Harvard Secretly Searched Deans' Email 113
theodp writes "Taking a page from HP's playbook, Harvard University administrators secretly searched the emails of 16 deans last fall, looking for a leak to reporters about a case of cheating. The deans were not warned about the email access and only one was told of the search afterward. Dean and CS prof Michael Smith said in an email Sunday that Harvard will not comment on personnel matters or provide additional information about the board cases that were concluded during the fall term. Smith's office and the Harvard general counsel's office authorized the search, according to a Boston Globe report. Smith's Harvard bio notes that his entrepreneurial experience included co-founding and selling Liquid Machines, where Smith coincidentally invented a software technique designed to keep unauthorized people from reading electronic documents."
There was no unauthorized access. (Score:5, Informative)
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Since the Deans and Faculty members are technically employees of the Harvard Corporation / Harvard University, then there was no unauthorized access, since I am sure that Harvard reserves the right to peruse and otherwise scrounge through the work product of its employees. Whether it can do that to its students, though, may be another matter.
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Anyone here have direct access to a Harvard Faculty / Administration Employment Manual or Employee Agreement or Contract? That's the only way to be sure: look at the actual contract.
Thoughts on this from former Harvard College Dean (Score:5, Informative)
Here is Harry Lewis thoughts on the matter...
http://harry-lewis.blogspot.com/2013/03/email-privacy-at-harvard.html [blogspot.com]
For those not familiar, Harry Lewis was not only the Dean of Harvard College for a number of years, he is also a Professor of Computer Science.
Re:All places I worked (Score:4, Informative)
It was always made clear to me that my work email could be monitored for any reason. Dean or janitor, you are an employee.
I work at a state university, and we are reminded of this at least once a year. Pretty much everything related to our jobs is available to the public, if the public cares enough to pursue the information.
Harvard's private, but onerous contract language seems to be the norm these days just about everywhere. The deans probably don't have any significant legal recourse. Being faculty, though, I doubt it ever occurred to them anyone would actually dare do this.
Mixed Messages (Score:5, Informative)
Harvard has a problem because of THIS:
Harvard University Information Security
FAS Policy Regarding the Privacy of Faculty Electronic Materials
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) provides the members of its faculty with computers, access to a computer network and computing services for business purposes, and it is expected that these resources will be used in an appropriate and professional manner. The FAS considers faculty email messages and other electronic documents stored on Harvard-owned computers to be confidential, and will not access them, except in the following circumstances.
First, IT staff may need access to faculty electronic records in order to ensure proper functioning of our computer infrastructure. In performing these services, IT staff members are required to handle private information in a professional and appropriate manner, in accordance with the Harvard Personnel Manual for Administrative and Professional Staff. The failure to do so constitutes grounds for disciplinary action.
Second, in extraordinary circumstances such as legal proceedings and internal Harvard investigations, faculty records may be accessed and copied by the administration. Such review requires the approval of the Dean of the FAS and the Office of the General Counsel. The faculty member is entitled to prior written notice that his or her records will be reviewed, unless circumstances make prior notification impossible, in which case the faculty member will be notified at the earliest possible opportunity.
They were not notified according to this policy.
Could get messy.