Each time a student logs on to his PAWS desktop now, he gives the University the right to search his account for potentially criminal evidence, such as copyright infringement or sending harassing messages.
Computing Services recently added a policy statement disclaimer to the PAWS logon screen. Although the University created the policy statement in 1998, it previously appeared under the “Messages” section of the desktop.
“Recent upgrades to the logon application allowed us to make the statement more prominent by including it on the PAWS logon page,” said Cynthia Hadden, Enterprise Solutions Group director.
University attorneys and the criminal justice system also hold Computing Services responsible for notifying all University affiliates to use judgment when using University computer labs and networks.
“We have chosen to establish a usage policy based on the assumption that usage is a privilege we grant to persons affiliated with LSU in some formal way,” said Ron Hay, Computing Services Chief Information Officer.
LSU Police and Computing Services have responded to a significant increase in the number of complaints and/or usage concerns by both individuals and agencies, Hay said.
However, Computing Services will not read e-mails or monitor usage and/or content unless requested to assist in a human resources investigation and/or a police or
regulatory agency with a legitimate “right to know,” Hay said.
The most common complaints involve copyright issues. Other complaints involve child pornography cases, computer software piracy, cyber stalking, denial of service attacks and illegal spamming attacks, among other things, Hay said.
Computing Services only will search information for judicial cases if it receives a complaint such as a personal bodily harm threat through a University e-mail account or an apparent state or federal law violation.
“Every subscriber should understand that their actions may cause the Dean of Students or Campus Police or a federal or state agency to take action that might result in a loss of privileges — or worse,” Hay said.
Many student-related complaints are handled by the Dean of Students office, which handles cases based on personal circumstances. The Human Resources Office determines how the University will deal with personnel matters. Prosecutors and/or judges handle criminal matters.
The disclaimer’s new location created alarm and confusion for some students who were unaware of the policy.
“When I read [the disclaimer] I thought it was kind of wrong,” said Natalie Aupied, a human ecology junior.
Aupied later realized the University has the right to access personal accounts it gave to students. Aupied recommends students use other e-mail accounts, such as Hotmail, if they are worried about privacy.
But, pre-nursing sophomore Joseph Raby said he believes the University compromises his account’s safety by allowing free access to his personal information, especially if the information got into the wrong hands.
“I think you have the right to privacy, and it’s your information in an account that the college gave you,” Raby said.
However, some students are neutral, and some are glad the University will stop violations from happening.
“Honestly, I don’t even care [if my account is searched],” said Julia Manalac, a pre-nursing senior. “I don’t have anything to hide, and I know when they do [search accounts] it’s for everyone’s good.”