THE NEWS IN BRIEF

A software program called Identity Finder that scans for the presence of high risk information, such as social security numbers and credit card numbers, is currently being installed on most central administration computers, according to Robert Cahill, the University Information Systems director of support services.

According to guidelines released by Central Administration Information Technology, administrative computers must not store what they deem high-risk, confidential information “in any way relating to Harvard or Harvard sponsored activities on any individual user computer or portable storage device.”

The software is being installed “to make sure computers are compliant,” Cahill said. “All this software really does is allow you to know easily what is on your computer. This is a tool—a very non-intrusive tool, more of a scanning tool.”

Cahill said that the information would not be stored or reported in any way.

“It reports the information to the user,” he said. “It does not report to a server. We are simply allowing users to understand what is on their desktop.”

Noah S. Selsby ’94, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences client technology advisor, said the initiative currently affects only central administration and not the FAS or the College .

The software will be installed on all central administration computers in the “next couple of months,” Cahill said.

—Staff writer Ellen X. Yan can be reached at ellenyan@fas.harvard.edu.modip et nostrud digna aute minis nim