Virginia Code 2.2-2827: Restrictions on state employee access to information infrastructure
A. For the purpose of this section:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 2.2-2827
- Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
“Agency” means any agency, authority, board, department, division, commission, institution, public institution of higher education, bureau, or like governmental entity of the Commonwealth, except the Department of State Police.
“Information infrastructure” means telecommunications, cable, and computer networks and includes the Internet, the World Wide Web, Usenet, bulletin board systems, on-line systems, and telephone networks.
“Sexually explicit content” means (i) any description of or (ii) any picture, photograph, drawing, motion picture film, digital image or similar visual representation depicting sexual bestiality, a lewd exhibition of nudity, as nudity is defined in § 18.2-390, sexual excitement, sexual conduct or sadomasochistic abuse, as also defined in § 18.2-390, coprophilia, urophilia, or fetishism.
B. Except to the extent required in conjunction with a bona fide, agency-approved research project or other agency-approved undertaking, no agency employee shall utilize agency-owned or agency-leased computer equipment to access, download, print or store any information infrastructure files or services having sexually explicit content. Agency approvals shall be given in writing by agency heads, and any such approvals shall be available to the public under the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700).
C. All agencies shall immediately furnish their current employees copies of this section’s provisions, and shall furnish all new employees copies of this section concurrent with authorizing them to use agency computers.
1996, c. 382, §§ 2.1-804, 2.1-805, 2.1-806; 1999, c. 384; 2001, c. 844.