Invasions of privacy can take many forms, often inadvertent or well-intentioned.
The mutual trust and freedom of thought and expression essential to a university rest on a confidence that privacy will be respected and disclosures of personal information will be made with the informed consent of the individual. While the organizations collecting and having custody of information are immediately responsible for its protection, the ultimate protection comes from a community-wide awareness of the importance of privacy in our society and the many ways it can be eroded.