U-M respects the privacy of its employees and seeks to foster a climate free from arbitrary or capricious monitoring of employees and the records they create, use, or control. The university may, however, need to access or monitor such records in accordance with Privacy and the Need to Monitor and Access University Records (SPG 601.11).
We strongly encourage you to store personal files, folders, email, or other personal data in non-UM personal accounts, but the university recognizes that employees may have personal, non-work-related files and records on their U-M computer or in online storage space provided by U-M.
The university urges you to indicate which files are personal and private by placing them in a folder named Personal and Private. With some exceptions as outlined in SPG 601.11 (for example, when required by law or needed to avert threats to IT systems), the university will not monitor or access materials in folders labeled with the phrase Personal and Private. No matter the U-M service, if you create folders or labels called Personal and Private, the university will treat the contents of those folders as non-institutional data and refrain from monitoring or accessing them in accordance with SPG 601.11.
Additionally, it may be difficult for others, such as next of kin, to access personal information in your U-M account after you leave the university. Using Personal and Private folders and labels for non-work-related information facilitates sharing that information in the event you are deceased or incapacitated. Keep in mind that the process for sharing information with next of kin requires legal documentation, which may be difficult to obtain, so it is best to store your personal files in non-UM personal accounts.
Some Services Provide a FolderSome services include a Personal and Private folder created for you automatically:
- MiWorkspace computers. A Personal and Private folder has been added to your MiWorkspace computer to help you keep your personal files private. (See MiWorkspace: Store, Access & Back Up Data.) If you have personal, non-work files on your computer, please store them in this folder. You will find the folder in your local user directory:
- Windows. U:\Personal and Private
- Mac. Finder/Go/Home/Personal and Private
- Box at U-M. The university plans to begin providing Personal and Private folders automatically for faculty and staff Box at U-M users on the Ann Arbor campus—except at the U-M Health System (UMHS)— sometime in early 2017. In the meantime, you can create your own folder.
- Google Mail and Drive at U-M. The university expects to begin providing Personal and Private labels in Google Mail at U-M and folders in Google Drive at U-M for faculty and staff users on the Ann Arbor campus—except at UMHS—automatically sometime in early 2017. In the meantime, you can create your own folder and label.
If any of your Personal and Private folders or label are accidentally deleted or otherwise missing, you can create new ones yourself.
For Other Services, Create Your Own Folder
-->You can create more than one Personal and Private folder if you wish. You can put your Personal and Private folders in any location on your U-M computer or in your online U-M storage space; they do not have to be at the top level of your home directory.
MiWorkspace Users: See MiWorkspace: Store, Access & Back Up Data for information about the location of a Personal and Private folder on your MiWorkspace computer.