Acceptable Use Policies Address Many Concerns by Dave Kinnaman

Issues Addressed by AUPs

To educate parents about their children's use of the Internet
To educate students about
- risks peculiar to computer communication
- rules for efficient, ethical, legal computer/network use
- safe and appropriate computer social behavior
- use of available and unavailable services
To preserve digital materials created by students and teachers
To protect vulnerable children from inappropriate approaches
To discourage children from making inappropriate personal disclosures
To encourage ethical behavior, and discourage criminal behavior
To encourage accepted Netiquette from the very start
To encourage polite and civil communication
To encourage individual integrity and honesty
To encourage respect for others and their private property
To allow enforcement of necessary rules of behavior
To encourage equal access to educational opportunities for all children
To protect the school networking equipment and software from danger
To help control costs by limiting storage space needs and other network costs
To help improve network efficiency by influencing resource usage
To share responsibility for the risks of using the Internet
To reduce the risk of lawsuits against teachers, schools, and providers
To simplify life for computer systems administrators
To increase the power of various authorities
To discourage copyright infringement, software piracy, and plagiarism
To discourage slander, libel, defamation, and mendacity
To discourage profanity, obscenity, pornography, and waste
To discourage network game playing and anonymous messages
To discourage use of computers and networks for profit or politics
To assure Internet users that their online activities are monitored or
To assure Internet users that their email privacy is (or is not) being respected

With this broad mission to fulfill, most AUPs are packed with information.