Acceptable Use

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According to  TechTarget.com, an acceptable use policy states the limits and practices users must agree to in order to access the internet, corporate network, or other resources.

 I was looking at the acceptable use policies for the Chicago Public Libraries; to say they are lacking and vague would be an understatement. The policy states, "It is not within the purview of the Library to monitor access to or content of any resources for any segment of the population. Individuals are expected to use library computers in a responsible and courteous manner." I agree and disagree with this policy. I agree that no site should be blocked as it limits freedom of information, but on the other hand, I wish there was a way I wouldn't accidentally see Adult content walking past a patron on an adult-only computer. The policy then continues, "The Chicago Public Library reserves the right to intervene when activities on a Library or personal device cause a disruption to library users or staff. We will call police when such activities violate local, state or federal laws." The thing is, what constitutes a "disturbance"? Some individuals think having Queer content is a disturbance to the public. I don't want to see political views that I do not follow as disturbing the public. Where do we draw the line?

 

I decided to look at the acceptable use policies of the Chicago Public School system for staff and students compared to the Chicago Public Library's acceptable use policy. The Staff acceptable use policy is broken into four sections and a way to report unacceptable use to the CPS board. The first section covers staff-to-student mobile device communications, which discusses how teachers and other staff communicate with students outside of in-person communication. The acceptable way to communicate with students is through their CPS email account. The second section is staff-to-student social media communication. This section has the most "with conditions" regarding what to do and not what to do with interacting with student social media accounts. Most communication with students on student social media accounts requires principal approval or higher authority on the CPS board. The third section is the most straightforward as it concerns staff-to-staff communication. The last section further details what is and is not acceptable regarding posting, emailing, messaging, etc.

 

The student-acceptable use policy for CPS is just a list of what is not prohibited between student-to-student and students-to-staff. The most extensive section is the significant details of what is and is not acceptable regarding posting, emailing, messaging, etc.

 

Neither the Chicago Public Schools staff nor students' acceptable use policies reference anything about the use of AI, as the policy states that it was published in 2019 before the use of AI became popular. The Chicago Public Library's acceptable use policy also does not state anything about the use of AI. It's time to update the acceptable use policies to include AI, as students are already probably using it in their homework, as the educators I follow online have seen it in theirs. Professor Casey, an information science professor on Instagram, is the person I follow on most AI news and legal issues.

 Both the CPS acceptable use policies reference not phishing others for their data. One of the resources allowed me to do a phishing quiz to see if I understood the most common ways individuals get phished. I originally got a 5/8 on it, but I retook it and got an 8/8. The quizzes were like the ones we, as staff, got tested on in the Chicago Public Library. I also did a security checkup on my Google account. According to it, my account is safe. I decided to check my main Google account, and I need to change a few passwords on a few accounts, but everything else is good. I want to tell Google to ignore the rules for password repeating, at least for a few accounts, as they are interconnected and are the ones I need for school. It's the homework site, the school email, transcripts and other school records site, and the library site.

 

Chicago Public Schools. "Staff Policy | Chicago Public Schools." Www.cps.edu, 2019, www.cps.edu/about/policies/acceptable-use-policy/staff-policy/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.

---. "Student Policy | Chicago Public Schools." Www.cps.edu, 2019, www.cps.edu/about/policies/acceptable-use-policy/student-policy/.

"Computer and Internet Use Guidelines | Chicago Public Library." Computer and Internet Use Guidelines, Chicago Public Libraries, www.chipublib.org/computer-and-internet-use-guidelines/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.