Frequently Asked Questions

Questions

What is Network Quarantine?

At times it becomes necessary to isolate a computer from the campus network in order to protect the integrity of the network and/or the institution. One situation where this becomes necessary arises from use of a computer to conduct illegal activities or activities that violate university policy; another arises from a computer generating network traffic that adversely impacts the performance of the network. Network quarantine is the mechanism employed by ITS to isolate offending computers from the campus network until these kinds of problems can be rectified.

What is the No Electronic Theft Act?

Congress enacted the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act in 1997 to facilitate prosecution of copyright violation on the Internet. The NET Act makes it a federal crime to reproduce, distribute, or share copies of electronic copyrighted works such as songs, movies, games, or software programs, even if the person copying or distributing the material acts without commercial purpose and/or receives no private financial gain. Prior to this law being passed, people who intentionally distributed copied software over the Internet did not face criminal penalties if they did not profit from their actions. Electronic copyright infringement carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The NET Act is applicable in situations such as running a file sharing application with outgoing transfers enabled, hosting files on a web account, transferring files through IRC, and other methods of making copyrighted material available over networks.