College students may experience unsolicited phone calls and e-mails from third parties as a result of public records requests made of the university to hand over students’ personal contact information.
Third-party requests for students’ contact information at public universities are common, but it is an occurrence frequently overlooked by students.
Students should be aware that third parties are able to use public information laws to gather lists of thousands of students’ contact information to use for various solicitations.
Just in 2006, a Democratic political campaign organization used public information laws to obtain the contact information of students who attended the University of Texas.
To corral student engagement, support or votes is commendable, but to do so using private information students have given the university is invasive.
While third parties possess legal rights to use public records laws to gather such information, students have the ability to limit the occurrence by changing their privacy settings on the registrar Web site.
Students should exercise their right to control the information given to third parties.