Blocked Access to Websites

ITS blocks N.C. A&T network access to websites that:

• Illegally share copyrighted materials such as music, videos, documents, software, photos, and games
• Provide peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic of copyrighted materials
• Promote malware and phishing
• Introduce malicious software
• Provide access to tools that allow for remote access or control over another computer

The university is required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) to limit access to the aforementioned site types in order to comply with copyright laws and to keep the campus information resources and data secure.

P2P applications are used legitimately to share digital content. However, P2P applications can expose the University to legal liabilities when illegal file sharing occurs. P2P applications can also present a security risk because a downloaded file, meaning a file copied and/or saved to a hard drive or other storage device, may contain a virus or a malicious program. Viruses and malicious programs could target and infect other machines on the network, impact the network performance, and/or compromise confidential or sensitive information.

Sources such as http://www.educause.edu/legalcontent and http://www.riaa.com/ are available to assist with identifying legal alternatives. The University does not endorse a particular product or service, and the University is not responsible for any cost nor any technology-related issues resulting from the use of a legal alternative.

For more information, please refer to the university’s Peer-to-Peer (P2P) policy and the Student Handbook.

If you have academic, research, or recreational needs to access any blocked website, please contact the Client Technology Services Help Desk at helpdesk@ncat.edu or 336-334-7195, or submit a Client Technology Services request ticket.