From the Chair

Privacy of Electronic Information
 
      During the last two decades there has been a significant change in our "private space."  Twenty years ago faculty offices and laboratories were specified physical space.  Within that space each individual was able to provide security for private information by locking desks and file cabinets.   To be sure, the University Audit Policy enables administrators, under extraordinary circumstances and with appropriate procedures, to search offices and laboratories.

Today, one's physical office is only one part one's virtual office.  Our virtual office includes electronic information that we own but which may be located on computers that are not in our physical office.  This information includes research data stored on computers used for analysis, electronic mail stored on mail machines and voice mail messages.  Throughout the University the hundreds of such computers are managed by a variety of employees most of whom are aware of the privacy of this information.  Nevertheless I am sure that over the past few years there have been questionable searches and monitoring of electronic information.

The University has the ability to keep records of which electronic news groups we access from our computers and, in the case of buildings that require "swipe cards", our comings and goings.  In addition many records formerly kept in secure files are now kept electronically.  These include personnel records, records of health problems (insurance payments), grades, library records and phone logs. 

Who has access to this information and under what circumstances?  Last year the University established a policy for ethical behavior by the users of electronic services.  It is now appropriate to establish a policy for the managers of electronic data that ensures the privacy of that data.  The University Council Committee on Communications has taken on this task and will be working on it during the coming year.  The chair of that committee is Ira Winston (ira@cis.upenn.edu).  Please communicate your thoughts on this issue to him.