Today, CUCFA sent the below letter forwarding the grave concern faculty have shared with us, and calling for delaying the cybersecurity mandate until appropriate safeguards are established:
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May 8, 2025
Dear President Drake, UC Regents, Chancellors, and UC Senate Chairs:
We recognize the urgency of digitally securing data for our students, patients, and scholarly use, especially given the past hacks and breaches of digital security at UC. However, faculty on all campuses, along with local senates and faculty associations, the University Committee on Academic Computing and Communications (UCACC), and the UC-wide Senate have repeatedly raised grave concerns about the implementation timeline, chosen software, software configuration, and use of data. Many questions remain around invasions of privacy and academic freedom, as well as the software’s reliability, compatibility with research protocols, and spyware characteristics. The UC Office of the President promised to respond to these concerns, but never did.
This being the case, we request a delay in implementing this mandate until the end of Fall 2025 and the creation of transparent, accountable use policies clarifying software capabilities, allowable uses, and abuse mitigation methods.
Over 1,300 UC faculty members have signed a petition supporting the above requests.
Given the significant and unresolved concerns articulated by faculty across the University of California system, as evidenced by the widespread support for this petition, we urge your serious consideration of this request for a delay. Postponing the mandatory implementation of this software until the end of Fall 2025, coupled with the development of clear and transparent use policies, will allow for the necessary dialogue and due diligence to ensure the security of our data without compromising the fundamental principles of academic freedom, privacy, and research integrity that are essential to the University of California’s mission. We look forward to your timely and positive response.
Fiat Lux,
Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA)