Guidelines for Website Content
Did You Know?
Texas A&M University has guidelines for what is and isn’t allowed on websites. These guidelines classify data into 4 different categories based on how severe of an impact the loss of the data would be for the University. These Categories are referenced by their “Data Control” level and range from Data Control – 3 (DC-3) (Public Information) to Data Control 6 (DC-6) (Critical Data).
Click Each Tab to learn more about each classification and the type of information used for each classification.
Should Never be on a Public Website
- Governed by strict laws
- Mishandling is likely to result in Civil or Criminal Penalties
- Includes information on Minors, Department of Defense Data, and Witness Protection Program Information
Should Never be on a Public Website
- Restricted access for legal, ethical, or contractual constrains
- Releasing this data would have a significant impact on the university
- Includes student info covered under FERPA such as class schedules, HIPAA protected information such as health records, and individual account information
Use Extreme Caution before Posting
- Formerly known as Controlled Data
- May be accessed by eligible employees but not generally for public disclosure.
- Includes personal contact info, building plans, internal procedures, and proprietary training materials
Use Extreme Caution before Posting
- Data openly available to the public.
- Poses no risk to the university includes Public Directory information for employees, Intercollegiate Sports info, public announcements.
There Are Tools to Help You
If You’re unsure of what level of control a certain piece of data qualifies as use:
- The Data Classification Tool can help classify your data into a category.
- Check out Texas A&M’s official Data Classification Guide for more information!
