Internet Usage Policy

The provision of Internet access exposes your company to various risks:

• Downloading of offensive material (i.e. material which is defamatory, abusive, obscene, sexually oriented, pornographic, intimidating, threatening, racially offensive or discriminatory);
• Downloading large files (which impacts on network or diskstorage capacity)
• Downloading software illegally (which is unlicensed and thus can infringe another persons copyright)
• Unauthorised postings to websites (such as Facebook and Twitter) which can create problems for the organisation (e.g political statements inconsistent with a User’s responsibilities, religious statements, swearing or other foul language and other statements viewed as harassing others based on race, age, sex, physical handicap or sexual orientation)

The provision of Internet access exposes your company to various security risks such as:

• viruses,
• phishing

Because the Internet, by default, is not secure, hackers and viruses pose a continuous threat to the availability of your computer systems.

It will protect the organisation in the following ways:

• address the normal risks and security risks posed by making Internet access available to Users;
• describe your official policy regarding Internet security by inter alia prescribing acceptable and unacceptable conditions for Internet use.
• reduce potential legal liability in respect of claims by employees or third parties.

What you get?

You get the following 3 standalone documents:

• an Internet Usage Policy (which regulates employee use of the  Internet);
• an Internet Etiquette Guide (containing guidelines around acceptable use);
• an Internet Abuse Procedure Guide (dealing with types of suggested warnings prior to suspension of Internet access).

What makes us different?

• Combined ICT Law and Labour law skills: Our policies are crafted with the input of ICT lawyers and labour lawyers thus ensuring that the critical related IT issues and people issues are covered
• Decades of experience: the Online Legal team have spent years developing these policies in practice as attorneys working with thousands of organizations such as yours. We know what works and what doesn’t.

Easy to Read

In the fast paced information economy in which we live, people are pressed for time and will generally only read things that are relevant to them.  A good policy focuses on particular audiences (typically employees, management and technical staff) addressing only those issues that are absolutely needed and that focus only on the essentials.

Easy to Manage

We group together various issues in a policy. Problems that arise do so in relation to an issue. It is therefore easy to update our issue specific policies when reviewed by you (which should be at least annually).