Re: Is ths legal?...

["Declan B. McCullagh" <declan+@CMU.EDU>]

Excerpts from internet.cypherpunks: 16-Dec-95 Re: Is ths legal?... by
tallpaul@pipeline.com 
> Second, if it is true, people frequently define the ability to do something
> as a "privledge" not a "right." As in a hypothetical "Use of student
> accounts at O.U. is a privledge extended to the students by the University.
> By using our computer you keep to our rules, including abandoning any
> notion you might have that your communications are in any way private" etc.
> etc. 

Exactly. If Oklahoma University is private, it can establish and enforce
policies that would be unconstitutional at public schools. Those
policies become part of the contract and a student must abide by them,
except when they are administered arbitrarily and capriciously. At a
public universities, students probably would have more freedom to
challenge this policy.

A recent article from the school's student newspaper says:

"In the third part, the policy states that the university reserves the
right of access to user e-mail... Personal passwords may not be used to
prevent access. In the fourth part, the policy states that e-mail is
neither private nor confidential. The fifth part states important
documents should be saved in the computer or converted to hard copy."
(http://www.uoknor.edu/okdaily/issues/fall1995/dec-7/1-email.processed.html)

To me, "personal passwords" sounds like a student newspaper trying to
say "encryption."

I've copied this message to a grad student privacy advocate quoted in
the article and to the student newspaper. Perhaps they can shed more
light on the situation.

The best way to work against totalitarian administrators is to shine a
bright light on their repressive policies.

-Declan