There is a policy supported by technology in place in my Department to secure and regulate the use of the Internet and e-mail. Industry standard technology products such as Websense and Firewall-1 are used to ensure that restrictions are placed on web-sites which can be accessed, to protect the Department against viruses that may be downloaded and to provide a mechanism to monitor the use of both the Internet and e-mail.
In addition my Department has in place, for some time now, guidelines for staff on Internet and e-mail usage within the Department. The guidelines cover many of the areas mentioned in the newspaper article such as personal use of the Internet and e-mail, accessing questionable material, downloading of material and copyright issues. The guidelines are circulated on an ongoing basis to staff prior to receiving connection to Internet facilities. Staff are required to sign an acceptance of the rules before facilities are made available. The guidelines are now being reviewed and updated in the context of the development of a departmental intranet, which will be implemented across the Department shortly.
