Have you checked the settings on your Google Group lately? By default when you create a group, only group members can post and view messages  and people must ask to join the group. However, researchers have discovered that thousands of Google groups have their permissions set to allow the general public to view the group posts.  This would not be an issue if the people posting information to the Google Group understood that their posts could be viewed by the public. However, sensitive and private information has been found within these group posts suggesting that they really have no idea.

If you are the owner of a Google Group, please take a moment to check your permissions. To check permissions:

1. Open the Google Group.
2. In the title bar of the Google Group,  click Manage. The left menu changes.
3. In the left menu, click Permissions. A list of permissions appears.
4. Click to select each permission type and review its settings.

Please note that if you have selected All organization members, to View topics or Post anyone with an @mtroyal.ca email address may do so. This includes students, staff and faculty. If you have selected All members of the group, users must actually join the group to be able to post or view emails/topics.

If you wish to email/post to a Google Group, check the settings of the group to see who can see the messages you send. To check the settings:

1. Open the Google Group.
2. In the title bar of the Google Group, click About.
3. Scroll down to find the Access section. The posting and viewing permissions of the group are listed here.

If you have questions or concerns about setting permissions, please contact Bernadette Pasteris at bpasteris@mtroyal.ca.