." |
| 104.0 | Privacy Expectations and Electronic Messaging, such as E-Mail and Voice Mail | Workers must treat electronic messages and files as private information. Electronic mail must be handled as a private and direct communication between a sender and a recipient. | The intention of this policy is to clearly specify what type of privacy workers should expect when it comes to electronic mail and other electronic messaging systems such as voice mail and pagers. A clear understanding of the privacy they can expect will enable users to make appropriate decisions about the types of information to send via electronic mail. This policy does not address matters such as looking at messages in order to support the administration of an electronic mail system. Such message examination would be fully in keeping with this policy so long as the intention was to maintain or administer the system, and not to violate another's privacy. The words "messages and files" in the policy make it apply to messages in transit, messages that have not yet been read that are stored in a holding file, and messages that have been read and archived. Also see the policy entitled "Monitoring of Electronic Mail Messages," |
| 105.0 | Treat Electronic Mail as Public Communications | Consider electronic mail to be the electronic equivalent of a postcard. Unless the material is encrypted, users must refrain from sending credit card numbers, passwords, research and development information, and other sensitive data via electronic mail. | The intention of this policy is to impress users with the fact that their electronic mail communications are not protected the way an ordinary letter going through the postal service is. Unknown parties can readily intercept e-mail and use the contents as they please, without either the sender's or the recipient's knowledge. The policy also alerts users to the primary mechanism to secure e-mail communications: encryption. |
| 106.0 | Profane, Obscene or Derogatory Remarks in Electronic Mail Messages | Workers should not use profanity, derogatory remarks, obscenities, or harassing, embarrassing, indecent, intimidating or other unethical remarks in electronic mail messages. Such remarks -- even when made in jest -- may create legal problems such as defamation of character. Special caution is warranted because back-up and archival copies of electronic mail may actually be more permanent and more readily accessed than traditional paper communications. | Many users consider electronic mail to be more informal than traditional paper letters. This can lead to the inclusion of obscenities or derogatory comments that would not have been included in a paper letter. This policy is intended to put workers on notice that their electronic mail may come back to haunt them, and be a legal problem for their employer. The policy also indirectly discourages "flaming," the practice of venting negative emotions via electronic mail (as well as other ways to communicate such as Internet chat rooms). |