Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

Updated 2021

Motivation

The global research and education community aims at providing cost-effective, internet-based discourse among its members through the establishment of dedicated research and education networks that are functionally separated from those of commercial internet service providers.  While research and education networks generally operate their networks (directly or through other parties) and provide services on a non-profit basis, the quid pro quo is that they may not be used to carry or channel commercial traffic, except in interfacing their primary users to the commodity Internet.

Secondly, any network requires a code of conduct that ensures that the benefit of use carries the obligation not to adversely impact other users. These requirements are enforced through compliance with an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) at the levels of campus networks, national research and education networks, and regional research and education networks. This AUP applies to all users of the WACREN network.

Terms of the Policy

  1. Each Member is responsible for ensuring that its users that directly or indirectly use the Global REN Services comply with this Policy.
  2. Members shall inform all their users of the contents of this Policy and of the obligation to comply with it.
  3. WACREN may seek to terminate the provision of the Global REN Services to any Member that, after having been warned by WACREN, continues to violate and let violate the provisions of this Policy.
  4. Each Member shall have its own Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) governing the use of the Member’s resources. Such AUP shall be consistent with this Policy, and cannot in any case, be less restrictive.
  5. Prior to admission, any applicant for membership will be required to submit an AUP that is consistent with this Policy. In the absence of such a policy for the Member, WACREN’s AUP applies.
  6. WACREN reserves the right to amend this Acceptable Use Policy, which will be available on WACREN website. Notice of any significant amendments will be given to all Members.

Acceptable Use of WACREN’s Global REN Services

  1. Each Member may use the Global REN Services for any legal activity that:

7.1.   Furthers the aims and objects of the Member;

7.2.  Complies with the provisions of this Policy and any other agreements entered into between the Member and WACREN;

7.3.  Complies with current good Internet practice;

7.4.  Complies with rules and regulations of the country where the Member operates; and

7.5.  Does not involve any unacceptable use or uses, as defined in Clause 8 below.

Unacceptable Use of the Global REN Services

  1. The following are unacceptable uses of the Global REN Services:

8.1.   Transiting traffic between any commercial Internet service providers;

8.2.  The transmission, storage or distribution of any material or content where such action would violate any applicable laws prohibiting child pornography; obscenity; discrimination (including racial, gender or religious slurs) and hate speech; or speech designed to incite violence or hatred, or threats to cause bodily harm;

8.3.  The transmission, storage or distribution of any material or content where such action is intended to defame, abuse, stalk, harass or physically threaten any individual; including any attempt to link to, post, transmit or otherwise distribute any inappropriate or defamatory material;

8.4.  The transmission, storage and distribution of any material or content where such action violates any intellectual property laws including laws concerning local and international copyright, trademarks and trade secrets;

8.5.  Any effort to use the Global REN Services in a way that circumvents or would circumvent the user authentication or security of any host, network or account (“cracking” or “hacking”);

8.6.  The forging of any TCP-IP packet header (spoofing) or any part of the header information in an email or a newsgroup posting;

8.7.  Any attempt to use the Global REN Services in a way that breaches or would breach the security of another user’s account or that gains or would gain access to any other person's computer, software, or data or otherwise threaten another person’s privacy, without the knowledge and consent of such person;

8.8.  Any activity which threatens to disrupt the provision of or access to Global REN Services through “denial of service attacks”, flooding of a network, or overloading a service or any unauthorised probes ("scanning" or "nuking") of other networks;

8.9.  Any activity which in any way threatens the security of the network by knowingly posting, transmitting, linking to or otherwise distributing any information or software which contains a virus, trojan horse, worm, lock, mail bomb, cancelbot or other harmful, destructive or disruptive component;

8.10. Any unsolicited mass mailing activity including direct marketing, spam and chain letters for commercial or other purposes, without the prior consent of the recipients of those mails;

8.11. Any failure to secure a server that is connected via the WACREN network to the Internet against being abused by third parties as an open relay or open proxy.