Lapus issues guidelines for use of Internet services

As the Department of Education (DepEd) goes full swing in connecting schools to the Internet, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has issued guidelines for the responsible use of Internet services by students and school officials.

“The Internet is a powerful learning tool but we should be able to observe protocol so that we can fully optimize its benefits,” Lapus said.

DepEd, in partnership with the private sector, is targeting to provide Internet connectivity to all public secondary schools nationwide by the end of the current school year. Aside from the students and teachers, the schools can also use the Internet for research, study, communication and administrative services.

Under the DepEd guidelines, teachers and students using the school’s Internet access shall identify themselves honestly when participating in interactive activities. They have no right to ownership or expectation of personal privacy as to their Internet usage.

The guidelines also provide that offensive and or subversive content must not be accessed, displayed, archived, stored, distributed, edited or recorded using the school’s network, printing or computing resources. Network administrators are instructed to configure their proxy servers and/or switch routers in order to filter/block prohibited sites. Accessing prohibited sites is a violation of the DepEd policy.

According to DepEd Order No. 105 series of 2009, all sites that are visited and revisited by the users should be recorded for monitoring purposes.

Prohibited offensive content includes pornography, sexual comments or images, profanity, racial slurs, gender specific comment, or any content that can reasonably offend someone on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and mental or physical disability.

Subversive content that is prohibited in the use of the Internet includes lending aid, comfort and moral support to individuals, groups or organizations that advocate the overthrow of governments by force and violence, treason, sedition, sabotage and espionage or acts of terrorism.

Use of the Internet by school officials also follows certain guidelines. These include limiting the use of the Internet to those specified by the head of office and identified as authorized users. It shall be used only for the purpose of study, research, service and other activities which must be in the conduct of official business or in furtherance of the mission and purpose of the DepEd.

For school officials, the Internet shall not be used to conduct personal business, play computer games, gamble, run a business, conduct political campaigns, activities for personal gain, or to take part in any prohibited or illegal activity.

DepEd encourages its employees, educators, parents and students to take time to read articles about cyber-ethics and cyber-safety that can be accessed at www.B4USurf.org. PNA