Editing Acceptable use policy (section)

{{Short description|Set of rules of a computer network website}}
{{redirect|Fair use policy|the concept in copyright law|Fair use|the Wikipedia's fair use policy|Wikipedia:Non-free content}}
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{{Original research|date=February 2009}}
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An '''acceptable use policy''' ('''AUP''')—also referred to as an acceptable usage policy or, in certain commercial contexts, a '''fair use policy (FUP)'''—is a formal set of guidelines established by the administrator, proprietor, or operator of a [[computer network]], [[website]], [[Computing platform|digital platform]], or [[information system]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acceptable Internet Use Policy {{!}} Virginia Department of Education |url=https://www.doe.virginia.gov/programs-services/school-operations-support-services/safety-crisis-management/internet-safety/acceptable-internet-use-policy |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250306185710/https://www.doe.virginia.gov/programs-services/school-operations-support-services/safety-crisis-management/internet-safety/acceptable-internet-use-policy |archive-date=2025-03-06 |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.doe.virginia.gov |language=en}}</ref> The policy delineates the conditions under which access is granted and specifies the behaviors that are permitted, restricted, or prohibited. AUPs function as [[Regulation|regulatory instruments]] intended to ensure the responsible use of [[information and communications technology]], to mitigate [[Legal liability|institutional liability]], and to safeguard the [[rights]] and [[Computer security|security]] of both users and [[System administrator|system owners]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)? |url=https://www.business.com/articles/acceptable-use-policy/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=business.com |language=en}}</ref>

The term “fair use policy,” though occasionally employed in industry settings (e.g., by [[Internet service provider|internet service providers]] to define usage thresholds), is conceptually distinct from [[fair use]] as defined in [[copyright law]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rollins |first=Alison |title=Learning Resource Center: Copyright & Fair Use: Copyright & Fair Use |url=https://usuhs.libguides.com/copyright |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=usuhs.libguides.com |language=en}}</ref> The latter constitutes a statutory doctrine governing the lawful reproduction and transformation of protected works; the former reflects privately enforced contractual norms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107 |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref>

AUPs commonly address issues such as [[unauthorized access]], distribution of illicit or harmful content, [[copyright infringement]], violations of [[information privacy]], and misuse of [[communications infrastructure]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Policy and Security |url=https://www.educause.edu/focus-areas-and-initiatives/policy-and-security |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=EDUCAUSE |language=en}}</ref> They may also outline the procedural and disciplinary consequences of policy violations. In transnational environments, AUPs are increasingly shaped by regional legal frameworks, including [[General Data Protection Regulation|data protection regulations]] (e.g., the [[General Data Protection Regulation]] in the [[European Union]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-07 |title=What is GDPR, the EU’s new data protection law? |url=https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=GDPR.eu |language=en-US}}</ref> and national [[cybersecurity standards]] (e.g., [[National Institute of Standards and Technology|NIST]] guidelines in the [[United States]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publications {{!}} CSRC |url=https://csrc.nist.gov/publications |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=csrc.nist.gov}}</ref>