p2pnet.net News:- Privacy fears surrounding America’s Patriot Act have prompted some Canadian post-secondary schools to drop the US RefWorks server in favour of another at the University of Toronto.

There are serious concerns about, “a foreign country having access to your personal information without good cause,” The Globe & Mail has William Maes, librarian at Dalhousie University in Halifax, stating.

“That’s the devious thing of the Patriot Act, they can do this without letting anybody know.”

The RefWorks online research management, writing and collaboration tool, “is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies,” says the company. “If you need to manage information for any reason – whether it be for writing, research or collaboration – RefWorks is the perfect tool. Use the tutorials and information resources on this site to work smarter with RefWorks!”

But, “Amid heightened fears about terrorist activities, Canadian university officials worry that if the research is of a sensitive nature, it could be misunderstood,” says The Globe & Mail..

“For example, an academic researching North Korea or nuclear weapons could find the work flagged by the Bush government, university librarians fear.”

Consequently, No Thanks, say Dalhousie, Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Alberta, switching to the Canadian server, hoping it’ll be protected from the Patriot Act.

“Mr. Maes said it is still possible for the RCMP and CSIS to probe the Ontario server, but in Canada there is at least judicial oversight.” says the story, adding:

“Michelle Lamberson, director of the office of learning technology at the University of British Columbia, said that users at the institution receive a warning that their information is being stored in the United States when they log into RefWorks. UBC is looking at switching over to the Ontario-based server to make sure private information is kept safe, she said.”

Could this be an opportunity for innovative host companies, preferably based outside of North America?

(Thanks, Julie)

Also See:
The Globe & Mail – Universities move to hide work from U.S. eyes, November 11, 2006

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