Responsible use of ICT facilities

Follow the rules for responsible use of ICT facilities

Make sure you know and apply the rules for responsible use of the UvA's ICT facilities (pdf). If you start with the ten golden rules below, you'll be well on your way.

Ten golden rules for secure digital study practices

1. Make sure your device has good basic security. Install antivirus software, a firewall and automatic screen locking and perform software updates immediately. Set up function to find and lock your device so you can remotely erase or encrypt data in case of theft or loss. 

2. Lock your device screen when you leave it, even for a short absence. Don't leave confidential information on your workstation.

3. Use a different and strong password for each of your accounts (at least 12 characters). Change your passwords regularly. Never share your UvAnetID password.

4. Watch out for fake fake emails: phishing and ransomware. Always check the email address, links and attachments of suspicious emails. 

5. Use OneDrive and Teams to store your files securely. Files stored here are encrypted and backed up.

6. For secure (encrypted) sharing of personal and confidential data, use OneDrive, Teams or SURFfilesender. It's safer to share documents via OneDrive or Teams than to email them.

7. Use public Wi-Fi networks only with a secure VPN connection. Without a VPN, others can spy on your! Inside UvA buildings, use the secure networks 'eduroam' or 'uva'.

8. Only use software and apps for which the UvA has a data processing agreement with the supplier. Security and privacy are only guaranteed if there is a data processing agreement in place.

9. Regularly tidy up your email inbox, data and personal information. Only gather data you need for a given purpose, and don't store data any longer than necessary.

10. Think about what personal information you share on social media and who you're connected to. Hackers are watching! Set privacy and security settings for all your social media accounts, and use multifactor authentication where possible.