Web Content Standards
Copyright
TTU prohibits the unauthorized copying, adapting, electronic transmission, and/or use of computer software, software source code, and multimedia materials, as well as computerized and non-computerized data without appropriate written consent. Use of TTU information resources is governed by all applicable TTU policies, Texas state and U.S. federal law concerning copyright, including provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA.) For more information, see OP 30.22, Guidelines for the Educational Use of Copyrighted Works, and OP 52.02, Infringement of Copyrights in Information Technology.
Prohibited Content & Activities
Sexually explicit material
Access, creation, storage, or transmission of material deemed obscene (as defined by law) is prohibited on any TTU web resource. Exceptions may be made for academic research where this aspect of the research has the written consent of the Department Head. Discovery of obscene material, including child pornography on any TTU information resource must be reported to the Information Security Officer or Chief Information Officer immediately.
Advertising/Endorsement
Official TTU web resources must not feature any advertisement for third party merchants, products, or services. Limited exceptions may be granted by the CIO for special arrangements/promotions made between TTU and others that benefit the TTU community.
Unauthorized/Illegal Activities
Use of University resources must be for TTU or TTU-related purposes only. University policy and state law prohibits the use of University resources for unauthorized or illegal activities. This includes, but is not limited to:
- illegal activities such as distributing copyrighted music, movies, or other material,
- lobbying for a specific politician/political party, or
- hosting a commercial site selling items for profit.
Security
While the TTU IT Division is responsible for the overall security of the TTU network, web content owners have a responsibility to ensure their individual web resources are secured as well. All web content owners must register their website/pages with the TTU IT Division.
Per Texas Government Code, TTU information resources are strategic assets of the state of Texas that must be managed as valuable state resources. As such, all Texas Tech University information resources, including web resources, are subject to university OPs and other applicable laws. The TTU IT Security Policies, which are adopted by reference in OP 52.04, Information Technology (IT) Security, detail the required minimum security standards for all TTU information resources. Additionally, all official TTU web resources, must comply with the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §206, State Websites, and TAC §213, Electronic and Information Resources.
To aid in compliance with these policies and to help you properly protect your information resources, the TTU IT Division provides periodic live training sessions.
Compliance with these requirements does not guarantee security, as the security threat landscape is ever changing and requires an updated security plan to combat the latest threats and issues as they are discovered.
Privacy
Texas Tech University System maintains its websites as an information resource and service for the public. Texas Tech University System may use cookies to track the date of last visit to a specific page or to identify a session at a particular website. Texas Tech University System uses Log analysis tools to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. For more information on TTU's privacy practices, see the TTU Privacy Policy.