CMU Digital Privacy Policy

What You Need to Know

General Policy:

• Presume other's files to be private, unless given specific permission otherwise.
• Even files publicy accessible are deemed private based on virtue of file name and data stored.

Student Policy:

• Data stored under student account that are under proprietary control may not be examined.
• In an emergency, however, data may be accessed without consent.
  • Emergencies may include, for example, but are not limited to, the death, incapacity or disappearance of the student, or the search for and examination of files used for apparently malicious activity in an account which endangers the integrity of shared computers, the network, or other aspects of the university’s computing infrastructure.
• Also, data needed for legal matters may be accessed given proper procedures are followed.

Protecting Personal Information:

• Data transmitted across the university network or stored on university systems may be accessed by others as a result of misuse by an individual, as an incidental result of the routine operation of the network and systems, or in response to a court subpoena or university investigation into suspected or alleged misuse.
• While complete privacy of personal data may not be possible, users who wish to ensure a higher degree of privacy for their data are encouraged to use encryption, PGP security, or other techniques to reduce the risk that others may access their data.

For More Information, visit CMU's Computing Document.