Universities Move to Hide Work From US Eyes

The internet tool RefWorks allows professors and students to organize and store research, automatically creating bibliographies. The firm RefWorks describes itself as an international company – but it is based in the US, home of the Patriot Act, which after the 9/11 attacks granted federal authorities wide powers to examine databases without warrants or notice for security risks. Concerned about privacy, Canadian university librarians worry that an academic interest in Iran, nuclear physics or terrorism could trigger a US investigation. As a result, librarians have developed mistrust for internet technology based in the US, and the Canadian universities are taking an extra step to provide RefWorks, thwarting US oversight by going through a server based in Toronto. Canada also has security measures that cover databases, but requires judicial oversight. “It's a concern about a foreign country having access to your personal information without good cause,” said one librarian in this “Globe and Mail” article. “That's the devious thing of the Patriot Act, they can do this without letting anybody know.” – YaleGlobal