Caltech Extends Collaboration with Google Workspace for Education

To: The Caltech Community
From: Kaushik Bhattacharya, Vice Provost for Research

I write to share that Caltech is updating the privacy settings for Caltech's Google Workspace accounts to facilitate enhanced collaboration and shared access to information and documentation with colleagues and collaborators external to Caltech. As of May 14, 2024, individuals who use their access.caltech credentials to login to Google Workspace will be able to collaborate with users outside of Caltech, a feature that until now has been restricted by the Institute. 

In implementing this change, it is important to remind all Caltech users that they will personally be responsible for adhering to federal, state, and campus regulations around the sharing of content and management of copyright material.

Please keep in mind the following key points:

Policy Change: 

• Effective May 14, sharing links from Caltech's Google Workspace will no longer be solely restricted to Caltech users. This change allows for collaboration outside of Caltech. 
• You must ensure that, when sharing access to your content, you adhere to legal and regulatory compliance. For example, do not share any export-controlled information or FERPA data, HIPAA data, human participant data, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), or data or files requiring special consent or licenses to release.   
• Upon logging in, you will be asked to agree to comply with data protection laws, regulations, and all Google Workspace terms and conditions. Parental or guardian consent is required for minors to use the workspace. 
• If you have questions regarding compliance, please reach out to either the Office of General Counsel or the Office of Research Compliance. 

Educational Focus: 

• Sharing copyrighted materials with your students works differently online. The Caltech Library can help you provide these materials to your students while observing copyright guidelines. Please visit https://library.caltech.edu/search/reserves for more information.
• Canvas provides robust accessibility tools and FERPA protections and remains the preferred platform for teaching and learning. For information and assistance in using Canvas, visit https://canvas.caltech.edu, or email [email protected].

Storage Quotas: 

• Google Workspace storage is capped at 50GB per account. If you are currently using more than 50GB of storage, you will need to purchase additional storage starting September 1, 2024. You can visit https://www.imss.caltech.edu/services/collaboration-storage-backups/storage-comparison and learn more about Caltech storage options and pricing. 

Google Workspace Information: 

• Please visit https://learn.caltech.edu/tech-tools/g-suite-faqs for a Google Workspace FAQ, including a form to request additional Google Workspace services be turned on.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to [email protected].