Responsible Use of Digital Resources Policy

Every member of the Queen’s community has a role to play in assuring the protection of the university digital assets.  The Responsible Use of Digital Resources Policy aims to promote a culture of responsible use of digital resources, data, and information by establishing baseline expectations for community members and guests as they interact with digital assets operated by, or on behalf of, the University.  

A summary of this policy can be found below. The full policy is available on the University Secretariat website

What are the baseline responsibilities and expectations? 

The Policy provides more detail, but the baseline responsibilities and expectations of the University community and guests as they use and interact with digital assets and data and information, can be summarized as follows: 

  • Using digital resources and data and information in a responsible and ethical manner, in compliance with applicable laws and university policies, and only for their intended purposes. 

  • Respecting the rights and interests of other community members, guests, and the University, and avoiding any actions that may harm or infringe upon them. 

  • Protecting the devices they use, and the data and information in their care and control.   

  • Reporting known or suspected cybersecurity incidents or breaches.  

The Policy also acknowledges the obligation of the University to offer the community reasonable privacy and security protections, and to keep the community informed about the types of cybersecurity threats they may encounter. 

Is this an “Acceptable Use” policy? 

The Policy is not an “Acceptable Use” policy.  We acknowledge that members of our community interact with digital resources in very different ways, and that a “one-size-fits-all” acceptable use policy would be ineffective.  To address this, the Policy authorizes the CIO to create differentiate acceptable use policies to address the needs of the various constituencies within our community.