Information security

To the Editor:

The Sept. 12 DP editorial "Watching What You Surf" may have created groundless fear. The Netreg system was created to protect the security of Penn's networks and the privacy of data on those networks and not to compromise the privacy of any member of the Penn community. Netreg is a network registration system that allows Information Security to quickly contact the owners of computers that have been hacked. Without this ability, it is very difficult to effectively protect University systems and networks.

The editorial fails to recognize that Penn has for several years expressed its strong support for privacy online through its Policy on Privacy in the Electronic Environment. The policy provides important safeguards for data and was adopted because of Penn's commitment to online privacy protections. Access to electronic data is allowed only to protect the integrity of Penn's computing system and in other limited and defined circumstances and with appropriate approvals.

Netreg does not store, retrieve or access in any way your use of Web sites, e-mail, IM messages or any other network activity. Instead, Netreg associates your computer's IP address with your PennKey. Any use of Netreg data to identify computer users is strictly regulated by Penn's electronic privacy policy.

It bears mentioning, however, that the privacy policy permits disclosure of information "when it is necessary to comply with legal requirements" when mandated by law to identify the user of an IP address, it is more likely now than in the past that Penn will have records that we must provide. Our message on file sharing continues to be what it has always been: When you engage in illegal file sharing, you run a serious legal risk.

Network registration is widely used among our peers. It is generally considered a best practice to protect both individuals and networks.

David Millar The author is a University information security officer

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