Privacy and Security

Who is responsible for protecting the data I store in Google Apps for Education? What if the data I want to store or email to someone is confidential?

You will continue to be responsible for how you use and share confidential information (including personal information) in accordance with university policies.

Has a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) on the potential risks of using Google Apps for Education been done?

Ryerson has undertaken to review the privacy and security risks associated with moving to the cloud using the international standard of Privacy by Design. Ryerson will continue to monitor and assess privacy and security risks. Read more: http://email.blog.ryerson.ca/.

Does the PIA include all Google Apps for Education applications, or is it limited to only the email and calendar apps? How does Ryerson decide which Apps it will make available to the University?

Ryerson is making available only those Google Apps that have undergone a privacy and security risk assessment. Ryerson endeavours to make privacy and security default settings in all Google Apps in order to protect users’ communications and data. In some cases you will be able to alter these settings; we are committed to assisting you in making informed decisions about the implications of changing settings.

Will Google own the data that we store or email in Google?

Google will not own our data. All data is the property of Ryerson and/or you, the end user, and the contract with Google will have no impact on the intellectual property rights, custody, or control of faculty, staff, and student data.

I’ve heard my data will be “in the cloud” where does this mean it’s really stored? Will it be subject to foreign jurisdiction and the Patriot Act?

Your data will reside in multiple foreign jurisdictions and will be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions including the Patriot Act. Google maintains multiple sharded copies of our data in different locations to mitigate against local system failures and IT security risks.

I have a personal Gmail account and I see advertisements. Will I see ads on my Ryerson Gmail account?

There will be no advertising or data mining for faculty, staff, and student accounts. Google may display ads in Alumni accounts.

I'm not sure, can I use both RMail and Gmail?

Faculty and students must choose between the RMail and Gmail systems; you can not use both. All faculty staff, and students will be provided with a Google calendar as well as all the features of Google Apps for Education except E-mail. Users who decide to continue to use RMail will not have access to Gmail.

Will Ryerson send all of our passwords to Google?

Ryerson will continue to authenticate your user name and your password. Ryerson application passwords (example the password you use to log into my.ryerson) will not be sent to Google if you access Gmail or other Google Apps via the web. (with the exception of mobile devices and desktop client using IMAP/POP)

Where can I go to read about applicable Ryerson or Ontario policies for more information?

Does Ryerson provide tips or more information to help me protect myself and my data?

Yes. We have a website that provides information on tips for securing your computer, your data and protecting your identity. The number one tip to protecting your identity is choosing good passwords and protecting them. http://www.ryerson.ca/ccs/itsecurity/index.html.

Also, recently Ryerson held a series of sessions entitled "Privacy and Information Security for Going Google!" The session was recorded, and provides useful information on privacy protection and information security best practices related to email and records management. This is intended to help you prepare for Ryerson's plan to make available the Google Apps for Education platform.

Watch the video: https://ryecast.ryerson.ca/25/watch/2017.aspx.