Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!vsi1!teda!netcom!kmc
From: kmc@netcom.UUCP (Kevin McCarty)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: email privacy
Keywords: Big Brother, fascism
Message-ID: <22300@netcom.UUCP>
Date: 30 Jan 91 07:27:37 GMT
References: <1991Jan28.203204.16830@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Organization: Netcom- The Bay Area's Public Access Unix System {408 241-9760 guest}
Lines: 52

jkonrath@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (jon) writes:

>OK, I'm new to this, and I'm sure this topic's been dredged before,
>but this is on a need-to-know basis:

>if you're on a computer, and youve signed no 'computer use'
>agreements, and your university has no 'understood' agreements on
>computer use, what are your rights of privacy concerning text files
>and email?

Are you really sure about not signing *anything*, and not being a
party to *any* 'understood' agreements?  Specifically, how is that you
are registered in a class if you didn't sign anything?  Did you read
*all* the fine print?

>the reason I'm asking, is on one of my class accounts, the /root is being
>very fascist...he's deleted mail, read mail, and gone as far as changing
>words in mail. im not talking mail about 3 on one lesbian sex, or cracked
>visa numbers: i mean just opinionated stuff about university policy, anti
>desert storm mail, and anything that mentions computing not affiliated
>directly with the class youre in.

I can conceive of a policy which would attempt to prohibit the use of
university resources for patently non-educational purposes which are
otherwise perfectly legal and innocent.  After all, just because
you're a student doesn't mean you should be entitled to run your
startup business venture on school computers, does it?

On the other hand.  Outright removal is one thing, but making changes
in content to any files, public OR private, legitimate OR
questionable, that you have nominal ownership of kind of shoots the
ground out from under any notion of personal responsibility and
integrity that the university might expect to hold you to.  In other
words, how can you be held responsible for something over which you
have no control?  In such a situation, I would find it difficult to
believe that my coursework stored in the computer remained intact from
day to day.

>any ideas on what i can yell at the dean about that will back me up?
>post or email me....the silver and rose.ucs.indiana.edu paths are
>secure...thanks

>jon

>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Jon Konrath, Consultant                         jkonrath@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
>IUSB Computing Services                       ap202093@natasha.iusb.indiana.edu
>                                                  jkonrath@rose.ucs.indiana.edu
>under construction...                           jkonrath@sbway.iusb.indiana.edu
-- 
Kevin McCarty			kmc@netcom.uucp
				{apple,amdahl,claris}!netcom!kmc