Members of staff at a Canadian university have raised concerns over possible compromises of their private data that have arisen as a result of the institution's use of Google's applications suite, it has been revealed. Controversy has broken out a Lakehead University in Canada after employees were told not to use the Apps suite for personal or sensitive information.
Google Apps features a number of web applications, including Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk.
Staff at Lakehead University, which was one of the first large-scale operations to adopt the service, were warned that, because the information they input into the Apps suite is stored on Google's servers in the US, their personal information may be at risk.
Whereas under Canadian law user data is protected, US authorities have the right to read everything under the conditions of the Patriot Act.
Commenting on the issue, Tom Puk, a former president of Lakehead's faculty association, stated: "The [university] did this on the cheap. By getting this free from Google, [it] gave away our rights," the Globe and Mail reports.
He added: "You would have no idea what they are up to with your information until, perhaps, it is too late. We do not want to be subject to laws of the Patriot Act."
Mr Puk has brought a complaint against the university because, under the terms of his contract of employment, he is guaranteed private electronic communications in line with Canada's privacy laws.
