Computer Account Policy

Computer Account Allocation

Computer accounts are HKU SPACE property, they are issued on an individual basis to allow access to the School's IT services, including email and web application services, IT equipment and facilities, information and e-learning systems, as well as Google, Microsoft, Zoom and other Cloud-based services that the School has subscribed, on the strict understanding that the computer accounts are assigned for authentication and identification purposes only. Users should not, in any case, share, loan or give away their computer accounts or passwords to any other persons. Users are also required to take all necessary precautions to prevent unauthorized access to the School's IT resources.

Governance

Use of all IT services provided by the School shall be subject to the terms and conditions specified by its IT governance committees and the Head of ITS from time to time.

Appropriate Use

Please refer to the HKU SPACE Appropriate Use Policy for I.T. Facilities and Services for general policy regarding the use of IT services and facilities, and the HKU Password Policy is followed as applicable in HKU SPACE.

Types of Accounts and Duration

The following categories of users are eligible to obtain an HKU SPACE Computer Account:

All students who are enrolled on a course in the School.
All full-time staff who are employees of the School.
All staff who are not full-time employees but required to have access to IT facilities for carrying out business operations for the School.
All part-time teachers who are teaching for the School.
All alumni who have joined the HKU SPACE ALUMNI.

Special guests as approved by the Head of ITS, or the Directorate, or their representatives. Student accounts are allocated on a permanent basis but will be enabled and disabled depending on the student enrolment status. Staff accounts will be disabled when the name of a user is removed from the staff list. Special accounts have a pre-defined expiry or renewal date and will be disabled after the pre-defined expiry or renewal date if no further action is taken to extend the service.

For IT security reasons, all computer accounts that have been inactive for six months without special arrangements will be disabled.

Closure of Computer Accounts

The expiry of computer accounts are determined by the information provided by the School's staff and student administrative systems. Leaving staff, full-time or part-time alike, and his/her supervisors will be notified beforehand by email of the date that the respective computer account will be disabled so that the user can tidy up his/her account before closure. Guest accounts will be disabled upon expiry if there is no further action to be requesting for extension.

In all cases account data is archived and will be recoverable for a period of time if necessary.

Disciplinary Action

Users should observe the rights and responsibilities of using the Computer Accounts of the School. The School reserves the right to take appropriate disciplinary actions where any breach of policy or misconduct of users occurs.

Related Policies

Questions or Comments

For clarifications of policies and guidelines applying to HKU SPACE IT facilities and services, or for any questions or comments about this policy, please contact its.suggestion@hkuspace.hku.hk.

Report of Misuse

If you discover any misuse or abuse of computer accounts of the School, please report the case to the IT Services Unit at abuse@hkuspace.hku.hk.