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>I'm not saying we should restrict personal devices or personal use; >I'm just pointing out that an expectation of privacy with employer >equipment is at best misguided. With the mechanic's tools example I >would not expect to own a personal tool; at the same time, I would >expect to own the product of those tools when they were used to >accomplish a work task. The same with the university phone stipend - >personal calls on a personal phone are none of my concern, but I >would indeed be expected to subpoena you in any kind of legal >proceeding. > >I think the general point we've all been making is that our email at >work can't always be considered private, even with personal messages >sent over it - and that allowing former employees to take it with >them completely unrestricted may not be a great idea. Several points and clarifications I'd like to add to this discussion. The Appropriate Use....of E-mail clearly states that the primary purpose of issued accounts is not for private/personal use, but neither is that prohibited. They are clearly provided for employees to do their job. Retirees do keep their accounts, as Linda Losik mentioned. I don't know as much guidance has been provided on handling the email of someone who retires or otherwise separates from employment. I would think that MSU has a "right" to retain work-related email and remove it from the former employee's "possession". How best to do that?? I don't know.... Re: Personal use - Based in part on the issued policy, and more-so on case law that holds that email on an employer's system is the property of the employer and that there is NO expectation or right to privacy, unions such as the APA recommend that members use a non-MSU service for their private, personal emails. For most of what we do as employees, the expectation of privacy is probably neither here nor there. But the best practice is to keep truly personal stuff off any employer's email service. As another user mentioned, we don't allow purchase of additional accounts except by department charge, which inherently means the account is intended for business purposes. And Nick, as far as doing business using off-site servers/services, the caution there is regarding "Sensitive Data". I'd advise reviewing the various statements and guidances at http://lct.msu.edu/guidelines-policies/#msd and proceeding accordingly. -- Leo Sell ATS Help Desk Michigan State University 517-432-6200 help.msu.edu