The following report of the University Council Committee on Communications is on the agenda for discussion at Council Wednesday, March 20. The University of Pennsylvania is committed to protecting the personal privacy of members of the University community.
Violations of privacy can take many forms, sometimes inadvertent or well-intended.
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 not be made without the informed consent of the individual. The ultimate protection of our privacy comes from a community-wide awareness of the importance of privacy in our society and the many ways it can be eroded. It is University policy that such information be collected, stored, and used only for appropriate, necessary, and clearly-defined purposes. Access to such information must be controlled and safeguarded in order to ensure privacy. The ease and flexibility, and transparency, with which electronic information can be accessed, linked and displayed can set the stage for abuse of privacy.