This digest briefly reviews the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (the Buckley Amendment), which sets out legal guidelines regarding the privacy of student records and the provisions of the U.S. Patriot Act, along with the measures some colleges are implementing to comply with these laws and improve the security of electronic student records. FERPA established specific rights to parents to inspect, review, and sometimes correct their children's records, and these rights transfer to students when they turn 18. The U.S. Patriot Act requires that educational institutions comply with the law that requires the monitoring of foreign students and the disclosure of student records to track suspected terrorists. The Act allows the U.S. Attorney General to access student records and collect the information on foreign students that is maintained under the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The law exempts SEVIS and student information from the disclosure requirements of FERPA. Colleges face many issues related to these laws. One is that of electronic security of student records, including the determination of the circumstances in which officials have the right to view student e-mails or other electronic files. Related to these problems are those caused by the widespread use of student social security numbers as identification numbers. The complexities of the digital age and the new laws designed to protect national security have changed the way educational institutions provide access to, monitor, and safeguard student records. Active debate continues as educational institutions try to accommodate and balance the conflicting pressures of privacy concerns versus legal directives. (Contains 11 references.) (SLD)