You might be surprised to find your personal information posted
online for anyone to see. The UCLA campus directory ““ which
includes tens of thousands of student, faculty and staff telephone
numbers, home and e-mail addresses ““ isn’t just for
members of the UCLA community; anyone can access it.
Other schools, such as the Rockefeller College of Princeton
University, don’t allow public access to such personal
information, including phone numbers and home addresses. Instead,
they require students, faculty and staff to log in before they
are granted full access. UCLA should follow the example of these
schools and protect the privacy of its students.
The campus directory Web site does say it may only be used for
“authorized university purposes,” but those purposes
are never defined.
The site also notes the directory cannot be used, rented,
distributed or sold for commercial purposes. But there is no need
to allow the general public to view the student directory at
all.
Some argue the directory is meant for the public. Like the white
pages, it is a reference tool and should be available to
whoever chooses to browse through its online information. But this
comparison has faults. Unlike the white pages, which is a directory
of the general population, UCLA’s directory is a database of
a specific and relatively vulnerable population.
UC San Francisco doesn’t consider student information a
public resource. That’s why it only has a faculty and staff
search. Meanwhile, the UC Santa Barbara directory only provides
students’ e-mail addresses ““ students must log in to
receive more detailed personal information, like home addresses and
phone numbers. Some UCs, like UCSF and UCSB are headed in the right
direction. UCLA shouldn’t be left behind.
Right now, the UCLA directory contains personal information
““ including names, e-mail addresses, home addresses and phone
numbers. All you need to know is a student’s name and you
have general access to his or her life. This situation could pose
serious risks.
“There are a lot more people tracking you than you
think,” said Rick Jackson, a CEO of privacy technology firm
Privada Inc., in an MSNBC article on online privacy. “The
data world is a very powerful and lucrative marketplace with a lot
of players involved.”
It should be obvious why access to personal information can
prove dangerous. First of all, unfriendly or dangerous attention
could be inflicted on students. Second, students run a large risk
of identity theft. In 2002, the Daily Bruin reported identity
theft, often conducted over the Internet, is the fastest growing
financial crime at UCLA. The university police department has even
named identity theft among its greatest concerns, starting a
program to educate the public on prevention and security. For these
reasons, Congress sponsored 16 different bills on Internet privacy
in 2003. It is time for UCLA to recognize the risks posed by its
public directory. “I think that whenever students (post their
personal information), they need to consider possible ramifications
and use caution,” said Nancy Greenstein, UCPD community
services director.
The safest choice is to remove all personal information from the
directory through URSA. But, whether a student makes this choice,
UCLA must take responsibility to restrict public access to personal
records.
The public interest served by restriction of personal
information outweighs the public interest served by a complete
disclosure of it. Public disclosure ““ as it is normally
understood ““ grants access to information regarding students,
faculty and staff. But restriction of directory information should
not be considered a question of public disclosure. Just because
students attend a public school does not mean their records should
remain public as well.
Does UCLA have to completely abandon its directory? Of course
not.
In fact, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974 states schools can disclose personal information from the
directory, though students and parents can request to leave their
personal information as private information. Most university Web
sites explain these laws and how they’re important to the
campus. UCLA doesn’t need to completely remove the directory.
Frankly, it’s convenient for students and helpful to
staff.
UCLA should simply deny public access to the directory ““
especially the student section. Students, faculty and staff should
be able to log in for access to personal information. This solution
protects students’ privacy but also allows the continuation
of UCLA’s purpose and mission for the directory.
If we don’t care about our own safety, who else will?
Fried is a first-year history student.
E-mail her at ifried@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments
to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.