[Web4lib] Big Flash Drives (snooping)

[John Fereira]

At 12:13 PM 6/10/2006, K.G. Schneider wrote:
> > hence, rather than read through a lost private journal
> > in order to find its owner, as a trained archivist i
> > know it'd be simpler and more respectful to give the
> > author/owner a reasonable amount of time to come and
> > get and it on their own.
> >
> > this holds true for any medium of information storage,
> > including flash drives.
>
>I can see where that approach comes from, but the device may hold
>information the user wants you to read. It's possible to scan file names
>without causing disrespect to the user.

If scanning file names is disrespectful to users than what does about 
systems administrators with full access to file names and contents of 
every file on a system.  In my 15 years as a unix systems 
administrator I don't recall ever hearing a user say "please restore 
my files but don't look at the file names".

If a user is concerned securing the contents of certain files on a 
portable file storage device they should encrypt them.
>They may not remember where they
>left the device, and they may have left information they want you to read.
>Certainly I've done that with cell phones in libraries, and the user is
>always happy.

I've lost a cell phone once and whoever found it looked up my "Home" 
speed dial button and left a message on my home phone before I even 
knew it was lost.  I also once lost my wallet while skiing at Squaw 
Valley.  I figured it was gone for good but received it as a package 
in the mail a few days later.  I was happy that they looked up my 
address from my D/L and didn't mind at all that the $50 that was 
previously in it was missing.



John Fereira
jaf30 at cornell.edu
Ithaca, NY