Take Four: Maintaining Privacy and Protecting Data at Colleges and Universities

2. Do the simple stuff. A lot of identity-theft incidents at colleges and universities are the result of sloppiness, e.g., stolen or misplaced laptops. Promote care, accountability and common sense. Train and educate faculty, staff and students on your privacy policy and its importance; mandate protection of laptop computers and backup devices among staff; keep track of what information is posted to the Web; maintain caution when sending e-mail attachments.