Expect no privacy

Brandeis University is planning to transfer their email service to Google (http://blogs.brandeis.edu/googleapps/). Many faculty are uncomfortable with this move, for good reasons. Yale University recently considered a similar move but decided to delay due to serious concerns over privacy (http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2010/03/30/its-delays…). A comprehensive article about the deeper issues regarding Gmail was posted by Brad Templeton (http://www.templetons.com/brad/gmail.html). Some of the concerns are:

1. Google’s main business is to collect information and sell it in various ways. This is incompatible with the privacy of email.
2. American laws protecting the privacy of email depend on how users use Google Apps. If they only use email the laws are different compared to the laws that apply when users also use other Google services. The laws also change depending on how long an email remains on Google servers. The complicated nature of privacy laws makes it difficult for Brandeis users to secure the privacy of their email.
3. Even if emails are deleted by users, Google can keep them forever on their backup servers. Therefore, once Google has the data, it remains under their control forever. This makes it impossible to completely reverse a move to gmail.
4. Company policies can change at will, or as a result of new laws or company mergers. Again, we will be stuck with gmail, no matter what.
5. Cloud computing: Google stores its data on different servers worldwide. Different laws will govern access to this data, including Brandeis data. This produces a complicated legal situation as to the privacy laws applicable to our email.
6. Google’s size makes it a prime target for hackers (including attacks from insiders).

If you are concerned you should voice your opinion to Brandeis LTS (attention: Perry Hanson, email: phanson@brandeis.edu). A potential opt-out exists if you are prepared to arrange for your own computer to receive email. In this case, you can log into UNET and change the mail forwarding to your computer. At this point, LTS is not planning to remove their mail forwarding server and thus, mail that is forwarded to your computer will not pass through Google's systems.