Use of Location Data
On the Use of Cornell Location Data
With rare and approved exceptions, as a matter of policy, Cornell does not use its data to track the location of individuals on campus. In instances of emergencies involving life and safety, where the need to find an individual at risk is urgent, the university may access individual location data in ways deemed appropriate by campus health or safety experts. In all cases, requests for such data use are first reviewed by the appropriate data stewards per university Policy 4.12 Data Stewardship and Custodianship.
At this time Cornell will not use personally identifiable Wi-Fi location data for general COVID-19 compliance tracking. However, if the campus health risk due to COVID-19 changes such that accessing this data would help the university to manage an urgent health or safety need, this may be reconsidered in the future. The university can collect and use de-identified WiFi data during the COVID-19 pandemic to obtain a general picture of testing and Daily Check compliance tracking on campus at the discretion of the appropriate university reopening committees. (October 2020)