Google Apps for Education: Privacy & Security
From an institutional perspective, The Technology Systems and Services Department is quite comfortable with Google's commitments to safety and privacy. In our contract with Google, they are explicit about the intellectual property belonging to the user and their privacy policies and practices are very strong. They state that they do not share or reveal private user content with third parties except as required by law.
They scan and index the data to provide features that will directly benefit users, or to help them maintain the safety and security of the systems. This information is used in spam filtering & virus detection. The scanned/indexed data is also used to provide the user dynamic search options on their Google accounts. The contract states that this process is 100% automated and involves no human intervention.
In addition, our licensing vehicle for Google Apps is one that was signed by the State of Maryland's Attorney General on behalf of all educational institutions in Maryland.
Password Reset Policy
Passwords protect the security of your work and prevent unauthorized access to your account. Computer and network security has emerged as the predominant challenge for the information age. In order to protect your identity, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and its' department of Technology Systems & Services requires students, faculty and staff to present proper identification in order to have their password reset. The Office of Technology has adopted the policy to not change or reset computer passwords via the telephone. This policy is implemented primarily for two reasons:
- It has become necessary to address increasing incidents of electronic identity fraud
- Recent IT audits are requiring improved password security procedures.
It will be necessary for the Help Desk to make positive identification of individuals requesting password resets. In order to achieve this, we are asking your cooperation in complying with one of the following procedures:
- Self-Service Solution: If you know your current password, use the "Password Reset" link found on the "Edit Account & Profile" page of the myMICA portal. If you do not know your current password, use the "Forgot my Password" link on the myMICA sign in page. Users enter personal information to identify themselves. This option is available 24x7.
- If you are not on campus and need assistance, you email or call the Help Desk at help@mica.edu. If emailing the Help Desk to request help with your password, please include your birth date in your email so that the Help Desk can verify your identity.
MICA has implemented these policies and procedures to help protect accounts for members of the MICA community and the personal information associated with them. MICA encourages everyone to setup up "forgot my password" questions, to change your password regularly and to make sure your passwords are complex.
Guidelines for Determining Group, Account or List
Google Group
Google Groups allow shared communication between a significant numbers of known users within the MICA community. Managers must be identified for each Group and are responsible for maintaining member lists and managing group settings. Google Groups can be used for email communication to large segments of the MICA community such as "faculty" or "staff".
The power of Google Groups is that they can also serve as a discussion board or list serve that would allow all members to post items to the group. Messages can be viewed via email or by visiting the Google Group web page.
When to use a Google Group
- When you require frequent email communication with a large population of users where membership is somewhat static (ie. Students, Faculty, Staff).
- When you want to facilitate discussion across a large group where it is important for members of the group to be able to post information or respond to posts.
When not to use a Google Group
- When you require frequent communication with a small or medium sized population
- When the population is very dynamic and not easily identified or shared across the organization.
Departmental Email
Departmental email accounts facilitate communications between a single MICA department and an individual. Individuals from inside and outside the MICA community can send messages to a departmental email account, and departmental accounts can send messages to users within MICA or to outside email address. Departmental email accounts are generally used for broad departmental communications or to receive inquiries from the MICA website.
An owner of a departmental email must regularly check the account for any communication.
When to use a departmental email account
- When you need a public facing address that people outside the MICA community can use to contact your department for general questions.
- When responding to inquiries from people within MICA or outside the MICA community is shared by multiple people throughout your department.
- When your department sends general notification and news to the MICA community.
When not to use a departmental email account
- When departmental email accounts are needed for one-time or short duration events
To make a request for a departmental email account, please log into your MICA email account and fill out this form.
Contact Groups
Contact groups, distribution lists, or mailing lists, are collections of email addresses associated with an individual's@mica.edu address. Contact groups allow a user to email multiple people at one time and are typically setup for specific committees or work groups where frequent communication is required. Contact groups are unique to your @mica.edu account and must be setup and managed by the user. These lists can contain a few addresses, or many and cannot be shared with other users.
When to use a contact group
- When you need to communicate frequently with a small group on a project
- When you need to communicate with a subset of people within your department.