​Guidelines for Email Correspondence and Other Electronic Communications

• All users of Archdiocese, parish, and school communications systems and devices should use care in creating email, text, video, still images, instant or voice mail messages, or in any postings on any social networking sites. Even when a message has been deleted, it may still exist on a backup system, be restored, downloaded, recorded, printed out, or may have been forwarded to someone else without its creator’s knowledge. The contents of email and text messages are the same as other written documentation and cannot be considered private or confidential.
• Email and other electronic communications are not necessarily secure.
• As with paper records, proper care should be taken in creating and retaining electronic records for future use, reference, and disclosure, as applicable.
• Postings to “All Employees,” “All Parents,” “All Students,” or “All Parishioners” and the like on the intranets or the Internet must be approved by the pastor, principal, or other designated person in charge of the school or parish before they are sent out.
• Use of personal electronic communications devices and materials during regular business hours should be kept to a minimum and limited mainly to emergencies.
• Archdiocese and school or parish systems, devices, and materials are not private and security cannot be guaranteed. Passwords and user IDs are intended to enhance system security; not to provide users with personal privacy. User account passwords for systems not controlled by a centralized user directory or authentication system must be on record with the pastor, principal, or other person in charge.
• User IDs and passwords should not be disclosed to unauthorized parties or shared with other employees, students, or volunteers. User accounts are intended to be used only by the assigned party.
• All information systems that create, store, transmit or otherwise publish data or information must have authentication and authorization systems in place to prevent unauthorized use, access, and modification of data and applications. Systems that transmit or publish approved information that is intended for the general public may allow unauthenticated (anonymous) access as long as such systems do not allow unauthorized posting and modifications of the published information.
• Any device accessed or used by minors on the school premises must include updated and functioning filters to preclude access to prohibited content. All obscene materials, sexually explicit materials including pornography, and materials that are otherwise harmful to minors or in violation of this electronic communications policy are prohibited and must be blocked. Before allowing minors to access the Internet, a responsible adult must ensure that appropriate content filters are “ON” and functioning.
• Content filters for minors may NOT be disabled or turned “OFF” without obtaining prior permission from the archdiocesan Applied Technology Department or the person with equivalent authority at the location.
• All files downloaded from the Internet, all data received from outside sources, and all content downloaded from portable memory devices must be scanned with updated or current virus detection software. Immediately report any viruses, tampering, or other system breaches to the person in charge of the location.
• Critical information should be copied onto backup storage periodically. Backed up information should be stored in a safe place and be available for recovery in case of a loss of the original information. Depending on the complexity a location’s information systems, a detailed disaster recovery plan may need to be developed.
• Computer networks must be protected from unauthorized use. Both local physical access and remote access must be controlled.
• Information systems hardware should be secured against unauthorized physical access.​

​