Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!vtserf!marchany
From: marchany@vtserf.cc.vt.edu (Randy Marchany)
Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy
Subject: Re: harassing mail
Message-ID: <1767@vtserf.cc.vt.edu>
Date: 23 May 91 19:54:02 GMT
References: <scs.675001777@wotan.iti.org> <1766@vtserf.cc.vt.edu> <1991May23.184642.29771@newshost.anu.edu.au>
Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Lines: 56

In article <1991May23.184642.29771@newshost.anu.edu.au> cmf851@anu.oz.au (Albert Langer) writes:
>
>If somebody makes harassing phone calls or writes harassing letters,
>it is NOT the job of telephone technicians or typewriter mechanics to
>deal with the problem in any way shape or form.
>
True, but if the investigator asks you for data on the matter, do you
know HOW to collect the data in a form that could stand up in a judicial
arena (company board of inquiry, university honor court, court of
law...)? If not, you could actually impede the investigation. Is your
organization willing to accept liability for that?

>Just because some harassment makes use of a computer does not change the
>issue any more than if it happened to be typed on a word processor
>instead of a typewriter. Would that make it the responsibility of the
>word processing pool to investigate, patrol and collect evidence etc?
>
Of course not, but we're not talking about word processors or typwriters
(see wordprocessor.policy or typewriter.policy, :-)), we're talking
about computer systems/networks. The
overall discussion applies to any unauthorized use (whatever that may be)
of a site's computing resources, be it a single computer or a network of
them.
>
>If somebody is put in charge of "administering" the office mail room,
>or the office furniture, are they supposed to "focus" on "enforcing
>responsible use" of the mail or the furniture? Why not focus on
>delivering the best possible mail service or on having adequate
>stocks of furniture available and repairs arranged promtly when
>required?
>There are real "policy" problems that sysadmins have to deal with,
>mainly related to resource allocation between competing priorities.
>
That's what other discussion groups such as comp.os.vms,
comp.unix.ultrix, comp.unix.admin and the like do. THIS discussion
group should be concerned with the broad area of management policy,
IMHO. 99% of a sysadmins time is spent on the issues mentioned above,
such as resource allocation, setting up the user environment, etc.
Policy enforcement is sort of like insurance, you don't spend a lot
of time thinking about it until you have to.
>
>It would be very helpful if this
>group provided assistance in dealing with such real problems instead
>of getting absorbed in the fantasy life of people who really wanted
>to be police officers rather than sysadmins.
>
My goodness, no need to get personal about this. After all, this is just
a discussion.
Again, I fear we've drifted off course. The real issue is how do
sysadmins deal with unauthorized use of their computing facilities
(single computer or network of computers). I don't think we should get
bogged down in discussing what is harassment and what isn't.
Besides, I don't want to be a police officer, just a pro beach
volleyball player....:-).

	-Randy