Terms of service for the use of Teachers College’s Google Workspace environment.
This policy serves as the College's terms of service for the use of the Teachers College (TC) Google Workspace for Education service. TC provides the Google Workspace for Education service, which includes email, document storage, calendar, chat, and other collaboration and productivity applications, to support the educational and administrative activities of the College, and to serve as a means of official communication by and between users and TC. The purpose of these terms of service is to make TC’s community aware of certain obligations when utilizing TC’s Google Workspace for Education service.
This policy applies to all students, staff, faculty members, officers, employees, and affiliates of Teachers College, Columbia University, including extended learning sites, guests, tenants, visitors, contractors, consultants, vendors, individuals authorized by affiliated institutions and organizations, and all others granted use of and/or access to Teachers College, Columbia University technology resources and data.
In order to use Google's services as provided to TC, all users of TC’s Google Workspace for Education must be aware of, agree to, and adhere to the following:
Notice of Privacy
TC grants authorized users access to the TC Google Workspace for Education platform. TC is the legal owner and operator of all of its information technology systems and owns all of the data that is contained within the Google Workspace for Education platform. Access to this platform can be revoked by Teachers College at any time. Except where applicable law provides otherwise, users should have no expectation of privacy while accessing or using the Google Workspace For Education Platform.
The College reserves the right to access, inspect, and restrict the use of users’ content data (email messages, file contents) and may exercise such rights for various reasons, including but not limited to:
Regulated Data
Teachers College-provided Google Workspace services cannot be used for Payment Card Industry (PCI) credit card data, student loan application information protected under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), or Export Controlled Research as defined by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
All members of the Teachers College community are responsible for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data created, received, stored, transmitted, or otherwise used by the College.
TC reserves the right to restrict the use of Information Technology resources in order to preserve data security or comply with law or policy.
Teachers College and Google have reached an agreement that will allow access to the PHI-certified services and tools in Google Workspace. This agreement, known as a Business Associate Agreement (BAA), protects PHI in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. For more information, Google has published this article regarding HIPAA compliance. It is important for users to note that individual data owners/users are still responsible for ensuring that they do not expose PHI or other sensitive data stored in Google Workspace via the sharing of files/folders. If your data has been classified as PHI (as governed by HIPAA), contact the Office of General Counsel for detailed requirements and assistance.
To secure research data, consult with the TC Institutional Research Board (IRB) and the Information Technology Information Security team.
Data Loss Prevention
Teachers College has the ability to monitor activity to adhere to regulatory compliance requirements and implement security best practices using tools available from Google or third parties.
To prevent exposure of confidential/sensitive data as defined by TC’s Data Classification Policy, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions are incorporated into TC's Google Workspace infrastructure to safeguard this data. DLP enables an organization to reduce the risk of unintentional disclosure of sensitive data by identifying, monitoring, and protecting confidential data while in use, in motion, and at rest.
Google Workspace Account
Use of the Teachers College Google Workspace Email, Drive, and Shared Drive services must be limited to College business. Google account storage, shared across email and Google Drive, is limited based on one’s role as an active student, staff member, contractor, or alumnus/a. The Google Drive service is disabled for Alumni. The Google Photos service is not enabled in the Teachers College Google Workspace environment.
To request an increase to one’s TC Google account storage limit, constituents must initiate the process by submitting a ServiceNow Request through the TCIT Service Desk. If there is a specific need for additional space related to Teachers College academic, research, or work purposes, the primary approach should involve utilizing alternative TC storage solutions.
In instances where alternate options are insufficient or unavailable, requests for limit increases will be considered. The requester must provide evidence demonstrating the necessity of the additional space for academic interests, research, or Teachers College business. Furthermore, it should be established that using Google Shared Drive or other storage platforms to host the excess content is not feasible.
This process is designed to ensure that any expansions to Google Storage limits align with the essential academic, research, and business needs of Teachers College.
Use of My Drive and Shared Drive in Google Workspace
My Drive refers to the personal storage space provided to each individual user within Google Workspace. It is intended for the storage of personal and non-institutional files and data. Shared Drive is a collaborative storage solution designed for groups, departments, or project teams within the institution. It is intended for the storage of institutional data, departmental files, and collaborative work.
My Drive should be primarily used for storing personal data and files that are not related to institutional activities or are not required for collaboration with others within the institution. All institutional data and files should be stored in Shared Drives.
Use of Google Takeout
Google Takeout is intended solely for the export of personal data and files created and stored within a user's individual Google account. Personal data and files refer to content that is not affiliated with institutional or proprietary information. Users are encouraged to use Google Takeout to safeguard their personal information and content by exporting it for backup or transfer purposes.
Under no circumstances should Google Takeout be used to export institutional data or files associated with Teachers College. Institutional data includes but is not limited to academic records, administrative documents, research data, and any other information that belongs to or is managed by Teachers College. Exporting such data through Google Takeout is strictly prohibited to maintain data security and compliance with our institutional policies and applicable federal and state regulations.
Responsible Office: Teachers College Information Technology
Effective Date: June 15, 2020
Last updated: March 20, 2024