Kenyon’s extended online directory has been updated to exclude home addresses and home phone numbers for students, faculty and staff. The changes, which were made in response to concerns about privacy, took effect April 3.
“We are more aware of people’s privacy in an online world, and this is a responsible step toward providing the right balance between privacy and information for the Kenyon community,” said Ron Griggs, vice president for library and information services.
The decision was made after long and thoughtful deliberation and was supported by the College’s Data Privacy Committee in the fall. A number of individuals in the campus community had expressed worries about possible misuse of such personal information, and incidents of doxing and swatting — in which personal information is used maliciously — have been on the rise nationwide.
This proactive response to remove the home data for everyone was informed by the fact that the process to synchronize the directory information is complex, and limitations to current databases prevent the removal of a single individual’s information from the directory in a sustainable way.
College employees who have a legitimate need and use for such information still will be able to access home addresses and phone numbers through other retrieval methods.
Kenyon’s public online directory does not include any student information and only work-related information for employees. The extended online directory requires a login to see additional information related to College employees and to see any student information.