UBC is unable to return lost storage drives due to inabilities to prove item ownership.
In a Reddit post, one user said they were unable to retrieve their SD device from the UBC lost and found due to the department’s policy on storage devices.
According to the Reddit user, the office was also unable to insert the drive into a computer to prove ownership in case the drive contained viruses or malware. The Reddit user additionally said the office would not allow them to insert the drive into their own computer because "there is a liability that [the user] might get some viruses and sue" the university and because if there was illegal content on the drive UBC could be held liable for disseminating it.
The Reddit user also said they remained unable to repossess their SD card even after offering to waive liability.
In a statement to The Ubyssey, Director of UBC Bookstore and Parking Services Brian Jones wrote while “UBC's Lost and Found office ... is committed to reuniting lost items with their rightful owners,” the department does “not have a method in place for safely assessing the contents stored on the device in a way that does not risk UBC systems or the owner's privacy.'"
“Lost and Found will be reviewing its processes to determine if there are other options to safely and securely handle found data storage devices,” Jones said.
Jones recommended that UBC students "use the various methods available to them as students, faculty and staff members to securely back-up data."
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