Office of the Chief Information Officer Press Release
The University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

OCIO > EITS > Press Releases

Monday, September 21, 2009

WRITER: Bert DeSimone, 706-338-9849, bert@uga.edu
CONTACT: EITS Help Desk, 706-542-3106, helpdesk@uga.edu

UGA Privacy Policy ratified by University Cabinet

ATHENS, Ga.— Developed by the UGA Office of Information Security in conjunction with the Information Technology Management Forum Security Committee, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Legal Affairs, with ratification by University Cabinet, the UGA Privacy Policy becomes UGA's official policy on protecting the privacy of individuals at UGA.

The UGA Privacy Policy, is the university's official policy on protecting the privacy of individuals at UGA

The full text of the policy, along with a policy summary, is accessible from the UGA Office of Information Security Web site:

https://infosec.uga.edu/policies/privacy.php

The UGA Privacy Policy directly supports the university's efforts to eliminate and/or secure the use of sensitive data. This policy applies protections and restrictions on the collection, dissemination, and use of personally identifiable and sensitive information with specific restrictions on the use of SSNs.

"Ratifying the UGA Privacy Policy formalizes and reinforces the university's commitment to protecting sensitive information and supports the university's efforts under the Securing Sensitive Data Initiative and the Identity Management Initiative," said Director of University Information Security Brian Rivers.

Specifically, this policy establishes the following:

1. Access to sensitive information must be restricted to authorized personnel with a need to know.
2. Specific restrictions on the use of the SSN and establishes that SSNs are always confidential. UGA will not print SSNs on non-confidential documents, or transmit over unsecured methods.
3. All departments that collect sensitive personal information online must link to the Privacy Policy and disclose any outside entities that can access that information.

About the Office of the CIO and EITS
The Office of the Chief Information Officer and Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) are committed to the mission of UGA as a land-and-sea-grant institution where academics come first and the research extensive university community encourages research efforts at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To that end, under the direction of the University´s Chief Information Officer, EITS endeavors to provide a robust, reliable, and secure information technology infrastructure, maintain essential production services, and offer world-class support.