‘Troubling': UC Campuses Monitor Computer Activity

Officials at University of California campuses, including UC San Diego, have been monitoring all campus computer activity since last summer.

The decision to install monitoring software on all UC computers came after a huge data breach last year at UCLA Medical Center. Unfortunately the UC president Janet Napalitano forgot to inform students.

“I find it a little troubling that I had no idea that it happened at all,” psychology student Maddie Ebel told NBC 7.

Without telling anyone the schools installed software operated by a third party last August to monitor what it calls ‘digital traffic.’

A group of professors at Berkeley said the software raises privacy concerns especially since it’s not clear exactly what data is being collected.

Napalitano’s office released a statement in response saying, "Unfortunately, many have been left with the impression that a secret initiative to snoop on faculty activities is underway. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Her office said the intent is to prevent, detect and respond to any future cyber-attacks.

UC San Diego Junior Matthew Zamudio, who writes on the school newspaper, agreed that it’s a privacy issue.

“An email sent to a professor is going to be entered into this spyware system, where it can be read by the office of the president,” Zamudio explained. “So, it just creates a general sense of uncomfortableness on campus and doesn't make people feel very welcome.”

The ACLU weighed in on the issue saying, "Surveillance should not be used without first consulting with the community and ensuring that transparency and safeguards are in place."

“They have to accept the fact that all of the things that are being exchanged aren't going to be private,” Zamudio said. “They're going to be read by possibly a third party.”

The UC President said there is no intention of putting a stop to the monitoring, but moving forward, faculty will be ‘deeply involved.’

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