After Lower Merion High School administrators allegedly spied on students via web cams, technology privacy issues on school networks and computers have gained increasing attention in recent weeks.
In compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Policy on Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources, Penn defines acceptable and punishable uses of school networks, computers and other electronic resources. But despite Penn’s authority to monitor activity, it must also comply with a number of regulations.
Institutions must adhere to a variety of federal and state laws, such as the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act and Pennsylvania wiretapping laws, according to Law School Deputy Dean and professor Anita Allen.
She added that University regulations discourage “arbitrary and unwarranted” access of personal e-mail by school officials.
“I do feel like it’s kind of an invasion of our privacy, but by using their networks, we’re legally giving them this right. They’re not doing anything unconstitutional,” College freshman Kayla Costello said.
University Privacy Officer Maura Johnston explained that “intrusion detection systems” protect Penn’s networks and alert administrators of “malicious activity.” Periodic network scans provide additional security from outside intrusions.
On Sept. 15, 2000, Penn issued its Policy on Privacy in the Electronic Environment, which addresses digital privacy within the University. According to Johnston, Penn has not violated the policy’s terms since its establishment.
“Penn’s policy is that we do not monitor what students do on the network, with very few exceptions,” Johnston wrote in an e-mail.
Such exceptions, as outlined in the privacy policy, include if the information to be obtained is legally required, is suspicious, is needed to “maintain the integrity of University computing systems” or is needed for emergency purposes.
Intellectual property rights infringement is one such example.
Some students reported having received e-mails from the University threatening to rescind network access and take disciplinary action if they continued to illegally download copyrighted material, like music and movies. Additionally, the e-mail notifications warn of possible legal action taken by owners of the intellectual property.
Apart from such reasons, “the University does not condone disclosure or release of such personal information stored or transmitted through University systems,” according to the policy.
However, according to College freshman Jacob Shiff, it is irrelevant whether or not Penn monitors his online activities or looks through his information.
“I have nothing to hide,” he said. “So let them keep on looking.”
