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IRT: 'we do not tap communications'
The AUP allows for monitoring in order to maintain security and integrity.
By: Amy Peterson
Issue date: 11/12/04 Section: News
Originally published: 11/12/04 at 2:46 AM EST
Last update: 11/12/04 at 2:49 AM EST
Originally published: 11/12/04 at 2:46 AM EST
Last update: 11/12/04 at 2:49 AM EST
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Many colleges and universities across America have similar policies, although there is a range of privacy protection. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "campus and unit-level system administrators will not examine the contents of electronic messages and files and will make every reasonable effort to protect them from unauthorized inspection" unless required to do otherwise by law or authorized administrative approval. The policies regarding computing at the University of Southern California are much more stringent and allow USC to consider "software, files, and materials stored on or transmitted by university computer equipment to be university property and may inspect them without notice." The legality of these policies is somewhat unclear.
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the disclosure of electronic communications is a criminal offense except in the case of the consent of one party, authorized legal documents, or a life-threatening emergency. However, this act only applies to public communications, not those in a private network. The courts have not determined the applicability of ECPA to colleges and universities.
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the disclosure of electronic communications is a criminal offense except in the case of the consent of one party, authorized legal documents, or a life-threatening emergency. However, this act only applies to public communications, not those in a private network. The courts have not determined the applicability of ECPA to colleges and universities.
