Digital Trust

At the heart of our approach to information security is a commitment to building a partnership with our users based on a core principle: digital trust. We believe that the most effective way to protect our university is to build security through collaboration, not surveillance. This means we start from a position of trusting you—our faculty, staff, and students—and work to earn your trust in return.

Why a Foundation of Trust?

We want the traditional "trust but verify" model of security to give way to a more collaborative approach. We call it trust users and get telemetry. In an academic environment that thrives on openness and the free exchange of ideas, we believe that a positive, collaborative relationship between users and the security team is invaluable.

We recognize that our users are our colleagues and partners in the university's mission. You are knowledge workers who rely on technology as a critical tool to get your jobs done. Our goal is to empower you, not to create unnecessary obstacles. We are convinced that a positive working relationship between our security team and our users is valuable and worth nurturing. This relationship requires a foundation of trust, built upon the key pillars of transparency and informed consent.

The Pillars of Digital Trust

Building and maintaining trust requires a commitment to being open and respectful.

• Transparency: We believe that openness builds understanding, which in turn leads to trust and willing cooperation. Obfuscation and silence can breed suspicion and lead users to assume the worst about security practices. Therefore, we commit to being transparent about our security goals and intentions. This demonstrates our respect for your rights to privacy and autonomy. While we may not always detail our specific methods, we will be clear about what we are doing and why.
  
  
• Informed Consent: Rooted in medical ethics, the principle of informed consent means you have the right to be fully informed about actions or risks that affect you. In the context of information security, we take the time to make our users fully aware of our security measures at an appropriate level. Even when certain security controls are required by regulations, we want to be open about them and take the time to explain why they are necessary.

The Result

Fostering trust encourages users to work with us—reporting anomalies, asking for advice, and involving security early in new technology initiatives. An adversarial relationship, conversely, breeds anxiety and hinders effective security. We deal with the rare instances of bad behavior individually, rather than implementing measures that punish everyone.

We operate on the belief that our users are capable of making rational and informed decisions about security risks when they are educated and treated with respect. By fostering a culture of digital trust, we create a more secure environment for the entire university community through a shared commitment to protecting our digital resources.