tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post2378598726498914920..comments2024-03-12T14:31:50.264-07:00Comments on Bits and Pieces: Email Privacy at HarvardHarry Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17088418333536732728noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-40015462065146240412018-04-11T22:38:49.489-07:002018-04-11T22:38:49.489-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17503829174721305988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-10375305527106252652017-03-01T04:41:07.751-08:002017-03-01T04:41:07.751-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.juanjuergenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03100195918263372267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-25627821643497912122015-11-05T05:54:09.204-08:002015-11-05T05:54:09.204-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.moat20rugbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01056028236070561458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-77855644307435597762014-09-09T23:12:31.024-07:002014-09-09T23:12:31.024-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Allanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04414023777592108747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-49975000758712039852014-08-01T06:31:42.143-07:002014-08-01T06:31:42.143-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159862789327396696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-47948717091172721542014-02-26T21:58:20.797-08:002014-02-26T21:58:20.797-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.sonnjitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205508966178097952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-51849468834239955732013-08-22T07:19:30.127-07:002013-08-22T07:19:30.127-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.quickduiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717056611835710153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-43407395136583667592013-08-20T09:20:51.043-07:002013-08-20T09:20:51.043-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167030973924183174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-65500832292700321512013-05-28T03:55:16.541-07:002013-05-28T03:55:16.541-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09361415595094586384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-46901220268077730062013-05-18T03:06:31.711-07:002013-05-18T03:06:31.711-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Airport Transfers Serviceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09359174893783935883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-32261071122297112402013-05-15T09:15:56.563-07:002013-05-15T09:15:56.563-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903437880014810444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-51709544657902613732013-05-15T05:20:33.993-07:002013-05-15T05:20:33.993-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00351416191640808458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-35770197597231816482013-05-14T01:17:09.871-07:002013-05-14T01:17:09.871-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Airport Transfers Serviceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09359174893783935883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-30838254161567836512013-05-13T11:32:21.551-07:002013-05-13T11:32:21.551-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17250118704271637285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-16633539288727482692013-05-11T02:36:45.938-07:002013-05-11T02:36:45.938-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Airport Transfers Serviceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09359174893783935883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-33370209164120907732013-04-30T02:21:21.269-07:002013-04-30T02:21:21.269-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.smartsuitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15122046467165282779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-61011628460765338772013-04-11T09:51:35.189-07:002013-04-11T09:51:35.189-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Military Loanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17122028145113886647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-54779115270137981612013-03-31T07:23:57.280-07:002013-03-31T07:23:57.280-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13913046908330322862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-71049295013744428552013-03-25T03:32:32.926-07:002013-03-25T03:32:32.926-07:00The backstory is a bit more complicated. Official ...The backstory is a bit more complicated. Official Harvard policy bans the university from looking at mail written by faculty members going through the Harvard domain, except in extraordinary circumstances. But the university apparently regarded the resident deans not as faculty but as administrators, even though they teach courses - <a href="http://www.schoolanduniversity.com/privacy-policy" rel="nofollow">college privacy</a>.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05327439143392269071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-56906113159907363342013-03-11T18:39:27.998-07:002013-03-11T18:39:27.998-07:00Interesting. My take is that the text of the email...Interesting. My take is that the text of the email (in the greater context of Harvard academic culture, perhaps) is more or less entirely innocuous. I read the advice on LOA as practical, "this is how it's going to happen" frankness.<br /><br />To be honest, my concern about "what the email actually said" is precisely that it seems so harmless -- how can we expect the university to react when there's a truly damning leak? (And given the royal mess we've seen in recent months, we might almost expect that there's something waiting to see sunlight...)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425182901548329436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-39432676946842382502013-03-11T12:12:48.536-07:002013-03-11T12:12:48.536-07:00Having made this comment, I have read the text of ...Having made this comment, I have read the text of the e-mail on the Crimson website. While it appears more innocuous than what was reported in the Times, I find it even more damning. <br /><br />The gall is in the apparent assumption that the students who took the LOA are guilty (more effective than waterboarding in ferreting out the evildoers, one might suggest) <br /><br />". . . The only folks that may want to really consider an LOA are those students who know that they cheated." <br /><br />"Fall term athletes may also want to consider taking an LOA before their first game. The reason this matters for athletes is that once they compete one time their season counts and they would lose eligibility if they had to take a year off and return. . ."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-5159553954991845962013-03-11T07:10:46.058-07:002013-03-11T07:10:46.058-07:00What I find rather disconcerting about this whole ...What I find rather disconcerting about this whole fuss is that no one seems too concerned about what the e-mail actually said, i.e. that the deans "might suggest to students accused of cheating who were varsity athletes that they withdraw voluntarily, rather than face being forced out and losing a year of athletic eligibility." [quoted from today's New York Times] <br /><br />I am ignorant of the legal rights of Harvard students, but if I were a non-varsity athlete forced to withdraw, I would be consulting a lawyer. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-54995938710651199562013-03-11T06:56:21.638-07:002013-03-11T06:56:21.638-07:00It is important to make some distinctions that thi...It is important to make some distinctions that this story does not quite touch on, but that bear on it directly.<br /><br />1) Public vs private universities.<br /><br />The emails and all other correspondence of public institutions and any other institutions covered by either state or federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws are subject to inspection at all times for a variety of legal reasons. In some states this right accrues to private institutions. I presume Harvard is not covered by this, but major public institutions definitely are.<br /><br />2) Privacy in general vs privacy from administration.<br /><br />Internal rules (like those at Harvard) may provide parts of the population with protection from searching by the administration, as in this case. That does not necessarily entail the communications are absolutely private, especially where the institution is covered by FOIA. For example, an employee is entitled to the entirety of their personnel file, which may include a variety of emails, and can obtain these at any time through a FOIA request. Such requests are typically not made known to the persons whose files have been searched.<br /><br />3) Corporate privacy.<br /><br />Some commentators above appear shocked to learn that emails to employed individuals may not be private. They are not private. Everything that goes in and out of any corporate email address is routinely searched and scanned and even acted upon by internal staff and software, to detect anything from corporate malfeasance/espionage to criminal activity. The legal basis for searching my (private) email to a (corporate) email account (for example, don@ibm.com) is not clear to me, but I believe it's well-established in case law, as far as the corporation's own use for its own legal purposes related to its business conduct (ie, were I to email and ask for insider trading information or for trade secrets to which I'm not entitled, I'd expect legal action against me)--I am not sure that information discovered that way could be used to act against me for purposes not related to the corporation's business. I would presume that many Universities also use this software at least with regard to staff, although I would also expect that both students and faculty would typically not be considered appropriate targets for scanning--today. D. Gloumbiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388301204117198345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-80596981809997020532013-03-11T04:20:53.647-07:002013-03-11T04:20:53.647-07:00This is an extremely helpful and informative post....This is an extremely helpful and informative post. Thanks, Harry, for untangling a lot of knots.<br /><br />The whole story is somewhat confusing.<br /><br />A theme that emerges in some of the reportage and some of the comments is the sense of an overreaching administrative structure at Harvard. Professor Waters is quoted in this morning's New York Times story saying that "I think what the administration did was creepy," and Professor Ogletree expresses the hope that "it means the faculty will not have something to say about the fact that things like this can happen."<br /><br />But wait a second. Isn't it a better-than-even chance that the administrators who directed this search, or at least expressed the expectation that the "leaker" should be identified, were themselves members of the faculty? Who will rid me of this turbulent leaker? Is it really the knights to blame for the subsequent crime?<br /><br />It does seem more damaging to Harvard's reputation when light shines on our somewhat desperate fear of having the possibility of fallibility revealed than it ever would be if we simply acknowledged our mistakes (and our capacity for error). <br /><br />But does this always and everywhere come from overly ambitious staff? Or is it perhaps in part a product of the disjointed way authority and responsibility are parceled out -- often in pretty mismatched ways -- in our organization?<br /><br />It seems as though the predictable outcome of this will be to hold responsible the administrators who carried out this action in some way, and it is possible that careers will be deflected, damaged, or ended. That will be seen as cutting back the kudzu of staff and their authority, at least for now.<br /><br />But those who held authority in this choice and who are also tenured will not likely lose their leadership roles or the authority of their administrative posts. That is to say, it's a culture tailor-made for blame-shifting. And being on the staff side of that balance, sometimes it feels as though a major reason for the growth of administrative staff is simply to assure a sufficiently large pool of people designed to take the blame for bad decisions made by those who, under the terms of our culture, cannot make bad decisions.<br />Mark Edingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017940658397443427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-38587499955105826342013-03-11T02:29:33.934-07:002013-03-11T02:29:33.934-07:00I'm surprised that the immediate reaction of a...I'm surprised that the immediate reaction of a computer science faculty member to a breach of trust by an e-mail provider is to switch to gmail (another e-mail provider), instead of making the secure choice: run your own SMTP server. I've been doing it for a decade, and I can assure you, once it has been delivered, nobody reads my e-mail without talking to me first. csfacmemberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00259565090519211768noreply@blogger.com