Facebook profiles: be careful what you post
Megan Ward
Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: News
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Hundreds of W&L students list very personal information on their online Facebook profiles, including birthdays, AOL screen names, phone numbers and addresses. Many other student profiles reference drinking, drugs and humor that many view as inappropriate and offensive.
"Anybody can read this stuff," said Dean of Students Dawn Watkins, who thinks that students should be careful of what they're posting on the Facebook.
More than four million students worldwide log onto thefacebook.com. While most students are aware they're giving amusing information, they often fail to realize the potential privacy problems that can result from the information they are disclosing on the Facebook.
Anyone with a University e-mail address can create an account on the Facebook, an online social directory created last year by a Harvard student wanting to network the Boston campus. The person can then choose what personal information they list, including a photo, interests, political views, dating preferences and contact information.
Issues regarding Facebook privacy are buzzing around campuses across the country. Last school year, a Brandeis University student's parents and grandmother discovered a reference to marijuana use in her profile. In September, Brandeis held a seminar recommending safety tips and telling students to consider family members, faculty, and employers that might read the Facebook.
Watkins said she has heard many arguments for university oversight over the Facebook. She also said that outside of the University, if something becomes libelous or slanderous in a legal sense, parties can go to court over it. Within the University, if someone is offended by another's use of Facebook, they can seek resolution through the Student Faculty Hearing board (SFHB), Student Judicial Committee (SJC), CAIR, the administration, or even the EC if it is a potential honor violation. "We have a higher standard," said Watkins in reference to student conduct on the Facebook. But she maintains the University does not police student Facebook use.
"Anybody can read this stuff," said Dean of Students Dawn Watkins, who thinks that students should be careful of what they're posting on the Facebook.
More than four million students worldwide log onto thefacebook.com. While most students are aware they're giving amusing information, they often fail to realize the potential privacy problems that can result from the information they are disclosing on the Facebook.
Anyone with a University e-mail address can create an account on the Facebook, an online social directory created last year by a Harvard student wanting to network the Boston campus. The person can then choose what personal information they list, including a photo, interests, political views, dating preferences and contact information.
Issues regarding Facebook privacy are buzzing around campuses across the country. Last school year, a Brandeis University student's parents and grandmother discovered a reference to marijuana use in her profile. In September, Brandeis held a seminar recommending safety tips and telling students to consider family members, faculty, and employers that might read the Facebook.
Watkins said she has heard many arguments for university oversight over the Facebook. She also said that outside of the University, if something becomes libelous or slanderous in a legal sense, parties can go to court over it. Within the University, if someone is offended by another's use of Facebook, they can seek resolution through the Student Faculty Hearing board (SFHB), Student Judicial Committee (SJC), CAIR, the administration, or even the EC if it is a potential honor violation. "We have a higher standard," said Watkins in reference to student conduct on the Facebook. But she maintains the University does not police student Facebook use.