USF Values Students over Government Compliance

USF Values Students over Government Compliance

By: Andrew Noerr

With all of the mayhem that has surrounded the National Security Agency and citizens’ invasion of privacy, there is perhaps one group of people that have been overlooked in all of this chaos, and that group is college students. Student data such as grades, health records, and housing information can all be seen as valuable in the eyes of the NSA. However, a careful examination of the policies that the University of San Francisco has in place considering data privacy would convince anyone that the school cares about its students more than complying with government requests for sensitive information.

            In fact, this issue could matter a lot more in the coming months. Later this fall, an international student-run organization called the Student Net Alliance will be grading universities on a myriad of topics such as how schools protect student data, whether universities have strong online privacy policies, how they support student developers, and other subjects as well. The grades will then be published in their “Campus Internet Policy Gradebook.”

            Even though the online group hasn’t released the gradebook yet, the criteria for it were released during the previous summer. Luckily, USF has posted some of their privacy policies online. An inspection of these policies and a discussion with the Information Security Officer of the ITS Department at USF named Walter Petruska has shed a lot of light on how USF could potentially be graded this fall.

            For starters, the Student Net Alliance advocates for universities to have policies considering encryption of data, free speech on campus, and cyberbullying. For the most part, USF does impose rules on those subjects. The university has its policy on data encryption posted online, and it specifically states that “Confidential or Highly Confidential” data such as academic, financial, and disciplinary data among other types are absolutely encrypted for the means of protecting it from unauthorized use. Encryption of data refers to the process of converting data into a code so that it can be protected from potential hackers.

            As for free speech on campus, USF does not have a specific policy for that, but freedom of students on campus is mentioned in the school’s core values. As listed on the USF website, one of the core values of the school is to promote “freedom and the responsibility to pursue truth and follow evidence to its conclusion.”

            Cyberbullying also does not have its own policy, but USF does have general rules concerning acts of harassment on campus. Specifically, according to the USF Fogcutter Student Handbook, acts of intolerance such as showing hatred towards a person for his or her ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or other things is strictly forbidden, and that is especially true if it is done on the Internet.

            The Student Net Alliance also favors universities that notify their students when government agencies such as the NSA request any of their data. In most situations, USF does alert students if their data is requested by any outside organization. However, according to Petruska, not all students are granted full privacy when it comes to their sensitive data.

            “International students are treated differently,” Petruska said. “It’s all about them having visas. They have to be in school if they want to be in the United States. So, if a government agency requested data such as their academic records to make sure they’re in class, they would automatically get it.”

            Still, Petruska disclosed that in cases when a government agency requests data about students such as where they work or where they live on campus, then that data would not be disclosed without the consent of the student. Also, student data is generally protected by law under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). According to the National Law Review, FERPA doesn’t allow third parties to receive educational records of students over 18 years old without the consent of students and their parents, although there are many exceptions.

There is still more that the Student Net Alliance asks of colleges today though.  The group also hopes that colleges advocate for student developers who wish to develop technology such as apps to be allowed to release data about on-campus activities. For example, the Student Net Alliance favors colleges who allow students to make data sets about stats such as course registration and dining hall data. Afterwards, they would be allowed to make that data public.

            Fortunately, they are indeed allowed to do so at USF. According to Petruska, the ITS Department permits student developers to make technology such as apps that include USF data.

            Petruska said, “I definitely encourage our students to use USF data to make apps. The ITS Department hires students to work in our labs to work on projects like that. I’m all for it.”

            One example of an app that incorporates USF data is one called “USFmobile.” According to the webpage on the USF website dedicated to this app, USFmobile allows students to learn about campus events, check their schedules and their grades, and check registration holds. The app presents an example of USF data that can be accessed on mobile devices.

            All of the criteria previously described indicates that USF does value data privacy, but there is still another bar that schools are asked to climb. The Student Net Alliance also inquires about if schools allow students to install what has become notorious software called “Tor.”

            Tor has proven to be extremely useful while also controversial at the same time. According to the official Tor website, the software prevents outside people or organizations from learning users’ locations and from doing traffic analyses on users’ browsing habits. Outside groups such as the NSA would then theoretically not be able to discover how users of Tor use the Internet and what sites they check on a daily basis.

            The invention of this new software has raised some intriguing concerns. While it certainly is useful for online privacy, it can also help hackers and other criminals to commit crimes and not have their actions be detected by any outside organizations.

            With this in mind, Petruska revealed that USF still allows students to have the software on their computers, even though it may not be a popular decision.

            “USF students are allowed to have Tor. However, lots of colleges block Tor on their campuses,” Petruska disclosed. “Students are allowed to have it until they are caught using it illegally. I believe that I have a legal obligation to approach students in those cases.”

            Presumably, this hasn’t been a problem at USF since not many college students would know how to commit serious crimes online or do any serious hacking. Still, Tor has become an interesting option for those who truly value online privacy.

            Examination of all of these criteria would indicate that USF should be graded highly this fall in the Campus Internet Policy Gradebook. Although there were other small criterion such as school’s viewpoints on patent reform, training on how to use Tor, NSA recruitment programs, university transparency reports, and legal options for students who are threatened by outside hackers, Petruska noted that USF doesn’t have or need policies on those topics. He believes overall that the school does a quality job in valuing student data over government compliance.

“The ITS Department cares about privacy of student data greatly,” Petruska said. “We do whatever we can to protect the community.”