As you read your e-mails and surf the Internet, your peepers may not be the only ones staring at the screen.

Information Technology Services possesses the power to read your e-mail and view your Internet history.

The burning question is, do they use it?

“No,” said Elizabeth Leake, associate director of ITS. “Members of the NIU computing community can expect reasonable privacy when it comes to their Web activity, data stored on the network and e-mail content. Everyone should read and understand NIU’s Acceptable Use Policy as it relates to use of our computing systems and network.”

The necessary measures

Though ITS says they do not monitor the e-mails being sent by students, they do acknowledge that in some rare instances, observation becomes a necessity.

“In very rare cases, based upon a court order, direction by human resources or by direction of the university legal council, ITS may access a user’s e-mail,” Leake said. “Even in those cases, ITS does not ‘look’ at the e-mail content. We are simply passing it on to the legitimate requestor based upon a legal or HR requirement.”

Such observation can prove to be a necessity, Leake said.

“In the event that something is abused, ITS retains the right to retrieve any incriminating evidence so that offenders can be dealt with,” Leake said. “These measures are necessary and universally accepted in the industry. ITS never takes any independent action regarding looking at the content of any e-mail, though ITS does have the technical ability to do so.”

These regulations do not apply just to students, but professors and administrators using the system as well.

“Those who would monitor activity wouldn’t discriminate,” Leake said. “It isn’t the people, it is the activity that would be scrutinized.”

Because college is supposed to prepare students for the “real world,” at least one student doesn’t feel the conditions are a problem.

“I think there has to be a good reason for it,” said freshman accountancy major Melissa Elaguizy. “However, when you go and work in an office, they’ll be reading all of your e-mails for no reason anyway, so we’ll have to deal with it eventually.”

Monitoring the Web

Though ITS claims it monitors e-mails only out of necessity, Web monitoring is common.

“All ITS-supported Web sites’ utilization is monitored,” Leake said. “This type of monitoring needs to occur so we can ensure that systems are available and functional.”

However, monitoring the systems and monitoring the actual Web-surfing habits of students are two very different things.

“We do not routinely monitor Web site content,” Leake said. “Anything that has an NIU affiliation, most typically any equipment on campus … is an ITS responsibility to monitor. ITS is the organization that would be contacted if there were inappropriate content such as child porn, illegal activity occurring or some type of copyright infringement.”

Increased traffic to a particular place on the Web may merit increased scrutiny.

“ITS has general thresholds set for monitoring all network activity, including Web site activity,” Leake said. “Regardless of the type of content on a Web site, if the activity suddenly became abnormal, monitoring systems would most likely be aware of it and we would check into what was occurring.”

Given the recent outcry over privacy violations, Leake reminds users that NIU’s computing environment is a privilege and not a right.

“The resources we enjoy were paid for by state funds and ITS has been appointed as steward to ensure these resources are used for legitimate purposes,” Leake said. “ITS respects the privacy of all patrons unless their activity is subject to scrutiny by an auditor or legitimate external source.”

Justin Weaver is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.