KCL warns it may monitor emails as part of Prevent duty

King’s College London (KCL) has warned students and staff that their emails may be retained and monitored as part of the government’s Prevent programme to stop radicalisation on campuses. The KCL login notice stated: “This system is for the use of King’s College London authorised users only. Individuals using this computer system without authority or in excess of their authority are subject to having all of their activities on this system monitored and recorded. “King’s has a statutory duty under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, termed Prevent. The purpose of this duty is to aid the process of preventing people being drawn into terrorism. You must not create, download, store or transmit unlawful material or material that is indecent, offensive, defamatory, threatening, discriminatory or extremist. The university reserves the right to block or monitor access to such material. However, campaigners have raised concern over the log in warning, stating that by using the system students and staff were effectively consenting to their emails being ‘monitored and recorded’. A spokesperson for KCL’s students’ union said the move was a violation of trust, claiming: “Students who have not committed any crimes are being treated as suspects.” The news arrives as the Prevent duty continues to remain highly contentious within universities with both academic staff and students arguing that it risks creating a culture of mistrust and acting as an obstacle to vital debate. A spokesperson for KCL countered that the university was not ‘actively’ monitoring emails, but was notifying users that it had the obligation and right to do so if required. The spokesperson said: “The changes to text on the sign-in screen indicate our obligations under Prevent with regards to such policy. We are following best practice for the sector as advised by UCISA [Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association] and defined by law, which determines what is and is not permissible use of institutional IT facilities. “King’s College London is proud of its diverse and inclusive community and any monitoring would form part of the usual security process.”