Barron task force launches consultation forums
The 14-member task force commissioned by Harvard President Drew Faust in the wake of a series of controversial email searches last fall will launch the second phase of its work this week with a set of open and online forums to run through October. Led by Professor David Barron of Harvard Law School, the task force was charged by Faust to develop a set of recommendations on electronic communications policies following searches that, Faust said, demonstrated the need for “much clearer, better, and more widely understood policies and protocols.” The task force, consisting of faculty members and senior staff from across Harvard’s Schools, met several times over the summer to define underlying principles and questions that it hopes to discuss with the community in the coming months. Among the principles: transparency about the realities of technology, the importance of fostering trust in the Harvard community, and respect for the privacy interests necessary...