In response to students’ concerns about receiving third-party emails in their WiscMail inboxes, the UW-Madison Office of the Registrar addressed the issue of personal information privacy in a news release Thursday.
Third parties can contact students through WiscMail because UW-Madison is required by state law to provide certain public information, including email addresses, names, phone numbers, home addresses and majors.
The Office of the Registrar can provide all of this information to third parties without written consent, unless otherwise specified by the student.
One way for students to limit third parties’ access to information is to request restriction on the release of their information under the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Acts.
However, such a restriction could cause potential problems such as difficulties for employers trying to access student information, according to the release. Another way to avoid unwanted emails sent from third parties is to block them through Student Center in My UW.
