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The University’s ambiguous power over student emails raises serious questions

Most of the attention-grabbing headlines about Internet privacy revolve around the National Security Agency and its legally ambiguous methods, but there are also severely problematic privacy issues right here at the University. Such issues stem from the University’s oversight of student email and student Internet access on Grounds. The unchecked power the University has over these services is troubling, especially since the rules and regulations regarding privacy in these domains are so ambiguous. We are left wondering: where does and where should University jurisdiction end and personal privacy begin?

It is strange that students, who are supposed to be intimately involved with self-governance, have no input in a system as integral to the functioning of the academic and social structures as the Internet and email systems are. The ideological differences between University policy and student opinions are huge, especially on key issues such as email privacy and the morality of torrenting.

For instance, according to University guidelines, emails that are deleted from personal accounts can remain stored on University servers for a substantial period of time. This is a troubling detail many students and faculty probably do not know that could be used in investigations or totally legal invasions of privacy by University officials. Furthermore, Information Technology Services administrators while identifying and repairing issues in the University system can view and modify any emails or files. If any of these files or emails contains evidence of illegal activity, they are allowed to report it to the authorities. These people are not responsible for enforcing the law; such an action would be invasive and wrong.

While this may seem a marginal issue, we live in a time when a lot of personal information is being transferred to the web and through our emails. Because of this, well-defined privacy rules are necessary to maintain liberty and dignity for students. Without privacy there is no telling what the University could do. The fact that — to my knowledge — it has not abused its access is no defense.

The troubling thing is how easy it is to forget about personal privacy when using school Internet or email. I am also guilty of bypassing terms and conditions in my haste to access whatever program, network or email I am trying to get access to. Without reading or knowing what I was accepting, I did just that in haste. What I did not know is that official University policy dictates “electronic communications and files can sometimes be records that are subject to review with sufficient justification.” When I tried to find out further what sufficient justification was, the search circularly brought me back to the same portions of the student handbook for responsible use. The ambiguity regarding these procedures leaves a gaping hole in what the student or the University employee understands regarding his privacy on these networks and services.

Take, for example, the issue of downloading torrents. Most young people are comfortable with the idea although it remains illegal. In most cases it is simply frowned upon, not actively prosecuted. What if a student is discovered with torrented files on the University network or email because of this poorly known caveat regarding ITS officials with an intent to repair? Such a situation would be an instance where the ideals of the students and the ideals of the University are at odds with one another. The Internet is constantly evolving and shifting. The Internet is not something that can be controlled but in this case the University is treating it as something to be dominated on Grounds. University rules need to be clarified and expanded upon so that the boundaries are more precisely defined.

Sawan Patel is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.patel@cavalierdaily.com.

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