Interview Findings – Ownership, Privacy and Security

Who has the ability to read your email?

• IT – 59

• Nobody – 25

• I donft know – 13

• Supervisor – 12

• Coworkers, the University, Someone - 8

When asked, "Who has the ability to read your email?" 59 people responded that IT could, 25 people thought nobody could, 13 people just didn't know, 12 people were pretty sure their supervisor could, and 8 people said either coworkers, the University, or someone (not specific). So most people are aware that someone else has the ability to read their email if they want to. In another question that didn't get asked of very many interviewees, "Who has the legal right to read your email?" people added the federal government into the mix if they were working on a federally-funded project. In spite of that fact, people admit to discussing sensitive or confidential information via email and their folder structures often reflect this. A lot of people have folders named for individuals – these could be students, coworkers, people they are working on projects with, etc. One person had a very intriguing folder title: "Student Situations." (It made me very curious about its contents). And here's a good one: "Disciplinary Problems." Or how about "Grades?" Of course, since it's often impossible to ascertain the contents of a folder from its title, so the messages contained within might be protected by that "veil of obscurity" the faculty member inadvertently or intentionally put in place.