User rules
This document lays down rules for use and sharing of Virtual Museum of Ecosystems content, as well as for production and dissemination of user-created content.
Introduction
Resources published on the Virtual Museum of Ecosystems website are considered assets deserving of careful maintenance and protection. Protection of these resources is a complex question that requires a thorough analysis of systems, context, behaviour and practices. To be effective, however, protective measures need to involve the users. Users must follow the instructions provided and avoid any actions that could jeopardise content security. Any resources made available are therefore to be used appropriately, efficiently, respectfully and for the sole purpose of disseminating relevant scientific information.
These regulations apply to the following individuals, jointly referred to as ‘users’:
users with a teacher profile;
users with a researcher profile;
users with a student profile.
User authentication
The site and its basic features are open to all users. Advanced features require a prior authentication procedure.
The authentication procedure involves use of ‘strong’ personal credentials. Users must keep these secret and ensure their safekeeping. A given password can only be associated with one identified user. User credentials cannot be assigned to other users, even at different times.
All features are open to certain types of user profile (teacher and researcher), who must be identified and approved in their role by the service provider. Being a recognised teacher/researcher unlocks features such as the option of creating virtual classes, generating own work and sharing it with the community (on the Virtual Forum), with classes created or with other classes for which the user is registered (on invitation by the relevant class manager) and by URL (permalink).
Intermediate features are open to students as class members.
Virtual classroom managers undertake to act as moderators of class members, safeguarding against inappropriate or unauthorised content.
Whenever users publish their content in the community, they
UNDERTAKE:
1) to anonymise their personal data and that of others in accordance with national data protection rules;
2) to ensure that any information disseminated is of suitable quality and otherwise acceptable, notwithstanding the right of the system administrators to remove any matter deemed unacceptable in its content and/or form from the site;
3) not to publish images, videos or audio content covered by licences with reserved rights;
4) to use respectful language in comments
(any comments containing offensive language will be will removed by the owner of the work and/or the system administrators);
5) to use the tools made available on the platform solely and exclusively for the museum’s purposes;
6) not to use the site for their own marketing purposes
(in case of misconduct or where discussions lead to pointless arguments, the system administrator reserves the right to suspend users or disable comments to bring the discussion to an end);
7) to allow their own content to be reused by other users (this being the main purpose of the community) through the features made available by the museum.
The administrators reserve the right – in case of nonfulfillment of any of these requirements or of conduct deemed contrary to the values and standards of behaviour required under these regulations, or falling outside the scope of permitted use under the same – to notify the users owning the content that they have forfeited any rights associated with production and publication of such content and that their registration to the Virtual Museum of Ecosystems will be cancelled forthwith.
N.B. The CNR – VIRTUAL MUSEUM is not required to perform any type of advance checks and therefore declines all responsibility for the content of posts and comments on the site. All liability of any nature will therefore be exclusively attributable to the users/editors who have uploaded videos, images, news or articles to the site.