About the UCLA Advisory Board on Privacy and Data Protection

Privacy is a core value of UCLA and the University of California. Privacy provides a space within which intellectual inquiry can be pursued, and underpins the academic freedom fundamental to the institution. Thus taking steps to ensure privacy is of the utmost importance. This is especially true in today's ever-changing environment where conflicting mandates - privacy, security, openness, emerging technology trends and legal obligations - give rise to new and challenging privacy and data-protection issues.

Meeting these challenges requires philosophical exploration of all aspects of privacy, resulting in a body of concepts and principles that will apply to today's issues and to tomorrow's as yet unimagined quandaries.

This is the work of the UCLA Advisory Board on Privacy and Data Protection (PDF). The privacy board is charged with articulating an institutional position on privacy that reflects the campus's values and cultural expectations in this area and for addressing the challenging issues of privacy and data protection faced by the campus community. By establishing the privacy board, the campus acknowledges the importance of and necessity for a careful, thoughtful, long-term approach to setting privacy and data-protection policy that will guide the institution.

Members of the privacy board are appointed by the executive vice chancellor and are drawn from faculty, campus administration and students.

Purpose and Charge

To engender trust in the integrity of UCLA, an institution that values and respects the privacy of its community. That trust is achieved through well thought out policies and practices that ensure the protection of personal privacy and information and by ensuring privacy issues are addressed no matter how or where they arise.

• Establish high-level data and privacy-protection principles that specify what data are being collected, about whom, and for what purpose; who controls the data; and how the data are being protected from loss or unauthorized use.
• Vet new records management systems to ensure compliance with guidelines.
• Promote communication to the UCLA community regarding privacy and data protection.

Draft UCLA Statement on Privacy

The Privacy Board has developed a draft statement on privacy for UCLA and is soliciting comments on this draft.

Contacting the Board

Privacy issues or concerns may be raised with the board, or more information about the board may be obtained, by contacting Kent Wada at kent@ucla.edu or (310)-206-3874.