York Administration Intensifies e-Mail Surveillance

Nick Lary

As a recent CAUT investigation has documented, York has in recent years infringed upon the free speech rights and academic freedom of faculty and students. Moreover, a representative of York Security and a YUFA lawyer have said to individual YUFA officers that the Administration does or might check faculty e-mails. Many people at York prefer to use private e-mail accounts rather than York's e-mail accounts, to avoid administrative surveillance and to protect their freedoms. A group called York Faculty Concerned About the Future of York University has likewise made use of a private gmail account. In an e-mail forwarded to the York Democratic Forum it appears that the University has taken legal action in an attempt to gain access to this gmail account. If this initiative is successful, it could establish a chilling precedent for e-mail users at York, on the nation's campuses, and beyond.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Google Legal Support
Date: Apr 29, 2009 10:13 PM
Subject: [#432283319] notice of application for an order related to your Gmail account
To: yfcfyu@gmail.com

Hello,
Google Inc. has received notice of application for an order to disclose
information related to your Gmail account yfcfyu@gmail.com in a case
entitled York University v. John Doe.
For more information about the application, you may wish to contact the
party seeking this information at:

Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
Suite 2600
130 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 3P5
416-865-9500

Unfortunately, Google is not in a position to provide you with legal
advice. If you have other questions regarding the notice, we encourage
you to contact your attorney.

Best Regards,
Google Legal Investigations Support

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