Policy Issues Arising from a Networked Information Environment

Current Issues Session
CAUSE '95

Clair Goldsmith, University of Texas-Austin, Goldsmith@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
Anne Parker, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Anne_Parker@unc.edu

Session Handout: A list and brief description of Web sites containing interesting policy statements.

Session Notes

The current issues session on "Policy Issues Arising from a Networked Information Environment" was attended by 25 people from the US and Canada. Discussion was often lively, generally informative, and lasted past the session's official end. The participants agreed that a mailing list would be useful to continue discussion, share strategies, and generally assist one another in navigating this ground.

A handout (appended below) with some suggested discussion questions and a list of Internet sites with different types of information policy information was provided to the audience. After summarizing the Internet site references, discussion on a number of topics ensued. Some of the key points are summarized below:

• The medium isn't the message. When considering a real or hypothetical information policy case, first remove technology from the picture, then apply existing policies and procedures. This generally works to diffuse some of the "mystery" from the situation.

• A corollary: Don't develop new policy where existing policies may work or work with some modification.

• Documenting and following due process is extremely important, is separate from policy (though often unfortunately mingled), and is media independent. Process considerations: potential denial of access to educational resources (for example, when a student's account is turned-off while an investigation is made); technical support for adminstrators charged with handling offenses.

• Participants' institutions varied in the weight given free speech, privacy, and freedom of access principles in electronic mail, student web pages, and Internet browsing, though participants themselves tended toward open access and free speech.

• How can we better educate administrators in dealing with these issues? Administrators unused to electronic communication often focus on the medium rather than the content.

• Proactive strategies for campus users of electronic communication services: Use agreements (useful often as a post- hoc reminder), orientation programs, inclusion in "University 101" orientation classes, require an "Internet Driver's License."

• Responsible use agreements often include prohibitions against copyright violation, commercial use, preventing others from using the system, and a reminder to behave consistently with community ethics.

• Privacy issues: The default varies from institution to institution. (Which policy applies to an e-mail message, the sending institution or the receiving institution, or both?) Are e- mail logs, news group logs, web logs like library circulation records or telephone records?

• Responsibility for archiving electronic communication. One IT director was told to archive e-mail as official institutional business. Others considered archiving official e-mail as a responsibility of the sender and receiver.

• IT responsibilities clearly include an obligation to inform our clients of rights, responsibilities, and risks of electronic communication; to promote consistent policies and procedures; and to make these policies and procedures public.

• Problems/ gray areas:
  • Is viewing objectionable material in a computer lab like viewing a book in a library or posting such material on a bulletin board? (May vary with circumstance.)
  • Access by minors (e.g., at a summer institute) may be problematic. Strategies used: permission of parent, notify parent, send disclaimer. Permission was successful in one case, though another case where the majority of students were not permitted to use electronic resources was cited, so a course had to be dropped.

Policy Issues Arising from a Networked Information Environment
CAUSE '95
Session Handout

Clair Goldsmith, University of Texas-Austin
GOLDSMITH@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
Anne Parker, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Anne_Parker@unc.edu

Many issues are emerging related to the proliferation of campus- wide networks and connectivity to the Internet: free speech and academic freedom, censorship, student records privacy, e-mail privacy, ethical standards, copyright and intellectual property in a networked information environment, defining and managing "institutional information" on the WWW, and so forth. Some states are considering legislative action that would prevent the use of the Internet by minors, and Congressional concerns with pornography may well create difficult management situations for our campuses. Many institutions are moving toward establishing policies to deal with these issues.

• Who are the key players who need to be involved in such policy making?
• When is it best NOT to create a policy?
• How can we best share those policies so that we can learn from the work of our peers?
• Is it possible to create a model set of policies based on work that has already been done in this area?
• Can you start developing policy at a grass roots level? If so, how?
• What are some strategies for gathering support/general buy- in for information policy(s)?

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