Beneath the generally congenial nature of the typical Higher Education environment, document security is of consistent concern, due to both an increase in privacy regulations and in fraud or forgery of typical academic documents. Key legislation such as FERPA, HIPAA and GLBA have specific applicability to educational institutions, and are driving initiatives to protect students’ identity and personal records. Security efforts have been largely focused at the IT level, and attaining compliance with regulations is largely left to the individual institution. Due to the increasingly competitive economic environment and global sources of potential fraud, academic record documents are also increasingly subject to scrutiny for appropriate levels of security and veracity. This is crucial to preventing abuse and damages to academic institution reputations and individual students’ wellbeing.
Areas of Concern
Fraudulent Degrees & Diplomas
At a time where Internet-based “diploma mills” can provide anyone with seemingly legitimate proof of achievement, the risks of fraudulent diplomas or illegitimate degrees are multiplying. The results can be illicitly gained employment, damage to the reputations of institutions, and untold risks of unqualified individuals holding crucial roles and responsibilities, based on false credentials. While the use of special papers, seals, embossing and signatures has become standard in the issuance of diplomas, the increasing sophistication of counterfeiters reduces the assurance of such measures significantly.
Fraudulent Transcripts & Letters of Recommendation
Documents such as transcripts and letters of recommendation play a key role in the admissions process, as well as long-term follow-up services to students and their future endeavors. The economic implications can be severe for employers, while the reputations of institutions can also be compromised. Such documents have some measures of protection including the use of specialty security papers for transcripts, application of university seals, and delivery direct from institutions to the end recipient – but cannot escape significant gaps and fraud opportunities for their generation or alteration.
Students’ Personal Information & Identity Protection
The most significant sources of fraud are likely found here – in the unauthorized access to and theft of individual students’ personal records and identity information. Identity theft is probably the largest and fastest growing form of fraud based in documents, and mandates have forced institutions to protect electronic and print records with a variety of solutions. The specific solutions themselves are largely unregulated, however, and enforcement of applicable laws is generally reactive, after damage has been done.
Outlook
While the typically non-profit and intellectual nature of academia keep this sector farther from the security limelight, the risks of potential identity theft and fraudulent use of key academic documents pose an increasing threat. Like its counterpart world of business, academia has taken strong steps to securing the volumes of data that drive its operations, but has placed the security of its printed materials distinctly off-radar in terms of security efforts. A comprehensive view of security that adopts a layered approach to securing all sensitive information, including in printed form, is essential to the sector maintaining the high standards of excellence to which it is held in the public eye.
AuthentiGuard On-Demand Can Help
AuthentiGuard-On-Demand is a sophisticated print security technology that combines the benefits of copy and tamper protection with the ability to conceal sensitive data within printed documents. Utilizing standard desktop and commercial printers, the solution provides for the dynamic delivery of comprehensive protection to all manner of higher education records and documents.