KNUST Cautions Students, Staff On Digital Responsibility, Cybersecurity
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has cautioned members of the University community to uphold academic excellence, professionalism, and responsible digital citizenship in their online interactions.
In a press release on Digital Responsibility and Cybersecurity Awareness on Campus, the University reminded students and staff to be mindful of their digital footprint, stressing that what they access, post, share, record, or manage online can have academic and legal consequences.
The University outlined six key responsibilities for all members. It warned against unauthorised access, commonly referred to as hacking, stating that no one should access another person’s phone, computer, email, student portal or other digital account without lawful authority or permission, as unauthorised access to protected digital information can constitute a criminal offence under Ghanaian law.
It also cautioned against data tampering, urging members not to unlawfully delete, modify, corrupt, interfere with or tamper with another person’s or the University’s data, and to handle University information, systems and digital resources responsibly.
On misinformation, the University advised against knowingly publishing or circulating false, misleading, harmful or unlawful information and urged members to verify information before posting or forwarding it, particularly on social media, WhatsApp groups and other online platforms.
It further warned against online harassment and cyberbullying, stating that digital platforms should not be used to threaten, harass, intimidate, insult or humiliate others, as comments, messages, images, videos and other online communications can have real-world consequences.
The University also emphasised respect for privacy and confidentiality, directing members not to unlawfully obtain, record, intercept, disclose or share another person’s private or sensitive information, and to respect the privacy and personal data of students, staff and other members of the University community.
Finally, it charged those who manage WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord or other online groups to be responsible social media group administrators, exercise care over content shared on their platforms and not knowingly facilitate the circulation of unlawful content, private information, harmful material or content that violates University regulations or Ghanaian law.
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