The Communication Technology and Policy section of the Proceedings contains the following 15 papers: "The Virtual Sphere: The Internet as a Public Sphere" (Zizi Papacharissi); "Toward a Typology of Internet Users and Online Privacy Concerns" (Kim Bartel Sheehan); "Blind Spots of the Communications Decency Act Debate: A…

Discussion of the ethical use of electronic mail highlights a study at Gallaudet University (District of Columbia) that investigated student and faculty attitudes concerning privacy, equal access to information, and social conduct on the system. Results for deaf and hearing individuals are compared, and the use of telecommunications to help…

Addresses the legal tension between a teacher's right to privacy and a school board's right to demand exemplary conduct by teachers in and out of school. Concludes with a summary and two flow charts that illustrate the legal analysis that most courts follow when examining these issues. (MLF)

Reviews institutional policy and case law regarding sexual harassment and consensual sexual relations between college faculty and college students. Advises colleges to strengthen sexual-harassment policies and educate students and faculty about harassment, and to adopt a policy on consensual sexual relations between students and faculty members.…

Corruption in college athletics requires immediate attention through monitoring and publication of student-athletes' academic records. Privacy can be protected three ways: modification of federal law concerning student records; implementing voluntary disclosure; and exposing exploitation of African-American student athletes by examining their…

One of the principal drafters of Stanford University's regulation concerning verbal harassment on campus proposes an interpretation of the conflict between civil rights and civil liberties in this situation. Contrasts in the two approaches to injury and the public/private distinction are highlighted. The text of Stanford's regulation is appended.…

Addresses issues relating to the Internet and personal privacy. Defines privacy and discusses it in the context of property boundaries, contracts or special relationships, and gossip. Explores clashes between ideals of personal privacy, free speech, and economic freedom in the context of the Internet. (DSK)

Under federal statutes, many employment practices are legally questionable: targeting certain positions for one sex only; using racial quotas to reach diversity goals; using non-job-related tests as pre-employment screening devices; employing discriminatory employment policies; using non-job-related disabilities to deny employment; and inquiring…

Argues that, while students should have the right to privacy in the classroom, there are instances when that right must be waived. Contends, however, that learners cannot acquire a proper understanding of factual material, or the justification for believing it, without being granted a degree of privacy during the learning process. (Contains 10…

School nurses are caretakers of a vast amount of sensitive student and family health information. In schools, older computer hardware that previously stored education records is recycled for less demanding student and employee functions. Sensitive data must be adequately erased before electronic storage devices are reassigned or are discarded.…

Self-report questionnaires are frequently used in youth research, but doubt remains whether total anonymity affects the results. This study compared the responses of 704 mainly 16-17-year-old adolescents to self-report measures of various health indicators in 2 groups: anonymous and confidential collection. For most health indicators no…

This document sets out the requirements of federal law pertaining to confidentiality of student records. It provides guidance for the development of school-district policies on the handling of student records and provides a framework for legal information sharing. The paper discusses in detail each of the major federal statutes and its…

This book uses a cross-disciplinary approach to profile developments through November 1995 concerning important U.S. government information policy issues. Information policy analyses benefit from a historical perspective while seeking to identify current areas of agreement and disagreement, especially at a time when the United States is moving…

Many activities that take place in the library, including circulation and interlibrary loan and reserve requests, result in the creation of records linking clients to specific kinds of information. Several groups, including law enforcement officials, have attempted on various occasions to gain access to these records. This research paper provides…

This report analyzes the implications of computerized medical information and the challenges it brings to individual privacy. The report examines the nature of the privacy interest in health care information and the current state of the law protecting that information; the nature of proposals to computerize health care information and the…