Are You Being Watched?

When you touch that keyboard, who is looking?

Emerson College has carved out broad powers to surveil its Internet users and learn where you are, what sites you have visited, what messages you looked at, and to look at  your personal data.

Under “Types of Information Collected” in Emerson’s Privacy Policy, Emerson states that it  “includes, but is not limited to, your name, address, phone number, social security number, driver’s license or other state issued ID, birthdate, and email address, any information we collect about you that is then linked to you or your device.” This includes info about your cell phone and your mobile provider.

 If you use location-enabled services through Emerson, the college says it has the right to track your location. Information may be shared with other agencies for “law enforcement measures.” 

Under “Information We Collect Automatically,” the policy includes your browser type and operating system, the IP address your computer used, web pages and advertisements and links you have viewed. It includes “the type of content listened to and content viewed” through audio and video; any messages you opened forwarded or clicked links in, and “websites you visited before and after visiting the Emerson Platform.”

If you look at an Emerson social media site, the college policy says Emerson may  access your personal information from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, including “websites visited and advertisements viewed.”

While privacy policies are supposed to inform users of their rights, Emerson’s includes huge caveats that could give it free rein to rake in your information to “investigate any claims or suspicions of misconduct on the Emerson Platform.”

Questions about what Emerson does with this information have become particularly urgent as the college administration carries out a broad campaign of discipline and suppression of activism, sometimes using extensive surveillance methods.

Video footage taken by campus police from its dozens of cameras has been used against students in formal disciplinary hearings.  Information about who “taps” into buildings also has been used.

Emerson’s “interim” policy on demonstrations requires protestors to “produce photo identification and remove masks” upon request by college personnel. 

Four students were placed on disciplinary probation in February for at least six months each for “misusing” the college email system by sending messages to lists of students with information about a new student union organization.

It has a chilling effect,” said one disciplined student, who asked not to be named.  “People, before they even attend a protest or make a statement, are already scared.”

Shortly after the April arrests at Boylston Place, the college contracted with a private company, Zenphi, to automate oversight of Google-related activities, including the college’s Gmail network. Zenphi, which advertises its use of advanced AI, is an Australian company run by an Iranian engineer. 

In recent public advertisements, Zenphi has boasted that its methods allow Emerson to “audit files and folders,” notify users if they access a file from “a suspended user,”  and to “automate security auditing.” According to publicity material from the company, “Emerson College's IT team built an automated workflow using Zenphi to identify and notify users who accessed files from suspended users in the last 60 days.”