Acceptable Use Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

This policy defines acceptable and responsible use of organisational information systems, networks, and data to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It applies to all employees, contractors, suppliers, and partners.

Policy Statements:

• Acceptable use of assets is documented and enforced, consistent with ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A.8.1 (Acceptable Use of Assets).
• Acceptable use obligations align with NIST CSF v2.0 PR.AC (Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control).
• Vendor and partner acceptable use requirements are integrated into contracts (PCI DSS v4.0 Req. 12.3).
• Workforce acceptable use obligations are mandated under HIPAA Security Rule §164.308(a)(2).
• Employee instructions for data handling follow GDPR Article 29 (Processing under Controller’s Instructions).
• Governance oversight is provided by the board, consistent with ISO/IEC 38500:2015 Clause 5.1–5.6 and, where applicable to the organisation’s jurisdiction, instruments such as US SOX Section 404 and equivalent national governance codes.

2. Governance and Accountability

Acceptable use responsibilities are clearly defined and enforced.

Policy Statements:

• The board demonstrates leadership and commitment to acceptable use governance (ISO 27001 Clause 5.1).
• A formally appointed Information Security Manager is accountable for acceptable use enforcement (Clause 5.3).
• Department heads ensure compliance within their teams, with responsibilities documented in job descriptions.
• Quarterly acceptable use compliance reports are presented to the Audit & Risk Committee, fulfilling SOX Section 404 and King IV Principle 12.
• Collaborative acceptable use responsibilities with suppliers and partners are documented and reviewed annually (ISO 44001 Clause 5.2).
• Acceptable use governance aligns with the COSO Internal Control — Integrated Framework (Principle 1: Governance & Culture) or equivalent internal-control framework adopted by the organisation.

3. Risk Management

Acceptable use risks are identified, assessed, and treated systematically.

Policy Statements:

• Risk assessments include acceptable use risks quarterly (ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.2).
• Risk treatment plans are documented and approved (Clause 6.1.3).
• Acceptable use risks are integrated into enterprise risk registers (ISO 22301 Clause 8.2).
• Shared risk registers with strategic partners include acceptable use risks (ISO 44001 Clause 6.3).
• Acceptable use risk assessments are embedded into the organisation’s enterprise risk management framework — COSO ERM (Principle 6: Risk Identification & Assessment), ISO 31000:2018, or equivalent ERM framework adopted by the organisation.

4. Acceptable Use Standards

Acceptable use standards define authorised and prohibited activities.

Policy Statements:

• Employees must use organisational systems only for authorised business purposes (ISO 27001 Annex A.8.1.3).
• Prohibited activities include unauthorised access, malware distribution, and data exfiltration.
• Privileged accounts must be used only for approved administrative tasks (Annex A.9.2.3).
• Personal use of organisational systems is limited and monitored.
• Vendors must comply with acceptable use obligations in contracts (PCI DSS Req. 12.3).
• Workforce acceptable use obligations are documented under HIPAA Security Rule §164.308(a)(2).

5. Monitoring and Oversight

Acceptable use compliance is monitored continuously.

Policy Statements:

• Event logging is implemented and reviewed weekly (ISO 27001 Annex A.12.4.1).
• Acceptable use violations are tracked and reported to management.
• Vendor compliance is monitored through audits (SOC 2 CC6).
• Corrective actions are tracked and verified (ISO 9001 continual improvement).
• Monitoring aligns with NIST CSF DE.CM (Detection & Monitoring).

6. Incident Response and Continuity

Acceptable use violations are managed through incident response.

Policy Statements:

• Acceptable use violations trigger incident response procedures (ISO 27001 Annex A.16.1).
• Breach notifications follow GDPR Articles 33–34 and POPIA Section 22.
• Vendor violations are escalated through contractual obligations (ISO 44001 Clause 7.4).
• Acceptable use incidents integrate with enterprise risk reporting channels (COSO Principle 17, or equivalent).

7. Training and Awareness

Employees and partners are trained to comply with acceptable use standards.

Policy Statements:

• Annual acceptable use training is mandatory (ISO 27001 Annex A.7.2.2, PCI DSS Req. 12.6).
• Role‑specific training is provided to privileged users.
• Awareness campaigns reinforce acceptable use culture.
• Vendors must provide evidence of acceptable use training for their staff (SOC 2 CC6.3).

8. Compliance Obligations

Acceptable use complies with applicable laws and standards.

Policy Statements:

• Obligations under applicable data protection and health-data law are integrated into acceptable use standards; representative regimes include EU GDPR, POPIA, HIPAA, and California CCPA/CPRA.
• Cross-border acceptable use obligations follows the lawful transfer mechanisms of applicable data protection law in each operating jurisdiction; representative references include EU GDPR Chapter V and Mauritius DPA Section 36.
• The organisation maintains a living register of data protection obligations applicable to its jurisdictions of operation; representative reference points include Singapore PDPA, India DPDP Act, and Brazil LGPD.
• Acceptable use obligations under the AU Convention on Cybersecurity (2014) are observed where the organisation operates in signatory states.

9. Audit and Assurance

Independent audits validate acceptable use effectiveness.

Policy Statements:

• Internal audits of acceptable use are conducted annually (ISO 27001 Clause 9.2).
• Management reviews acceptable use performance quarterly (Clause 9.3).
• External audits validate compliance with recognised assurance frameworks applicable to the organisation’s market context; representative reference: the cited SOC 2 criterion and equivalents under other accepted assurance frameworks.
• Corrective actions are tracked and verified (ISO 9001 continual improvement).

10. Appendices

• Appendix A: Acceptable Use Standards Checklist.
• Appendix B: Employee Acknowledgement Form.
• Appendix C: Vendor Acceptable Use Agreement template.
• Appendix D: Acceptable Use Violation Escalation Flowchart.
• Appendix E: Acceptable Use Training Curriculum.
• Appendix F: Acceptable Use Audit Schedule.
• Appendix G: Post‑Violation Review checklist.

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