[NBLUG/talk] Mail administration policy

[Scott Doty]

On Wed, Apr 07, 2004 at 12:12:24PM -0700, Steve Johnson wrote:
> <background>
> I wrote a script that locked the spools, attached the bulk announcement to
> the bottom of hte users spool, then unlocked the box.. Well there wasa
> typo in the header of the text I attached, so users couldnt pop their mail
> off the server.   Sooo I have to screw ethics, and write a scrtip to
> nuke that paticular message out of the spool.
> 
> Funny yhink is mutt didn't mind the farked up header.. imapd didnt
> either.. just the pop3 daemon would choke on this.
> </background>

I don't think there are ethical concerns with automated mailbox processing,
especially for the reasons you expressed.

Speaking as a long-time systems administrator, I think it's important to
express, to users, with precision, exactly what circumstances would warrant
you going into their email -- and adhere to that responsibility.  I suggest
something like the following:

   http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/6facilit/6.9p.html
   (Procedure 6.9.B.6.A.1, "Instructional Computing...Email")

...I'll append it below for comment and criticism.

(I wrote the original policy manual entries -- hopefully they are holding
up.)

 -Scott

6.9(p).B.6.A.1:
 _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1. Electronic Mail

While reasonable attempts have been made to ensure the privacy of user's
electronic mail, this is no guarantee that electronic mail is private. The
instructional computing systems and/or networks to which they are connected
are not necessarily secure.

System administrators will respect user's privacy to the extent possible,
and will not examine mail except in the following circumstances:

Investigating an apparent violation of these procedures; Disc capacities are
exceeded, and user's mail storage is a contributing factor; Performing any
necessary maintenance of the mail system; Forwarding a misdelivered message;
Closing an account which contains unread mail.

In the first four circumstances, users affected will be notified that mail
was examined by a system administrator.
 _ _ _ _ _ _ _

/sd