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From: jnelson@gauche.enet.dec.com (Jeff E. Nelson)
Newsgroups: alt.security,comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Abuse of System Administrators privledges? (Public/Private Files)
Message-ID: <12458@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 14 Jun 90 13:33:06 GMT
References: <90164.185721MXB126@psuvm.psu.edu>
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Reply-To: jnelson@gauche.enet.dec.com (Jeff E. Nelson)
Followup-To: alt.security
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 28


>    Is what one has on their *own* storage medium public or private?  and ...
>    Does a system administrator have the right to search it if it is protected
>       against being searched?

And then he says:
> I recently (Just a few hours ago) had my NeXT account here at Penn
State Univ.
> locked.

Here's my opinion; consult a lawyer for real advice.

Yes, they can search it, because it is connected to something which the
university owns: the NeXT machine and the optical drive (not to mention
the facility that surrounds it, the electricity that runs it, etc.). 
The university has the right to make sure that their machines (which
they paid for) are being used appropriately.  The fact that it's a
private storage medium is, unfortunately for you, not relevant.  The
fact that you are using their resources is all it takes.

I suggest buying your own NeXT machine (or physically locking up your
storage medium when you're not using it), so you won't have to worry
about this stuff.

-Jeff E. Nelson
-Digital Equipment Corporation
-Internet: jnelson@tle.enet.dec.com
-Affiliation given for identification purposes only