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Listserv AUP

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About this document

This LISTSERV AUP is a supplement to the general HEAnet Acceptable Usage Policy. It lays down specific requirements and recommendations for the use of the LISTSERV Mailing List Service operated by HEAnet. These guidelines are intended to assist members in fulfilling the general AUP, and are not intended to supercede or replace any part of that document.

Classes of User

There are two types of LISTSERV user.

List Member

This is a user who subscribes to mailing lists, receives and (at his option) sends postings, but is not involved in the active maintenance of a list.

List Owner

This is a user who is responsible for the maintenance of one or more lists. The list owners have the ability to alter the configuration of a list on the server.

Acceptable Usage

As with all HEAnet services, LISTSERV is provided to member organisations, for the benefit of member organisations. Service to non-HEAnet members may be supplied but is not guaranteed.
These activities do not comprise acceptable use:
  • posting of unsolicited commercial or advertising material
  • posting defamatory material
  • mailbombing, or encouraging others to mailbomb
  • posting obscene or otherwise offensive material (other than for properly supervised and lawful research purposes, with the consent of all recipients.)
  • adversely affecting or jeopardising HEAnet services or those of our members
  • actions that contravene the law of the State
In addition to the above general rules, HEAnet requires that these conditions are met:
  • Each list must have at least two non-quiet listowners (this term is defined in the List Owner’s Manual), at least one of whom must belong to a HEAnet subscribing institution.
  • While there is no restriction placed on the location of subscribers, the list must be relevant to the needs of the Irish academic community.

Other conditions may be laid down from time to time.

Listserv Privacy Statement

What Personal Information do we require to make Listserv work?
When you applied for a list on listserv.heanet.ie you provided information by web form including your name, email address and Member Institution. We use this information to operate the list and to improve our services.

What do we do with your personal information?
We process your personal information for the legitimate interests of making Listserv work for HEAnet, our Client Institutions and the individual users of the service. You have the right to object to this processing and may do so by contacting us at noc@heanet.ie. Please bear in mind that if you object, this may affect our ability to carry out tasks for your benefit.

Who do we disclose your information to?
We do not disclose your information to third parties without your consent or unless required to do so by law or a regulatory body. We may provide information to your Member Institution to help your Institution understand the usage of Listserv by the subscribing institution.

Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the list member to ensure that their actions do not contravene these conditions.
It is the responsibility of the list owner to ensure that he and their lists’ members abide by these conditions, and to take appropriate action if members do not do so. This may simply involve a warning to a member who was unaware of the conditions, or may involve the temporary or permanent removal of a member from one or more lists. Similarly, if a listowner is observed to be in breach of these conditions, he may be warned, temporarily suspended, or permanently removed as a manager of any or all HEAnet LISTSERV lists.
The list owner is the point of contact for members and would-be members who have difficulty with the automatic list system. The list owner is required to be familiar with the LISTSERV List Owner’s Manual, which assists in resolving the large majority of problems that list members experience.

If a list owner experiences severe difficulties with the behaviour of a user of the list, he should contact the support staff at their institution. If, for example, a user or former user threatens the integrity of the list owner’s system (or their institution’s), the list owner should contact their support staff, who will make the correct arrangements to deal with the problem.