Institutional Policy

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All Seattle Pacific University Institutional Data is classified into one of the four classifications or sensitivity levels described below: Restricted, Confidential, Internal, and Public.

For more detail regarding handling of Regulated Data, the Regulated Data Chart provides an overview of the types of regulated data that are permitted in various systems/platforms.


RESTRICTED

Data are classified as restricted if:

  • disclosure could cause severe harm to individuals and/or the university, including exposure to criminal and civil liability
  • the University is required to self-report to the government or the public notice if the data is inappropriately accessed or handled
  • legal and/or compliance regime may require assessment or certification by an external, third party
  • loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of the data has a significant risk to the University's reputation, finances, life and safety of the community, or increases security risk of other systems and data


 Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • HIPAA protected health records
  • PCI-DSS regulated credit card information
  • FISMA protected research
  • Usernames and passwords
CONFIDENTIAL

Data are classified as confidential if:

  • disclosure could cause significant harm to individuals and/or the university, including exposure to criminal and civil liability
  • the data is subject to legal and regulatory requirements due to data that are individually identifiable, highly sensitive and/or confidential
  • loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of the data has a moderate risk to the University's mission, reputation and/or finances
  • exposure poses low risk to life and safety


Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Attorney client privilege records
  • Financial accounts and direct deposit information
  • Human Subject research data
  • Social Security Numbers
  • Student loan application information (GLBA)
  • Passport, visa, and alien registration numbers
  • Taxpayer and employer identification numbers
  • Health insurance identification numbers
INTERNAL

Data are classified as internal if:

  • Disclosure could cause limited harm to individuals and/or the university with some risk of civil liability.
  • May be subject to contractual agreements or regulatory compliance, or is individually identifiable, confidential, and/or proprietary.
  • loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of the data has a little risk to the University's mission, reputation and/or finances
  • exposure poses no risk to life and safety


 Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Student education records (FERPA)
  • Student ID Number
  • Research data or results prior to publication or the filing of a patent application
  • Building plans, real-estate transactions, and associated information
  • Threat assessments and preparedness strategies
  • Contracts with third-party entities
  • Donor records (individual)
  • Employee records (multiple types)
  • Emergency planning information
  • Immigration documents (such as visas)
  • Intellectual or other proprietary property
  • University non-public financial information
PUBLIC

Data are classified as public if:

  • data is intended for public release
  • loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of the data has a no risk to the University's mission, reputation and/or finances
  • exposure poses no risk to life and safety


 Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Course catalogs and time schedule
  • Faculty, staff, and student directory information (unless there is a privacy block)
  • General institutional and business information not classified as Restricted, Confidential, or Internal
  • Information in the public domain
  • Public websites
  • Published research (barring other publication restrictions)
  • Research Awards
  • Research Proposals
  • No labels