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Using facebook to spy on college students

Submitted by Tech Goddess on Wed, 2005-11-09 17:26. culture | technology

A while back, Shutterbug wrote about how everyone has a Facebook account (heck, even I have one). Well, it seems that just as people sometimes Google job candidates, college administrators are starting to Facebook students. Via Techdirt comes this item about administrators using Facebook to discipline students. While I think you should be careful about the material you make public, I don't think that administrators should be snooping around on a non-university site to find out whether or not students are violating codes of conduct. How do they know the information is true? And what about students' rights to privacy? I mean, if you're blogging or posting on a university-hosted site, then they have the right to read and act on what you've written. But I have to agree with Carlo: "do the administrations of these schools have nothing better to do than troll around Facebook looking for rule-breakers?"

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Does it depend on who's looking?

Submitted by Annushka on Wed, 2005-11-09 18:20.

I mean, what if what one of the students wrote something that ruined the school's reputation? I know the smart thing is to not write things like that online for EVERYONE TO SEE but people do it anyway. People want to vent and they think that blogging like that, they're venting to an unconnected world out there. But you can't stop the person that you're blogging about from reading your posts. Besides, how can you bust someone if you're not catching them in the act of doing it (unless it's like murder or something?) Isn't this just another case of "If a tree falls in the forest..."??

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Good to know.

Submitted by Glamourous on Wed, 2005-11-09 20:10.

I hope in the future girls here will be more cautious as to what they put on the facebook. We do live in an Orwellian society, of course. Administrators can read your mind - and your private online business.

Living in fear - America in a nutshell. Thanks for the heads up.

Glam

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How is your business private

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-11-09 20:34.

How is your business private when you post it on the internet? Once you put your thoughts in a public forum, it's hardly "Orwellian" to read them. Common sense, dear.

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Well, "dear"

Submitted by Glamourous on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:04.

Facebook is hardly public. If I so choose, only my friends can see my page. Hence, privacy.

Still, my main point is one of caution; and the fact that our need to be "cautious" is both frightening and intrusive. That is the Orwellian factor. The "fear" factor, as some have put it.

Even if it were a "public" forum, that kind of invasion of my own personal business (and the effort required to physically look up my profile, add me, etc) would still seem Orwellian to me.

Glam

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But you chose to add the

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:11.

But you chose to add the "friend." You are giving people an EASY access to your personal information. That's not stalking, that's lack of common sense.

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...

Submitted by Glamourous on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:19.

Excuse me, what friend are we talking about?

It is astonishingly easy to click "Deny Friend" and avoid any sort of conflict.

I am confused as to why you are saying I have no common sense... what friend are you supposing I added?

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A hypothetical friend, no

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:21.

A hypothetical friend, no one in particular; although I suppose that the people who friend EVERYONE with any type of connection may apply.

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Um, it's not just about Facebook either

Submitted by Annushka on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:27.

Administrators also check up on you through other blog sites. I don't personally blog about specific people because I know that I write to everyone on the internet. But some people write about specific individuals that they work,etc as a way to vent. It may be stupid- but is it wrong? Should people get in trouble for it? I don't think so.

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You just conceded that it IS

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2005-11-09 21:30.

You just conceded that it IS A stupid idea? Is it wrong to slander and libel against others without their knowledge? I would think so!

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Some people choose that

Submitted by Glamourous on Wed, 2005-11-09 22:03.

Some people choose that path; I don't deny it. I am not one. Please don't use the second person next time, thanks.

Glam

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Are You Two Arguing? Or Bickering?

Submitted by Apathy on Thu, 2005-11-10 23:28.

I'm a bit confused as to what exactly you two are arguing about... I think that each one of you is trying to force her own oppinion on the other... maybe you should both just accept, "ok, yeah, that person believes something differently than I do," and move on. It's not that either one of you is "right" or "wrong," it's that differing oppinions give diversity and interest to different people. If we all thought the same thing, how boring would the world be? Hope this helps.

=)

Never Regret the Biggest Mistake of Your Life

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hmm

Submitted by Ritzy Charly on Thu, 2005-11-10 12:42.

I think this is so totally inapropriate. I mean people should be able to have a safe type space where we can just be goofy and silly and not have to worry about being academic or making good impressions.

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Military Academies

Submitted by chai (not verified) on Wed, 2005-11-16 17:40.

My brother attends the US Naval Academy where a while back they suspended a few students based on their Facebook accounts. The students were underage and had used pictures of themselves consuming alcoholic beverages for their profile pic. The US military academies have incredibly strict policy about underage drinking while attending their schools, since they're government institutions and paying for the students' education and all.

Anyhow, while I do agree that it's a waste of time and possibly an invasion of privacy (except in the case of non-military schools - you sold your privacy) for administrators to be browsing Facebook, there's no question that some students are just idiots.

It's a good sign of how the Internet is becoming less of a haven and more of an open book, though. Similar: LJ and Myspace-user murders/kidnappings, baiting pedophiles, and the amazing power of Google.

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