The S.E.C.U.R.E. GenAI Use Framework for Staff is designed to guide university staff in making informed decisions about using GenAI software.
The S.E.C.U.R.E. framework provides staff with clear, practical guidance for the responsible use of GenAI tools within defined risk parameters without requiring explicit University approval for low-risk activities.
It organises GenAI-related risks into six categories:
Making a decision using S.E.C.U.R.E.
If staff answer ‘No’ to all six questions below, they are free to use GenAI as proposed.
Security Credentials
Are you entering information such as login credentials, passwords, API keys, or any other sensitive security-related data that could compromise the security of university systems or personal accounts if exposed?
Ethical Use
Are you entering or generating information that may raise ethical concerns, involving vulnerable populations, or First Nations’ cultural knowledge? Will you use the output to breach University policy, break the law, or harm an individual, group or organisation?
Confidential Information
Are you entering information which, if disclosed, could cause harm to the university, especially if involving external partnerships or proprietary information?
Use of Personal Information
Are you entering information that directly or indirectly identifies a person, contains personal information (as defined by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998), or is considered Highly Confidential, Confidential, Private or is traceable to an individual?
Rights Protection
Are you entering original works or creations protected by copyright, trademark, or patent law, including materials for teaching or research, or proprietary information that is only available to current staff or students at the University without permission?
Evaluation of Outputs
Are you using the output of GenAI without evaluating it to ensure it is accurate, reliable and unbiased, or using it in isolation to make decisions directly affecting individuals?
Risk category examples
Download the S.E.C.U.R.E. framework
S.E.C.U.R.E. GenAI Use Framework for Staff © 2025 Mark A. Bassett, Charles Sturt University Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
