Electronic Mail policy at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

[Allan H. Levy, M.D. <a-levy () uiuc edu>]

This is the newly issued Electronic Mail Advisory  now in effect at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  It makes reference to the
Illinois Freedom of Infortmation Act. I will attempt to summarize the
pertiinent portions of that act in the near future and post it, although it
must be realized that  my summary may not be precise: I am not a lawyer. 
The advisory also notes that any inspection of electronic files will be
governed by all applicanle U.S.  amd Illinois laws and by University
policies. It is not clear if the federal Electronic Comunications Privacy
(?) Act is applicable, nor what other University policies apply.
The policy follows:


University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date issued:    May 20, 1993
Approved by:    Vice Chancellor for 
                Administrative Affairs.




ELECTRONIC MAIL ADVISORY



      Electronic mail documents in public files are 
      protected by the same laws and policies and are 
      subject to the same limitations as communications 
      in other media.



        The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign participates in a
range of computing networks and many members of the community also
regularly use computers in their work.  Statements in public files in this
medium are protected by the same laws and policies and are subject to the
same limitations as communications in other media.  The same holds true for
electronic personal files and communications.

        However, users should exercise caution when committing confidential
information to electronic media because the confidentiality of such
material cannot be guaranteed.  For example, routine maintenance or system
administration of a computer may result in the contents of files and
communications being seen.  

        Also, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, electronic
files are treated in the same way as paper files.  The documents in the
files of employees of the State of Illinois are considered to be pubic
documents and may be subject to inspection through FOIA.  In such cases,
the campus Freedom of Information Officer must inspect files to determine
which portions may be exempt from disclosure.

        Network and system administrators are expected to treat the
contents of electronic files as private and confidential.  Any inspection
of electronic files, and any action based upon such inspection, will be
governed by all applicable U.S. and Illinois laws and by University
policies.

        A network or system administrator who is unsure about how to deal
with questions about the content of computer files or access to such files
should contact ..., Associate Vice Chancellor for Computing and
Communications, at 333-4103 ...