Protect Alumni Data Security: Provide a Privacy-First Option for the Class of '86 Commemor
Protect Alumni Data Security: Provide a Privacy-First Option for the Class of '86 Commemor
The Issue
Dear Dean Kamal
The Issue: The Class of 1986 is preparing a commemorative coffee table book for our landmark Ruby Reunion. While this is a highly anticipated celebration of our shared journey, the current data collection protocol mandates the disclosure of highly sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This includes exact dates of birth, marriage anniversaries, home addresses, phone numbers, and our children's names and degrees.
Alumni are currently being forced into an "all-or-nothing" choice via group polls: either publish full personal data or be entirely excluded from the commemorative book.
Why This Matters Today: The digital landscape has fundamentally changed over the last few decades. Cybercriminals increasingly target senior executives, alumni, and retirees using open-source intelligence (OSINT). Publishing an unsecured, comprehensive directory of home addresses, specific dates, and family lineages hands bad actors a master key to crack security questions, execute identity theft, or launch highly targeted spear-phishing and financial scams.
The current plan to manually compile this sensitive database using presentation software (PowerPoint) and distribute it as a standard PDF to printers provides absolutely no security. Modern AI tools and optical character recognition (OCR) can automatically scrape and extract text from a PDF file into a clean, searchable Excel spreadsheet in seconds. Once printed or digitally shared, this private data cannot be retracted.
The Solution We Want: We are petitioning the Dean of Alumni Affairs to intervene, safeguard alumni privacy, and direct the organizing committee to establish a safe, inclusive "Third Option" for data collection.
We demand that the Alumni Office implement the following changes:
The "Nostalgia & Professional Profile Only" Option: Introduce a choice that allows batchmates to be fully featured in the book using only non-sensitive information: Name, Roll Number, 1986 vs. 2026 Photographs, and Professional/LinkedIn-style milestones.
Immediate Data Deletion Upon Request: Ensure that any alumnus who previously submitted sensitive PII fields out of initial compliance can request the immediate deletion of those specific fields (addresses, exact dates, family details) from the master database while keeping their profile active in the book.
Make PII Fields Strictly Optional: Transition all home address, birthday, anniversary, and children’s data fields on the submission forms to "Optional."
We love our alma mater and want to celebrate our Ruby Reunion with maximum participation, but we must do so without compromising our digital safety and financial security.
Sign this petition to demand a privacy-first commemorative book that protects the Class of '86.
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The Issue
Dear Dean Kamal
The Issue: The Class of 1986 is preparing a commemorative coffee table book for our landmark Ruby Reunion. While this is a highly anticipated celebration of our shared journey, the current data collection protocol mandates the disclosure of highly sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This includes exact dates of birth, marriage anniversaries, home addresses, phone numbers, and our children's names and degrees.
Alumni are currently being forced into an "all-or-nothing" choice via group polls: either publish full personal data or be entirely excluded from the commemorative book.
Why This Matters Today: The digital landscape has fundamentally changed over the last few decades. Cybercriminals increasingly target senior executives, alumni, and retirees using open-source intelligence (OSINT). Publishing an unsecured, comprehensive directory of home addresses, specific dates, and family lineages hands bad actors a master key to crack security questions, execute identity theft, or launch highly targeted spear-phishing and financial scams.
The current plan to manually compile this sensitive database using presentation software (PowerPoint) and distribute it as a standard PDF to printers provides absolutely no security. Modern AI tools and optical character recognition (OCR) can automatically scrape and extract text from a PDF file into a clean, searchable Excel spreadsheet in seconds. Once printed or digitally shared, this private data cannot be retracted.
The Solution We Want: We are petitioning the Dean of Alumni Affairs to intervene, safeguard alumni privacy, and direct the organizing committee to establish a safe, inclusive "Third Option" for data collection.
We demand that the Alumni Office implement the following changes:
The "Nostalgia & Professional Profile Only" Option: Introduce a choice that allows batchmates to be fully featured in the book using only non-sensitive information: Name, Roll Number, 1986 vs. 2026 Photographs, and Professional/LinkedIn-style milestones.
Immediate Data Deletion Upon Request: Ensure that any alumnus who previously submitted sensitive PII fields out of initial compliance can request the immediate deletion of those specific fields (addresses, exact dates, family details) from the master database while keeping their profile active in the book.
Make PII Fields Strictly Optional: Transition all home address, birthday, anniversary, and children’s data fields on the submission forms to "Optional."
We love our alma mater and want to celebrate our Ruby Reunion with maximum participation, but we must do so without compromising our digital safety and financial security.
Sign this petition to demand a privacy-first commemorative book that protects the Class of '86.
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Petition created on 9 July 2026