WordPress Hosting Terms of Service

Information

All sites hosted on one of ITS Digital Services WordPress environments are subject to our Terms of Service outlined below. 

Use of UNC WordPress websites is a University resource. All uses must be in conformance with all other University policies, including but not limited to, the Digital Accessibility Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Personal Use Policy, the Policy on Use of University Resources in Support of Entrepreneurial Activities, and the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct.

All site users with access (Administrators, Editors, Authors, etc.) must follow the University policies listed above.

Content Guidelines

• Copyrighted content may not be reproduced on UNC sites unless covered under fair use regulations or obtained with permission. The University may remove or take down any site in violation of copyright law after receiving notice of a violation to review the content.
• Users may not post illegal content, such as child pornography, true threats of violence, incitement to riot, defamation, or obscenity.
• Content may be reviewed for potential violations of the University’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct. As warranted, the University may remove content pending an investigation.
• All sites must comply with the Digital Accessibility Policy and remain accessible for all users with disabilities.
• Websites cannot attempt to confuse site visitors by using official marks and branding of other entities, including the University’s own marks. If you have any questions about what official marks or brands you are entitled to use, consult the Identity and Trademark and Licensing websites.
• To ensure platform security, stability, and long-term sustainability, ITS Digital Services prohibits the use of externally hosted code or scripts on managed environments. ITS Digital Services reserves the right to remove or disable any such code.
• Use of external developers or custom themes or plugins is not permitted on ITS Digital Services managed WordPress environments.

Usage Guidelines

• Except as allowed under the Personal Use Policy or the Policy on Use of University Resources in Support of Entrepreneurial Activities, users may not use University websites for personal business, commercial or political activities, fundraising, or advertising on behalf of non-University affiliated entities.
•  Sites may not be used to perform credit card transactions or directly raise any type of funds by soliciting payments through anything other than a link to University foundation or development sites.
• Sites should not be used to conduct any research on individuals, except as allowed by the policies of the University’s Vice Chancellor for Research.

Sensitive Data

Sensitive data is not permitted on any our WordPress networks (sites.unc.edu, web.unc.edu,  tarheels.live, and  med.unc.edu). This includes all data, in their original and duplicate forms, that contain:

• Personal Information, as defined by the North Carolina Identity Theft Protection Act of 2005
• Protected Health Information, as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
• Student education records, as defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Customer record information, as defined by the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA)
• Card holder data, as defined by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard
• Confidential personnel information, as defined by the State Personnel Act
• Information that is considered to be confidential per the North Carolina Public Records Act

Top level subdomain (sitename.unc.edu)

A sitename.unc.edu subdomain represents the highest level in the UNC.EDU namespace and has substantial reputational implications for the University. The content on sitename.unc.edu sites directly represents the University. The requirements to use a UNC Top Level Subdomain are rigorous.

All unc.edu sites on UNC WordPress environments must use a theme approved by ITS Digital Services (like UNC’s Wilson or Heelium theme).

Sites using a sitename.unc.edu domain must pass an accessibility review by the Digital Accessibility Office and site administrators must complete Digital Accessibility Training to be approved.

File Storage Guidelines and Recommendations

WordPress sites are not meant to be used as an archive or document storage repository. Data storage is limited on our networks.

• It is the site administrators’ responsibility to regularly clean out old and unused files. 
• We recommend that all audio and video files be stored on an external service like UNC’s Panopto.
• PDF storage and access are best handled via SharePoint or OneDrive.

Inactive Sites Guidelines

UNC's WordPress Networks sites are designed to host publicly accessible information.

All websites must be associated with at least one administrator with an active Onyen. Websites with no active administrators may be deactivated after six months and then removed completely after 12 months effective from the relevant role end date.

Websites with no activity within a 12-month period will be flagged and an alert will be sent to administrators with active Onyens associated with the site. Unless the administrators respond affirmatively to keep the site active, the site will be de-activated, then removed completely after a six-month period.

Please review our information on Inactive Websites.

Sites that are not being updated regularly or that are being left in place simply to maintain historical material should consider a different University storage option. Many older sites may be better served by placing their content in the University Archives or the Carolina Digital Repository.

Violations and Legal Notices

Any site found violating one or more of these guidelines will have the offending content in question removed. Major violations may result in complete site removal, revocation of web privileges, disciplinary measures, and potential legal action or loss of employment. UNC reserves the right to remove any website at any time for any given reason.

In the event the University receives a court order or subpoena for your website or related content, the University may access, preserve, and disclose your content to comply with the legal process. Your content may also be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Act, even should you choose to password protect your site. You may also have retention and preservation obligations under the University’s Records Retention Schedule.

Non-compliance

ITS Digital services reserve the right to deactivate any non-compliant websites at any time. In the event of a site deactivation, we will make every effort to contact site administrators to bring their site back into compliance with our Terms of Service. Deactivated sites may be permanently deleted if there is no response within six-months.