Email archiving in public school raises serious issue of electronic privacy
February 27, 2008 at 7:36 pm (archive email, business, data retention, electronic communication, electronic privacy, Email Archiving, email retention, governance, message archiving, news, politics, privacy, public school, salem news, school committee, thoughts)
Stacie N. Galang of the Salem News Online reports that Peabody Public School “will start archiving all e-mails — including those by teachers and other staffers — beginning March 3rd as state officials warn public agencies they must store such public records.” School Committee members have received adequate warning as Superintendent C. Milton Burnett has “circulated a memo to all staff about the change affecting the district-based email system.” Burnett said, “all staff is advised NOT to utilize Peabody Public Schools e-mail or Peabody Public Schools Network Systems for any correspondence relating to student or staff personnel issue or personal items.” However, citing the new email archiving policy as frustrating, fear-inducing, and counterproductive, a large number of school related personnel are seeking to have the law overturned.
Why are people so upset here? Are they wrong? Justified? What sensitive spot is email archiving hitting? Well, I want to start off by saying I firmly believe email archiving laws are raising significant questions regarding public knowledge and what should be made available for industry regulators to see. People are upset here because they believe that this is an issue of their “right to personal privacy” being taken away. In the same article I referenced above, The Salem News quoted a woman as saying: “the law seemingly makes no distinction between a true public record and a personal document.” It also mentioned “criticism by Committee members concerned that information discussed about students or School Department personnel could reach public view.” These are both valid points that should be taken seriously. There are unquestioned benefits to archiving email, such as the ability to prove or disprove conflicting evidence at a later date. It is also a way to prevent conspiracies and under the table dealings from manifesting into reality. However, where is the line of privacy drawn? Which electronic communications should be allowed to be kept private? What if personal information about a student really did manage to leak out into the open? Is that right? What does the public have a right to know? I think that is the biggest question here. Email archiving and email retention policies really could be a serious plus for society if managed the right way. However, there must be more attention paid by academics to the reasons behind new legal implementations, as well as detailed explanations by law makers about the specifics of regulations.
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